We have all seen the trailer for Neighbor’s 2: Sorority Rising with Zac Efron (*dreamy sigh*). While it promises to be a raunchy comedy, it also brings up an interesting point about the disparity of standards between sororities and fraternities, especially regarding their right to party.
At colleges, the fraternities throw the parties and pretty much, as long as no one almost dies, nobody really cares what shenanigans they do. The parties are wild and no matter how much we complain about the cheap beer, deep down inside we love the pagan rituals of going out every weekend (and maybe Thursday too). We get our best girlfriends, walk into the basement where the bass is booming and lights are flashing, wrinkle our nose at the too-sweet jungle juice or the cheap beer but drink it anyways and flirt with the desperate fraternity boys. We enjoy the night, make memories to laugh about the next day and are just glad it’s not our mess to clean up in the morning. Sorry-not-sorry pledges…
However, it is a widely known fact that sororities aren’t allowed to throw parties—or have anything to do with alcohol for that matter.
While on one hand I applaud their effort to keep a perfect ladylike façade for their chapters, it is an ideal of a bygone era! The secret is out: girls just want to have fun!
“Sororities should probably have the right to party too, but it’s not a big deal or anything…”
On the surface, the right to be able to host parties seems like a trivial issue. However, this matter of unfairness of rules for sororities versus fraternities isn’t just an equality issue, but it is also an issue of safety. One in five women will be raped or have an attempted rape attack during their college career and Oklahoma State University’s research study found women in sororities were 74% more likely to be raped than other college women. If they want to go to a party, women are forced to go to unfamiliar, male-dominated territory where the area and alcohol are controlled by the men, leaving them vulnerable to attack—especially if they are inebriated. If sororities were allowed to host the social parties then they would be in control of the environment and alcohol, making it easier to protect their sisters from unwanted advances by males.
Let me be clear: I love a good fraternity party. College students are under a lot of stress, so the opportunity to go out with friends and dance is a nice break from the stack of papers that litter our desks. Also, banning fraternities from having parties wouldn’t make the situation any better either. By prohibiting activities such as partying, it makes women less likely to report or seek the help they need if attacked. So I’m not saying fraternities should be prohibited from having parties, but I am saying that sororities should be given that same right.
Plus, if sororities threw the parties then I can guarantee there would be snacks and cuter decorations…