“A society is as healthy as its orphaned, widowed and elderly.” This means everyone is equally valuable. A society can tell what kind of job it’s doing by measuring how it treats its most powerless.
This is true of any healthy society. We have obviously failed.
The most recent articles in The Crimson White regarding hazing practices in our greek system reflect this. These are classic issues in systems. But the University’s response through Dean of Students Tim Hebson’s words on Oct. 8 pulled Oz’s curtain back to reveal a dark and dysfunctional system that will deeply affect each and every one of us. This dysfunction will cause us to fall short of our full potential, as opposed to meeting or exceeding our potential.
Hebson’s response was much like a middle school principal who claims no knowledge of bullying or bureaucratically states the complaint wasn’t made specifically enough before the student jumped off the bridge or shot forty unsuspecting people in a movie theater.
The University’s response belittles the complainants, empowers the bullies, and helps to form a dysfunctional society by allowing violence to occur with a wink and a nod. It also establishes an unhealthy learning environment by communicating that we’re not all equally valuable and, therefore, we’re not all safe. It flies in the face of the University’s goals, mission and apparent desired direction if one examines recent admission statistics. This approach will make neither The University of Alabama nor its graduates more competitive in a global environment.
In fact, Hebson’s words sounded too much like other regrettable, out-of-touch, historically wrong words across time that were proven to be so not long after they were uttered.
I think a better approach may be to think more systemically, with an eye on the broader goals and the greater good. Listening may be a good next step. In a healthy system, if some believe there’s a problem, there IS a problem for all. To deny that reflects an unhealthy system. Looking might be a good approach, as well. A quick look with an open mind and listening ears would reflect that the current policy employed to protect and avoid disaster is doing neither. An unhealthy system defends the status quo without thinking, listening or seeing. That’s exactly what Hebson did, as I read it.
If everyone is equally valuable, then it’s time for us to treat each other that way, develop sincere and effective policies that create and protect a healthy society and hold those accountable who refuse to participate in fostering one. But that also means that the actives in the greek system have a duty to do the same. A healthy environment requires everyone to stand up and do the right thing. The fact that anyone feels it necessary to ask for help from the system means that the “good guys” have stood by and done nothing, allowing the problem to flourish. (Remember, Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”) Fraternities and sororities can be great places to belong to and develop community. But they can also be environments full of darkness and dysfunction. The choice is up to the members, chapters and national chapters. But it’s also up to the University to ensure its goals and missions are shared or respected by all who’ve chosen to be a part of this University. We all have something to gain or lose by this.
“A society is as healthy as its orphaned, widowed and elderly.” Some courageous guys took a big risk to illuminate and highlight a need for change. Does the University really intend to shoot the messengers, wink, nod, look the other way and thereby degrade us all?
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Robin Harvey is a graduate student at The University of Alabama.
