There are plenty of conversations currently going on about the existence of greek life. Whether or not the system should still be functioning is a debate on its own. But what’s hardly ever discussed is how sororities work in contrast to fraternities, as well as the consequences that come as a result of the unavoidable double standard between the two.
If you keep updated on the national news about fraternal organizations, you already know that Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of Michigan, the school’s oldest sorority, was recently disbanded for reasons that have not yet been released. The chapter had previously been suspended for violating policies such as underage drinking and hazing. Even though we don’t know the exact reasons for their dismissal, we do know one thing is for certain- sororities receive much stricter punishment for these violations.
It’s no secret that underage drinking has a large presence in modern day Greek Life activities. Fraternities and sororities both have widespread reputations of alcohol-heavy social settings. Both (not all) also are known historically to maintain hazing rituals and traditions. While both actions are undoubtedly dangerous, it is often the sororites who are punished the hardest for these sort of allegations.
College students drink and there’s no doubt about that. The reality is that underage and binge drinking is going to exist on college campuses regardless of fraternity influence. Men and women alike, affiliated or unaffiliated, will continue to consume alcohol in risky amounts. But it’s women who often receive the most penalty for it.
The age old ban of alcohol in sorority houses is a hot topic in today’s conversation of rape culture. If fraternity men can drink (openly) in their house, why shouldn’t women in sororities be able to in their own? When we talk about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, we often ignore the fact that America opposes sorority women having the same rights as men when it comes to the consumption and possession of alcohol. If sorority women were allowed to drink in their house, with their own distribution of alcohol, wouldn’t this solve some problems? Not to mention, women of age should be allowed to openly (if not proudly) partake in the consumption of alcohol without being judged or reprimanded.
Alcohol isn’t the only issue that sororites get flagged for. While hazing doesn’t happen in every Greek organization on every college campus, it certainly does exist. It seems as if fraternities frequently go unnoticed for their blatant hazing of their pledges. Sororities, who are often painted by the media as harsh in terms of hazing, receive frequent dismissal for any allegation of it. It’s actually sororites who don’t commonly haze that get hurt the most. Any accusation of hazing can be quick to shut down a sorority’s existence on a campus, while fraternity hazing, a common occurence, can go on without punishment.
Hazing shouldn’t happen at all. But the punishment that women receive is often much harsher than those of their male counterparts get.