Frat Culture at Trin: Can it Change?

By Talia Cutler

On September 9, 1980, the Trinity Tripod ran an article titled “Frat Changes Deemed Necessary by College Board of Fellows.” “Some (frat) houses are on a ‘collision course’ with the administration,” author Rachel Mann ‘83 wrote, “which jeopardizes the entire system.” Almost 44 years later, what has changed? 

As one of only three NESCAC schools with fraternities (Tufts and Wesleyan being the other two), and little else surrounding our campus, Trinity’s nightlife is uniquely situated to be repetitive yet “college-y.” Yet, there are legends of when the campus was more loose and rowdy, with gaggles of upperclassmen reminiscing of their time at the Hall not unlike your grandfather talking about his glory days on the high school football team. 

This stands in stark contrast to the Vernon Street freshmen and transfers are familiar with — two or three houses open for maybe two hours blasting EDM or Taylor Swift, punctuated by the occasional formal. How has this scene changed so quickly? 

It’s no secret fraternity life has been under scrutiny by the institution, and a string of events (hazing, discrimination, sexual assault, and financial irresponsibility) has led to an effort to downsize Greek life on campus, essentially losing all administrative backing. As frats themselves have declined both in size and quality, attention to their aggressive behavior is on the rise. Assault and harassment are an all-too common story shared by female students after a night out. This issue is widely recognized, but rarely acted upon by admin. The school has created a space in which men feel safe acting this way, and where women feel just unsafe enough to not tell anyone about it. This complex is the very thing that perpetuates itself. The culture at Trinity, much like a frat, is one that caters greatly to rich white athletes. There is a general air of misogyny wafting from every direction like a middle school locker room. 

That being said, I would be lying if I said fraternities weren’t the center of social life on campus. Without them, we’d essentially just be Conn College. A consistent nightlife allows students to be safer while partying than they would be in Hartford. Thus, administration’s lack of social safety nets on campus (very few events and sparse city scene) has made students dependent upon the very thing they claim to abhor - fraternities. 

The collision course that was predicted nearly fifty years ago appears to be closing in. Frat culture at Trinity College has destroyed itself through its own systems and refusal to cooperate with administration. They continue to haze and harass, feeding into the expectations of an already oppositional institution. And yet, they are essential to the college’s core student experience. After all, Trinity does little else to entertain its student body, or provide alternatives to a weekend out on Vernon or Allen Street.

From a freshman’s perspective, it appears that frat culture on this campus has found itself at a crossroads. On one hand, it could miraculously improve through meticulous work which would require effort by both students and administration. Compromises would have to be reached on the student side of things, as well as actual consequences for predatory behavior that the college would have to enforce. This would encourage more people to engage in nightlife - perhaps back to the bustling utopia of the past few years that upperclassmen so wistfully pine for. Alternatively, frat life could continue on the path of their almost inevitable demise, effectively turning Trinity into a suitcase school (as it already is for many). 

The goal of the school should be to help and not hurt student life. By creating an Us vs. Them culture to one of the centermost elements of the campus, Trinity has done nothing but shoot itself in the foot. Happy Colliding Trinity!