As we all begin to settle into fall semester, the Class of 2010 (and more than a few upperclassmen) are still trying to figure out where they fit into the campus social structure and the dizzying “Mean Girl”-esque arrangements in Commons.
These are the days of rush meals with questionable a cappella devotees, kids from Iowa who audition for Rhythmic Blue, crowded interest meetings for the Yale College Council (oh, how ’10 will soon learn the futility of Yale politics) and fervently passionate pitches for every community service project Dwight Hall can fit under its roof.
These crisp fall weeks also mark the start of the fraternity and sorority rush process, a time that breeds anxiety in many a possible pledge. One group of potential fraternity and sorority members may fret more about joining the Greek groups on campus, however.
Many members of Yale’s LGBTQ community may balk at the idea of joining a fraternity — even fearing that Greek life and openly gay life at Yale are mutually exclusive. But are they?
With this question in mind, scene set out to explore the pun-filled interplay between homosexuality and fraternity culture on the campus of our beloved “gay Ivy.” You can read about what we found in this week’s cover story — it may surprise you.
Regardless of what social group you end up in — and we all end up in some group, even if it’s the Freestyle Dueling Association — Yale provides a benevolent infrastructure for establishing identity on campus, be it eating fried bananas in your residential college buttery, dextrously weaving GirlTalk into a postmodern discourse with gunslingers, or even crossing foam swords on Cross Campus. But if you’re in Commons, watch out for the Plastics.