Early this morning, in his article “George Tepe: A Modest Endorsement,” Chris Friend wrote in support of George Tepe’s presidential run and directed many criticisms against Will Savino. Friend’s chief concern with Will, it seems, is that he is a member of Mr. Gad’s and that sometimes his commitments to improv comedy could require him to leave AAS meetings early — it is, according to Friend, “all you need to know” when deciding who to vote for. There is no way to evaluate the meaning of Will’s statements out of the context Friend fails to provide, so I will not attempt to do so here; as it turns out, Will has a response that anyone who is interested can find on his campaign’s Facebook page. Notwithstanding, if we are going to talk about conflicts of interest that presidential candidates bring to the table by virtue of their extracurricular activities, it would be a major oversight to leave out the fact that George Tepe is in Chi Psi, an underground fraternity.
I’ve known Tepe personally since my freshman year, and he has always seemed like a perfectly nice guy. Moreover, I’m probably more apathetic about fraternities than your average Amherst student. I have many friends at Amherst who are in frats, and while I didn’t want to join one, I do not believe there is anything inherently wrong with such organizations. I don’t often give a damn about who is in a frat or what they do there, and it wouldn’t usually even bother me if a candidate for AAS president were in one. But I think there are specific concerns regarding Chi Psi, Tepe’s campaign, and the issues that student government will be facing in the coming year that make Tepe’s involvement in underground fraternity life exceptionally troublesome for the student body should he be elected.
I have never been concerned in the past about the intersection between fraternities and student government because I found it hard to believe that an Amherst student would use his fraternity as a political machine. And yet that is precisely what Tepe has been doing with his campaign. Tepe’s campaign has been driven by Chi Psi: the Chi Psi brothers who were enlisted to send form emails out to the listservs of their other campus organizations (“George bleeds purple”), the Chi Psi membership that litters his videos and endorsements, and even the Chi Psi brother who used his authority as an upperclassman RC to get his residents to open their doors for Tepe when he was campaigning in the dorms.
But the problem isn’t just that Tepe is using the manpower and influence of his fraternity brothers to advertise his campaign. The problem is also that a candidate as tied to a fraternity as Tepe’s campaign strategy has proven him to be to Chi Psi will not be able to genuinely represent the student body at all times.
Consider one crucial issue that will undoubtedly arise next year: the issue of fraternities itself. Much has come to light over the past year about troubling goings-on with Amherst frats, and the administration is already considering what changes will need to be made to the college’s policy regarding them. The student body deserves a president who will be impartial on this issue, who can represent the opinions of the student body and develop his own without any preexisting bias. Even if you might normally trust an AAS president to put aside his personal commitments for the sake of the position, Tepe’s campaigning suggests that Chi Psi is a significant part of his political life on this campus. Tepe will not be able to give impartial consideration to policy changes that might negatively affect fraternities given that he is a member of one that has so publicly thrown its whole support behind him. If Tepe could not publicly acknowledge his fraternity involvement when answering questions at the speech and debate nights regarding how he would address fraternity policy, we cannot expect him to be able to be forthright as president.
The problem here is one that is central to any issue involving fraternities at Amherst: We just don’t know. We have no way to know what conversations Tepe is having with his brothers behind closed doors. Amherst fraternities are antithetical to the notion of transparency. In some contexts, that may not worry us, but it certainly must when it comes to picking a representative of the student body. We will never know, when Tepe needs to make a difficult decision as president, whether it is a decision made from a place of impartial reflection on the demands of the student body or a decision heavily influenced by fraternity commitments we know nothing about. Because we know nothing about what Tepe does with Chi Psi, we will always be left guessing about his sincerity.
We deserve a president we can trust completely. That president is Will Savino. Will is the most honest and open person I know at Amherst. He has nothing to hide — he’s the kind of guy who lays all his cards on the table right when you meet him. Some people are concerned about his relative lack of AAS experience. One person who’s not concerned about that is current AAS President Tania Dias, whose endorsement of Will you can also read on the Facebook page for Will’s campaign. No one knows better what qualifications are necessary to exercise the office of president than the president, and she endorses Will Savino.
In the words of Chris Friend, if you are deciding who to vote for, I think that is all you need to know.
Correction: This article originally referred to an RC as a first-year. This error has been corrected.
Isn't this ironic, given Will has been using DKE pledges to help run his campaign?
Name one controversial thing that has arisen out of the presence or work of Chi Psi on campus. This is not TD we're talking about. No misogynistic tshirts. No keg & eggs. Just a bunch of high-achieving men who like to hang out, drink beer, socialize with people, and spread school spirit.
isn't will savino also in a frat i mean i don't know i just thought
No one in Chi Psi is a freshman RC.
And if you're so worried about fraternity involvement in campaigning, how about the fact that DKE was pushing Savino on Facebook just as hard as XY was pushing Tepe?
Yeah, Webber, no one is a Chi Psi freshmen RC. We're not allowed to be in frats and freshmen RCs at the same time.
That being said, I think you brought up a lot of valid point and I agree that Savino is the man for the job.
"We will never know, when Tepe needs to make a difficult decision as president, whether it is a decision made from a place of impartial reflection on the demands of the student body or a decision heavily influenced by fraternity commitments we know nothing about. "
Yes, and we will never know what decisions Savino is making as president that he actually thinks of himself or that derive from top secret conversations held during Mr. Gad's practice sessions.
Is this real? Are we really going to stop voting for people because they're part of campus organizations? Who cares if Tepe is a part of a Chi Psi? Has Chi PSi ever done anything to offend anyone on this campus?
If Tepe's covert conversations with his Chi Psi brothers are what drove him to secure Amherst's first electric car for ACEMS, organize the Day of Dialogue, and save the college $95,000, then by all means, let the secrecy continue!
Tepe For President!!!
Webber, Tepe's friends are supporting his campaign? You mean kinda like how Savino's been getting his Mr. GAD's minions to blindly endorse his empty political career?
If you take a close look at George Tepe's campaign you will see that people from many different social circles are involved. Some are female, and thus obviously not brothers in any fraternity. Any campaign needs followers. Maybe Will Savino's lack of support form his Gads friends is a bad sign. I have utter confidence in George's ability to think about issues objectively. I hope Savino would also be able to consider matters related to Gads and/or neckbeards objectively.
All presidential candidates will most likely have at least one, if not multiple organizational affiliations, whether it be Greek Life or something else. Do these organizations not deserve to have their needs spoken for? Is it such a crime for someone in Greek Life to represent the student body he is a part of, while still reaping the countless benefits of a panhelic organization?
You even mentioned that the issue of Greek Life as a whole will come into question in the coming years, is that not a reason in and of itself for whatever his name is to become president?
GDIs, you have nothing to fear
I know it has been said above, but check your facts... You can not be a first year RC and be in a fraternity. I'm sorry that he has good friends who want to help him get elected. Is it really his fault that people in chi psi, an organization that he is a part of, want to help him win? Or maybe both candidates should use a pledge workforce. I think TD still has a few...
It has come to my attention that I am in error in referring to an RC assisting George Tepe in campaigning as being a first-year RC, when in fact he is an RC in an upperclassmen dorm. It is unacceptable that an error of that magnitude made it into my article and there is no one to blame for that but myself. I have emailed leadership at The Amherst Student to have the error corrected as soon as possible. Apologies to any and all who were offended by my misinformed claim.
Would you have the same objection if the situation involved Savino and an RC from Gads? How is this an issue at all?
Will Savino is not in DKE. He may have friends affiliated with DKE, but he is not part of this fraternity. Go up to anyone in DKE and the fact remains that he is not part of the organization. The fact does remain that some freshman brothers in Chi Psi were heavily involved in Tepe's campaign.
Did you not write this exact comment because you are a DKE brother supporting Savino? Why does it matter who is in what fraternity? Everyone is allowed to support anyone they want. I think that's called political freedom.
because the school has a free association policy. Students are allowed to be in fraternities, but there cannot be any fraternity activity on campus, technically. Being in a frat (at this point in time) could not get him in trouble with the school, but speaking about it publicly could. His inability to publicly acknowledge his fraternity involvement at an on-campus school event probably has to do with that, not because he is trying to be secretive or anything.
Additionally, allowing a candidate to enter one's dorm is a fine practice as an RC. As a former RC, I had a candidate email me in a past year and ask if they could come around the dorm and talk to students. If more than one candidate had asked, I would have "allowed" them as well (not that they would have even needed my permission to go door-to-door, students are allowed to seek conversation with their fellow classmates). But, only one candidate did, which is probably what happened in the dorm that Tepe went around. The RC does not have the authority, nor the ability to force his residents to listen to Tepe, that is of their own volition, and just because another candidate did not think to do the same should not punish Tepe. On the contrary, we should be impressed with his dedication to spend the time to reach out.
Dan, in this article you make many claims that do not take into account the full context in which they are occurring, which means much of your conclusions are wrong or misplaced, I am sorry to say.
The point of this isn't to say something negative about Chi Psi. That much is made extremely clear by the first paragraph. The point is to question Tepe's impartiality and objectivity when it comes to a major divide on campus-- frats. I don't think it's wrong for someone to use their organization to spread their message, even if that organization is a frat. I do think that we should be able to raise questions and concerns if we think someone's judgement can be impacted by that group.
On another point... Whoever Chi Psi is in the comments is correct. There are no members of Chi Psi on the Freshman RC staff.
Also, people should say who they are when they comment (Like Alex and Lydia). Hold yourself accountable for what you say.
It seems like a lot of the commentors here didn't read the article, or if they did, didn't read it very closely. Here is a central argument:
1. Tepe is in Chi Psi, a fraternity which played a significant role in his campaign.
2. Active members of fraternities will not be impartial on issues involving fraternities.
3. Tepe will not be impartial on issues involving fraternities. (From 1. and 2.)
4. There are issues involving fraternities on this campus that the student government will be instrumental in addressing.
5. If an issue is one which the student government will be instrumental in addressing on this campus, a person who will not be impartial on those issues should not be elected - especially in a position as powerful as the presidency is.
6. A person who will not be impartial on issues involving fraternities should not be elected. (From 4. and 5.)
7. Tepe should not be elected. (From 3. and 6.)
The issue is not that Tepe's friends campaigned for him. That was never said in the article. The issue is that Tepe is in a fraternity, and has shown in his actions involving his status as a member that fraternity influence might affect his decisions as president; this influence might be antipathetic to ideals the Amherst student should want in an AAS president.
And yes, some DKE members support Will, but saying that DKE has been running his campaign just because they support him is insane.
Funny. After reading this article, I still don't give a damn that Tepe is in a fraternity.
Just so everyone knows, I, Laurence Pevsner, am Will's campaign manager. I've been helping to organize his general campaign and have generally helped put it together. I have absolutely no affiliation with DKE. DKE is by no means running Will's campaign. Will Savino is not a member of DKE. He does have some friends in DKE. They are not running his campaign. End of story.
This article, while I think it is smart and brave, is not something "coming" from "us". I think it makes some good points though, and I think others, such as Andrew Edelman, explain why. I also think Andrew is right that people should put their names behind their words. If someone doesn't say who they are, I wouldn't give their voice any credence.
So Chi Psi has waited until this precise moment to use a presidential candidate to further their evil, hegemonic, patriarchal agenda (which apparently has consisted of getting a new car for ACEMS, Day of Dialogue, and other kick-ass things so far), because Chi Psi totally hasn't had members serve as student body presidents in the past and had the opportunity to take over the college. Or did I miss the reign of terror that went down during those presidencies?
No one thinks Chi Psi will take over the college. Dan didn't say anything even close to that.
The question has to do with the legal status of fraternities on campus. I don't like the current status of things: Amherst tells people frats don't exist, and they do. Many people don't like this, and the issue may very well come to the table. When it does, whoever is president should represent everyone's interests. Maybe George would. But I wish he would say so.
I know that being involved in a fraternity on this campus is hard (I once was in one). But the president needs to be open about these kinds of things. Otherwise I can't help but feel concerned.
As a proud alum of this college who was NOT in a fraternity, I can tell you that Mike Simmons '06 was one of the best AAS President's that this school has ever seen. He WAS in a fraternity (not sure which one because it didn't matter)...and that affected nothing.
I agree with Laurence and Andrew about owning up to what you say. I wrote the comment "Missing the Point".
I also think that people who are calling Chi Psi 'just another organization' that a candidate is affiliated with are lying to themselves (and by commenting, lying to others as well, I suppose). Fraternities are a huge issue on this campus. Gad's is not.
George Tepe has a great record. He's clearly qualified for the presidency, and as an individual I don't have any issues with him. If he wants to be in a frat, that's fine.
This article isn't about that. The problem is that he represents the student body to the administration, and the fraternity issue is bound to arise next year. When it does, the president needs to respond to everyone. And it's not clear that Tepe would.
If Tepe can acknowledge his involvement in the fraternity and say that the student body comes first, that would go a long way in making me feel better about it.
DKE Pledges have been helping out with this Savino's campaign. Pledges and DKE brothers are some of the people chalking up dorms and Val, photographed endorsing Will on campaign posters and posting articles on Social media, the Amherst Student and the Muck-Rake in favor of Savino. Apparently there were even talks at one point of an official DKE pledge being tasked with assisting the campaign. This article is inherently hypocritical. Pevsner and Savino be honest.
Will isn't in DKE. And for that reason, he doesn't represent them. I'm technically in the fraternity, so I would know. When things come to the table next year, Savino will put student interests first. I don't think anyone doubts that.
Though Will, who else would A) support Webby and B) put it in logical form?
Has anyone noticed that both of the students to write articles in support of Savino are named Daniel (Webber and Adler)? Coincidence? Or is Savino the leader of an underground organization of people named Daniel? Just saying...
Savino will put the student interests firsts until it's 10:00pm and he has to head to Mr. Gad's.
Dear Dear Ricky,
He'll put the AAS first. Like most of us, Will has extracurricular responsibilities. But he has shown from the beginning of this campaign that the presidency takes priority. Call him, stop him in val, send him a message; he'll address your concerns personally.
Why is Savino all of the sudden interesting in making Amherst a better place? He's showed zero interest in AAS or Amherst policy since freshman year. Desperate attempt to pad his resume with something other than a mediocre comedy troupe?
"The student body deserves a president who will be impartial on this issue, who can represent the opinions of the student body and develop his own without any preexisting bias."
No one is completely unbiased regarding any issue. The idea that we can't be sure Tepe will be impartial regarding fraternities since he's in one is silly. By that logic no one can be president because someone who isn't in a fraternity can't understand the intricacies of them or the viewpoints of their members, thus failing at being impartial. Like it or not fraternities are an integral part of the student body and a president needs to represent those members just as much as any anyone other individual. People need to understand that having a bias or predisposition to something is not inherently a bad thing. Not acknowledging that bias is when it becomes a problem.
Having said that, I'd definitely vote for Tepe. I knew both Tepe and Savino when I was at Amherst and both are great guys in their own respects. But George is the harder worker, has accomplished so much over the years, and, quite frankly, I never found Savino to be that approachable (he means well and always has a smile on his face but he's steadfast in his ways and a little more arrogant than I'd like.)
But to each their own. Vote for whoever. But I implore you not to base your vote on whether or not someone is in a fraternity. The amount of attention this is getting is more than ridiculous if you ask me... and I was never a fan of fraternities to begin with.
Concerned Citizen, I was thinking the same thing but I didn't want to sound crazy. As a feminist, I think we should strive to put an end to Daniel Clubs because, as last semester has shown, we simply cannot have them dividing our community -- especially when the administration fails to acknowledge their presence on campus.
"The student body deserves a president who will be impartial on this issue, who can represent the opinions of the student body and develop his own without any preexisting bias. "
Impossible. Just as George would fail to be impartial about the issues of fraternities because he's in one, so would Will fail to be impartial because he's never been in one, and has thereby accumulated external bias concerning them. There's no such thing as impartiality. It's just like the free will fallacy. We say that we want our president to be 'impartial,' to approach issues objectively, without influence from bias. But what on earth does an 'unbiased, objective' stance on anything even look like? The notion of evaluative objectivity is ridiculous because it implies that we have access to some cognitive mechanism that tracks objective truth. We don't. The very notion of truth is predicated on what this author calls human 'preexisting bias' - it is this bias that determines what seems to be truth and what doesn't.
In other news, George has a really impressive senate track record and Will doesn't. George has shown true dedication to the college and Will hasn't. It's a ridiculously easy choice to make. Tepe for president.
Well said '12 Graduate. The fact that Tepe is in a fraternity only puts a trustworthy face to a rather besmirched group of Amherst students. Indeed, with Tepe as our president, the conversation about the role of underground fraternities on our campus can finally be acknowledged and discussed about openly and constructively since the chief member of the AAS will have a plethora of hands-on knowledge regarding its pros and cons.
Villainizing Tepe for his involvement in this student organization would be like scape-goating a presidential candidate on an athletic team for only representing 30% of the student body. To not vote for Tepe because he belongs to Chi Psi is to sweep the issue of fraternities even further under the rug and alienate our frat classmates even further from the conversation. If George Tepe is any example at all, clearly the frat members on this campus are admiral and integral members of this campus and we all need to work with them, not against them, to figure out the future for Amherst's social atmosphere in regard to Greek Life.
I swear I didn't see your comment before I posted. Nice to see that I'm not alone in my way of thinking.
bias |ˈbīəs|
noun
1 prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair
"Usually in a way considered to be unfair."
I think it's pretty clear that a pre-existing opinion on fraternities of a person who is 1. not in one, but 2. friends with people who are is not an unfair prejudice for or against them. I also think it's pretty clear why the pre-existing opinion of a person who is actually in a fraternity might be an unfair prejudice for them.
Defining impartiality as complete unexposure to an issue and then saying this sort of impartiality doesn't exist misconstrues the way we actually use the word. We use impartiality to mean a dissociation from SIGNIFICANT prejudice for or against some proposition.
Tepe is not impartial about issues concerning fraternities because he might stand to lose, for several reasons, if there is a policy decision that goes against them. Will is impartial about issues concerning fraternities because he does not stand to lose if there is a policy decision that goes against them; but also, because he is friends with people in fraternities, he will not arbitrarily disregard opinions from those who are in fraternities.
Soo... what's everyone doing this summer? Anyone got a job yet? cool internship?
Hey, I've actually been accepted to work as a summer intern in a law firm in California. It might turn into a regular job, so I'm pretty psyched about it.
I'm going to be doing some anthropological research on the origins of the potato and their almost four thousand varieties. In Peru of course.
Almost FOUR THOUSAND?? Really??
People who equate membership in an underground, illegal fraternity to membership in any other campus organization, (Mr. Gad's, for example) are kidding themselves. This is exactly the rhetoric that we do NOT need from the student body president. Chi Psi, by its very nature, goes against everything we need the president to be. It is secretive, underground, exclusive, and illegal. Tepe's membership in Chi Psi is absolutely directly relevant to his presidency, but his membership in the Amherst Symphony Orchestra is not. How are we supposed to trust someone who won't even openly acknowledge his involvement in a frat? How will we ever know the true motivations behind his political agenda? Part of being student body president is being open and truthful with your peers, and Tepe is not. He is not the person to vote for.
To quote the brightest political mind of our time, "Life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, it's never easy when there is so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference.”
Are you *actually* quoting Herman Cain quoting Pokemon?
It seems fitting given the severity of this particular issue. Don't you agree?
I dispute the accusation that Mr. Gad's is a mediocre comedy troupe.
We are not a comedy troupe. We merely aspire to mediocrity.
In all seriousness, the reason for our silence throughout the campaign is that Will intends to put student issues first. Gad's is separate, Will's campaign is serious, and we want to reflect that.
What I think this article and comments goes to show is the major prejudice people have against people in fraternities. I myself am not a part of one, but who are we to judge these people just for joining an organization. Just because a person is in fraternity doesn't make them any worse than someone who is not. If we start judging people because of the organizations they are in or how they identify themselves we should really start looking at the character of ourselves and not of George Tepe.
I love how people still keep buying the thing that Tepe 'organized the rally for sexual respect'. Let's be serious. He did very little and just held the megaphone at the time the photo was taken. Very handy.
I don't think that deciding what constitutes as 'unfair' or 'significant' prejudice is as simple as you make it out to be. Certainly there seems to be something deeply counterintuitive about your method - claiming that simply ANY frat member is too partial to be trusted with frat-related decisions. Similarly, we wouldn't want to say that any non-frat member would be allowably impartial. So discussion beyond making blanket statements is necessary.
Lacking any sort of influence-gauging tool, let's have the candidates' actions speak for their intentions. Perhaps I am mistaken, but the biggest concern with fraternities is their (potential) correlation to sexual disrespect. Tepe is generally regarded as having been a satisfactory leader when our campus was forced to face that issue last semester. I am not aware of any instance where he led the AAS to shy away from speaking about frats and their relationship to sexual assault, nor to any other issue. Will, of course, lacks any student government or student life advocacy experience, and therefore also lacks any meaningful actions. Tepe has an impressive track record and we have no reason to think his stances will change with his presidency. Will doesn't have a track record. Easy choice.
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