Finding toilet paper isn’t a problem for most people. But Rebekah Glatt ’07, the first female resident of Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) in recent years, and the only woman on campus now living in a fraternity, jokes that she is the only person living at DKE who needs it.
By housing Glatt, DKE has led the pack in co-ed boarding in traditionally male fraternities. Because DKE fulfills the University policy of coeducation, it is currently the only fraternity program house that receives on-campus status. Meanwhile, both PsiUpsilon (PsiU) and Beta Theta Pi (Beta) are considered off-campus housing because they chose to host only male boarders. Next semester, Psi U will join DKE and board people of all genders to qualify as on-campus program housing, while Beta will continue to be off-campus and will house only men.
After actively recruiting female boarders, DKE accepted Glatt as a resident along with 22 DKE brothers. While Glatt choose to live in DKE because many of her close friends live in the house, her decision also reflects her opinions on diversity at Wesleyan.
“People choose to ignore [diversity in DKE] and see what they want,” Glatt said. “If you spend a week in here, you realize there is a lot more than stereotypes.”
DKE President Frank Giantomasi ’07 believes that his fraternity has conformed well to University regulations. He described the new living situation in DKE in a positive light, maintaining that the brothers and Glatt have gotten along very well.
“Times change and you just kind of have to go with the times,” Giantomasi said. “[Glatt living in DKE] is good if not better than everyone’s hoped for.”
The inclusion of women in fraternities like DKE is exactly the kind of diversity the office of Residential Life (Reslife) has been promoting. Program Housing Area Coordinator Dawn Brown believes that the addition of women to fraternity houses will enrich the overall living experience.
Next semester, PsiU will accommodate four female boarders in its newly renovated basement: Tina Haas ’09, Hollie Matlin ’09, Xiaoxi Tu ’09 and Xue Sun ’08.
In statement on behalf of the fraternity, PsiU President Tim Radcliff ’07 said, “[The inclusion of women] will allow us to further integrate ourselves with the campus at large—an unvarying goal of the Xi Chapter of PsiU here at Wesleyan.”
Other members of the fraternity were asked by Radcliff to decline further comment.
Unlike Glatt, neither Tu nor Sun feel strongly about stereotypes associated with Psi U. However, both women are excited about the prospect of living in a fraternity.
“I feel like a pioneer in that I’m going boldly where no woman has gone before,” Tu said.
Sun, who listed Psi U as her first choice for housing, is most excited about living with “a bunch of cool people who happen to be male.”
“I’m not characterizing [living in PsiU] by the fact that it’s a frat,” Sun said. “And I’m used to [gender neutral bathrooms] so it won’t be a big shock.”
In DKE, however, the first change to accommodate Glatt took place in the bathrooms. Giantomasi claimed that when he found out Glatt was going to be living in DKE, his first thought was that he needed to change the clear shower curtains around the house.
While Glatt has had problems with waiting for showers, drunken people roaming the house, and loud music at four in the morning, she says that she has had only positive experiences with the men in DKE. In early February, when Glatt’s two brothers were hit by a snowplow while they were sledding, she said she found herself in a house full of caring people.
“They [all the brothers] were like, ‘Reb, is there anything I can do?’ and ‘Reb, do you want anything?’ and ‘Reb, do you want me to take you home?’” Glatt said.
Glatt maintains that the DKE brothers are extremely respectful of women and that they are “all big sweethearts.” Despite Glatt’s positive experience, no women applied to live in DKE for next semester.
“It’s definitely been an experience [and] probably the most fun I’ve had at Wesleyan,” Glatt said. “But I don’t blame any girls for not wanting to live there. It’s not your typical living situation.”
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