Fraternities are commonly viewed as exclusive, misogynistic institutions, and I have no doubt that people also view St. Anthony's Hall as such. But I for one, as a female member of this organization, must object vehemently. As a woman in a "brotherhood" I feel respected, honored, and valued.

My intention in writing this piece is not to praise the Hall. Rather, I am concerned for its future as a coed institution on Trinity's campus. Over the past two years only three other women have been admitted as members, and this fall semester we had only one female pledge. Coming from a pledge class whose women outnumbered the men five to four, I am personally alarmed by this drastic drop in female brothers, particularly when such a drop is directly correlated to the low number of women coming out to rush.

It has been an increasingly worrying topic of conversation within our fraternity, as maintaining a coed environment is essential to the nature of our organization. So why is there a lack of interest from the female population at Trinity to rush the Hall? In part, I suspect that this is attributed to a rumor milling around campus that the Hall was not admitting females and was purposefully keeping the numbers abominably low. Now, I have heard a lot of rumors about the Hall and tend to shake them off. This rumor, however, could not be left unaddressed. It is an insult to my role in this organization and potentially harmful to the future of St. Anthony's Hall at Trinity when rumors such as these perpetuate a stereotype of misogyny. I don't know how this story was started, but it needs to be dispelled.

I did not step foot in the building until the end of my freshman year, and for most of my first year at Trinity, I believed the rumors and stereotypes surrounding the Hall. I was afraid of the Hall afraid of the people there, thinking them all to be Polo-clad, Nantucket-summering, prep school brats. When a friend forced me to attend rush the next fall (and I do mean forced), I realized how wrong I was. I quickly felt comfortable talking to most of the brothers about anything; music, sports, and important issues having to do with school, family and friends.

I will be the first one to admit that it's no easy task to rush the Hall. As I said above, I was scared I didn't know anyone. And yet, in as little as three days I was diving head first into one of the most amazing experiences I've encountered at Trinity. My first experience with the Hall taught me that you don't need to know a brother to become one. You don't need to "summer" anywhere or dress a certain way. But you do need to have a voice, character, and a passion for something that is in its own right, unique, mysterious, and traditional.

I admit that it is this sense of not knowing something others do that may make any fraternity a little intimidating to rush. But that's why it's so important for people, particularly women, to come out for rush and ask hard questions.

Being a coed institution makes for a balance that is critically important to the Hall. The women of St. Anthony Hall are treated as equals to the men. If anything, because our numbers are so low I feel that our opinions are especially valued. As for the fact that I am called a "brother" versus a "sister," it is absolutely a point of preference, but I feel it is another example of our equal standings. St. Anthony Hall was founded in 1847 at Columbia University by three men and remained an all male institution until the Yale chapter amended to include women in the late 1960s. Our chapter made this change in 1984; if anything, I am honored to wear the title of "Brother," and I hope that soon more women at Trinity will feel the pride I do in such a simple title.

As I said at the beginning, I did not always feel this way about the Hall, and was also taken aback by the rumors. However, I did not let the public misconceptions of the Hall as a sexist institution stop me from exploring this opportunity for myself, allowing me to discover the truth about the brotherhood I now know and love. If you too are curious enough to form your own opinions about the Hall, please consider stopping by at rush, or stop by Peter B's in the library where I work if you have any questions at all. I have plenty more to talk about.