<p>I really don’t care about the SJB, the administrative conspiracy, Scott Backer etc. etc. </p>
<p>What I care about is the fact that Eclectic as an institution is a critical part of the Wesleyan social scene. More than any other single institution (indeed, more than Psi U, Beta, DKE, and ADP put together) it sets the social “tone” of this campus - artsy, ironic, “hip”, experimental, etc. They embody the Wesleyan brand; when people think of “liberal arts college students”, and Wes in particular, they are referring to Eclectic. </p>
<p>Whether you like Eclectic members is beside the point. The salient fact is that without Eclectic on this campus, campus social life would decline. Everything from lack of hot bands (brought here by and large by them) to people dressing less sharply (the tightness of people’s jeans ALWAYS increases from frosh–> soph year; who are they imitating? Eclectic) to just the whole cosmopolitan New York aesthetic which, more than anything else, characterizes the social scene here…campus social life would lose a certain degree of vibrancy and freshness with them gone. </p>
<p>That’s what ****es me off about this. The whole shutting them down for the semester thing - it’s ridiculous. If this ban becomes permanent, if they lose their house, that’ll be the end of it; Wesleyan will turn into a crummy imitation version of Williams, i.e., Colgate or Hamilton. Unless someone almost died or the cops (finally) found Eclectic’s giant heroin stash, I doubt the punishment could possibly fit the crime. The disproportionate nature of said punishment is what’s obnoxious about this in my mind. Why pick on Eclectic? </p>
<p>I have personally been high up on the roof at beta, wasted (years underage), ****ing off the side as a frat member hurled a barbecue at a passing PSafe car. The officer got out, picked up the barbecue, threw it back, and drove away. My point in repeating this anecdote is to point out that ALL frats and, in general, college students act idiotically; that’s the whole point of having them and of being here. It seems to me that, rather than punish Eclectic in a normal, proportionate manner, the SJB is “taking revenge” or “makig an example” of them here. Most likely Eclectic ignored or flouted a previous ruling or blew the SJB off at a hearing or I don’t know, but they must have angered SJB in some way as this is a ridiculous punishment.</p>