Warning: This story mentions sexual assault which could be triggering to some readers.
It’s no secret that rape culture has been perpetuated and sustained by Greek Life on college campuses across the United States for decades now. Therefore, it’s not surprising that most women can easily identify at least one person who has been sexually assaulted at some point in their college career. Statistics found that roughly one-quarter of college-aged women, aged 18 through 24, will experience some form of unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime and are found most at risk during their first and second semesters of university education.
The prevalence of rape culture and sexual assault on our college campuses needs to reach its end.
College is a place where everyone is supposed to feel safe pursuing their secondary education, and this should not be compromised by the actions of others. The normalization of sexual assault can enable people to believe that they’re invincible, and therefore feel justified in taking advantage of whomever they want. How can we bring about an end to this notion? By actively engaging in conversation? By expanding past the conversation and offering alternative resources of information? By asking the difficult questions? These can all be explored.
First, we need to define what sexual assault broadly encompasses: unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, incapacitated sexual assault, and physically forced sexual assault. The past few months have seen a surge in protests regarding sexual assault awareness and a spike in allegations of rape at many schools; namely, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Vermont, and the University of Nebraska Lincoln, among many others. Unsurprisingly, these schools share a heavy Greek Life presence which is reflected in these accounts of assault. Studies show that fraternity brothers are 300 times more likely to commit sexual assault and rape than other college students. The mere existence of this statistic is astounding.
Last April, a UVM student came forward to share her story regarding sexual assault on her campus. This prompted many other female students to come forward and share their similar experiences, thus initiating protests and a call for immediate change in Burlington. The school responded quickly, but students demanded more than just acknowledgment; they wanted REAL and meaningful change. Similarly, this past August, accusations were made concerning a frat at the University of Nebraska wherein a brother took advantage of a minor. This incident, like others of its nature, also induced a similar response to that of UVM’s, with many students sharing their frustrations surrounding the matter and fighting for legitimate change. Following its predecessors, this September at UMass Amherst, accusations of sexual assault arose after a party at Theta Chi on Saturday, Sept. 18. This, once again, sparked campus-wide protests and initiated a conversation around the perpetuation and normalization of rape culture.
So, we see a common trend here: the number one perpetrator in these cases are members of fraternities. Even though fraternities are required to undergo sexual assault awareness training, we still see numerous allegations against them. This begs the question of whether or not this comprehensive education carries any value when compared with the practices of Greek Life over the years. Spiking girls’ drinks, taking advantage of an intoxicated girl, and so forth are not new ideas. They have been so prevalent in Greek Life since our parents’ time. It’s time to stop being bystanders of sexual assault and instead raise awareness for our kids’ sake. The perpetuation of rape culture must come to an end, and it’s going to be with our generation.
#MeToo.
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