Why my Harvard fraternity brothers are forming a gender-neutral social organization

A few days ago I announced that the members of my Harvard fraternity would be leaving our national organization to create a new, gender-neutral social group with a rush process open to all Harvard undergraduates regardless of gender identity.

AD

AD

While our decision was partially spurred by the college’s upcoming sanctions against new members of single-gender social organizations, it was rooted in the firm belief that the community we have created can, and should, be open to all Harvard students.

Although I did not come to college dreaming of being in a frat, Harvard’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi drew me in almost immediately.

Perhaps the reason the organization was so appealing to me was that it was different from the fraternities I had always heard about.

It also stood out to me as a unique group within Harvard’s social scene. At my first rush event, I encountered a basement full of upperclassmen who did not care about which high school I went to or who my parents were, but instead wanted to hang out with me simply because they liked me.

AD

AD

I finally felt that I had escaped the constant networking and surface-level discussions that are so common at Harvard and entered a space where people actively tried to get to know each other for no reason other than friendship.

I knew early on that I wanted to be involved in this group and do everything I could to ensure its success on campus.

During the spring of 2016, Harvard announced unprecedented sanctions against members of single-gender social organizations. The policy — effective starting with the class of 2021 — would bar new members of said organizations, fraternities included, from being eligible for varsity team captaincies, recognized club leadership positions and prestigious postgraduate fellowships. These sanctions prompted immediate discussions within our chapter about the future of our group.

AD

AD

When I first started college, the last problem I thought I would have to worry about was the future of a fraternity. But one year after the sanctions were released, I was president of Harvard AEPi, and our membership was announcing that we would be leaving our national organization to form a new gender-neutral social group.

For months before our announcement, our chapter had been discussing how to ensure the long-term survival of our organization while also staying true to our values. It became apparent that these two goals were not in conflict.

Having chosen to join an all-male organization, each of us understood the value of single-gendered spaces. However, our internal discussions led us to the conclusion that our chapter’s male-only nature was not its defining characteristic; we have always placed far more emphasis on being a supportive and welcoming community than an all-male one.

AD

AD

We have long held that a student’s socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, race or religion should not bar participation in our rush process. To keep with these values, we recognized that our group had to change so that a student’s gender would no longer stand in the way either.

We believe gender is trivial to experiencing the positive aspects of a Greek organization, or the specific benefits and traditions of our chapter.

Throughout my time at Harvard, this group of people has constantly provided me with a unique and supportive community. As president of the organization my goal has always been to extend that community to as many people as possible, so that they, too, could experience being part of the group that I was so lucky to find.

Furthermore, I hope that our new gender-neutral organization will help contribute to a more equitable social scene at Harvard — one in which students of all gender identities are entitled to the same social opportunities.