Myths about Greek Life!

Antônio's D-Plan

- FallOn campus
  Favorite Class: SPAN 20: Writing and Reading
  This class is an introduction to the Spanish minor and major courses and, although I did not expect to particularly like it, it not only turned out to be my favourite but it made me start considering a degree in the department!
- WinterOn campus
  Favorite Class: THEA 10.68: Staging Rebellion
  In this class, we analysed different productions of Latinx American theatre. Prof. Analola Santana was probably the best person I met this year at Dartmouth. Being her student was a very important experience as I try to navigate my potential majors and minors.
- SpringOn campus
  Favorite Class: NAS 30.25: Intro Indigenous Languages
  In this class, I was able to carve time out of my busy Dartmouth schedule to study and learn my Indigenous language: Krenak. With the help of Prof. Gokke, all students were encouraged to develop a final project that spoke to their community's needs for language learning and revitalisation. It was an extremely important class for me, not only academically, but also for my personal healing process.
- FallMadrid, Spain
  Favorite Class: SPAN 36: Urban Identities
  I had the honour of spending my sophomore fall in Madrid, taking part in the Spanish FSP. There, Prof. Martín was not only a great professor, responsible for my favourite lecture of the program, but also an incredible company throughout our classes and in-country trips. Great way to wrap up my Spanish minor, honestly!
- WinterOn campus
  Favorite Class: NAIS42: Gender Topics in Native American Life
  This was my second class in the NAIS department, and thus it took me one step closer to wrapping up my major. Nonetheless, it was Prof. Powell's genuine charisma and caring personality that made it my favourite of the term!
- SpringOn campus
  Favorite Class: NAIS 30.26 Indigenous Geographies
  This course was definitely life changing! Prof. Pochedley, a visiting post-doc of the Potawatomi nation did a great job at keeping the students engaged while teaching us to see the land we inhabit as a source of knowledge and spirituality. In a majority Indigenous classroom, we got to develop individual projects related to our traditional homelands, learning to navigate the world through Native world lenses.
- FallOn campus
  Favorite Class: SPAN43.07: Spooky Spain
  Prof. Gómez is one of those profs I've always wanted to take a class with. His work with the Horror genre in Modern Spanish literatures amazes me, and it was an honour to guide in-class discussions and develop my own research on the themes of science, testimony, and fear.
- WinterNew Zealand & Cook Islands
  Favorite Class: LING54: Foreign Study in Linguistics
  LING54 is an umbrella course: the actual content of the course may vary each year, but it is the common letter-number code to refer to the course taught abroad by your accompanying Dartmouth Linguistics professor. In this year's Linguistics Foreign Study Program (FSP), LING54 was a 'Language Documentation' class, wonderfully taught by Prof. David Peterson.
- SpringOn campus
  Favorite Class: SPAN50.06: Framing Gender and Ecology
  Before this class, I had no idea what visual and cultural studies actually encompassed. Every chat with Prof. Broner opened my eyes to a different analysis or method for interpreting literature, and for that, I feel truly lucky! We got to discuss films made by Indigenous women from all over Latin America, exposing the class to distinct ways of interacting with and stewarding the environment.

Myths about Greek Life!

Before coming to Dartmouth, there was one specific aspect of the "quintessential American college experience" that haunted me in my dreams. And that was Greek Life. Having studied in Brazil and Canada before, I was rather oblivious to all the intricacies of Greek culture. At first, I had not enjoyed my first experiences at fraternities and sororities, so it took me until the winter of my second year to start opening up to these spaces—do you know why? I started to challenge some of the myths I held about these organisations, and maybe my learnings might serve you as well:

No. 1
Myth #1: It is no place for queer students

Although traditional Greek life can be scary for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, I have never felt unsafe or unwelcomed at The Tabard, my house. On that note, it is worth mentioning that, differently from fraternities and sororities, The Tabard is a gender-inclusive house. That means that everyone is welcome to 'rush' – how we refer to the process of 'applying' for house membership. As a gay man, it is no surprise that most of my friends are queer, but some are also straight, cis boys and girls—and The Tabard is a space where all of us can live together.
No. 2
Myth #2: It's your new family

Perhaps this is an idea I equivocally nurtured from watching too many college-life-themed movies on TV growing up, but either way, I always saw Greek Life as the closest thing students (especially those from far away) get to a second family. Sometimes, these are literally the people you live, eat, study, and work with. But, that is not always the case! Although we are all part of this house, you don't have to force more intimate relationships to grow if that's not what you want. We all come to these spaces with different expectations: some want to make friends, others just want a space to party at, and many other possibilities. When exploring the potentials of Greek Life, be honest with who you are, don't push yourself to pursue exactly what you think others are looking for—especially if your only reference is John Landi's 'Animal House'.
No. 3
Myth #3: It's just like in the movies

On that same note: throw away any expectations you have that are solely based on TV! Every house has its own charm, and offers its members a unique experience. Although TV often gets it right—portraying general traditions and organizational structures we do find at Dartmouth Greek houses – there's much more nuance to these spaces than shown on the screen. At the end of the day, your Greek experience will be exactly what you make of it – whether that means partying all night or having daily study sessions with siblings in your house library (something most of Dartmouth Greek houses have).