In the 1950s, the U. S. Congress organized the House Un-American Activities Committee to ferret out suspected communists, socialists and other assorted “pinkos.” Here at GW, a sort of Greek-letter Un-American Committee has been formed under the guise of the Student Association Senate’s ad hoc Greek Affairs Committee.

Instead of trying to uncover suspected insurrectionists, the ad hoc committee is hacking into anyone who opposes reviving the way the Greek-letter system used to be organized and operate. Under the old system, parties and carefree attitudes reigned supreme. But those were the days before a rash of alcohol-related accidents forced national Greek-letter organizations to rethink their missions and regulations.

The committee says its purpose is not to monitor Greek-letter organizations; it plans to present a “comprehensive review of University policies affecting Greeks.” Maybe committee members don’t realize someone is already doing that.

The Interfraternity Council is made up of representatives of the fraternities recognized by the University. The rules it implements are agreed upon by its members. It is not some foreign organization that simply imposes its will on unrepresented fraternities.

The ad hoc committee seems to be more interested in grilling IFC personnel than in finding solutions to problems. Videotaping Sunday night’s proceedings, arranging furniture so “witnesses” were seated before an Inquisition-style committee, and floating the ridiculous notions of swearing in witnesses and issuing subpoenas combine to make the proceedings absurd.

The IFC, Panhellenic Association and National Panhellenic Council exist to oversee their member organizations. Ultimately it is their decisions – not that of an ad hoc committee with a suspect agenda, a lack of legitimacy and absolutely no authority – that will matter.

The IFC and its equivalents in the sorority system are not ad hoc creations; they exist for a reason. If anything is going to change in the Greek-letter system, those groups will be involved. Trying to circumvent them to stir change is useless. If the creators of the ad hoc committee had anything useful in mind when they thought of it, they’d better get to it.