Posted by Amanda (139.140.141.19) on February 05, 2001 at 23:20:26:
I agree with Kate and Dwight. I think that you're losing a lot of the potential of Howell House when
you designate it merely as a "chem-free residence". To seek an insignia and banner seems
a bit regressive. It separates people from the rest of the Bowdoin community.
An essential purpose of having a chem-free affilliate house is to provide the chem-free
alternative for anyone on campus who doesn't feel comfortable with the other options.
Howell should not be a mere refuge for people unwilling to let go of an elitist,
narrow-minded perspective regarding the chemical abuse on campus. Rather, it should
embrace the concept that chemical use is not necessary to have fun. It ought to make
people aware of the choices that they make, and perhaps suggest the other possibilities.
By becoming an exclusive group, Howell will drive everyone else against them when it
should be just as inclusive in its activities as any other campus group. We shouldn't foster
the stigmas that people already have against those who have chosen to live chem-free, but
instead encourage an open dialogue and involvement.
The crest that you have suggested symbolizes more than pride for your house, it motions
for a return to the exclusion and supremacy associated with fraternities, just as Dwight
alluded.