Sexual assault perpetrated by fraternity members or at fraternities is such a frequent occurrence that it no longer comes as a shock when incidents of sexual violence are reported in our own community. Why is an institution that perpetuates and is deeply intertwined with rape culture not being dismantled? The possibility of banning frats altogether is seen as a delusional utopian ideal.
A nationwide ban on college fraternities is beyond the scope of my focus. However, the recent allegations of sexual assault at UC Santa Barbara’s Sigma Pi fraternity remind us that the issue continues to plague our own community and deeply affect our students.
Siavash Ghadiri / Daily Nexus
Men in frats are more likely to commit rape than their non-Greek counterparts. A 2016 article from Noozhawk about rape and sexual assault in Isla Vista reported 56 rape investigations and 48 sexual assault incidents. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department noted that this was an increase from previous years.
To understand the present situation, I need you to imagine a number in your head much higher than 56 or 48. These numbers are outdated and are insufficient for understanding the scope of the problem, as only 20% of female student victims report sexual assault cases to law enforcement.
There are three additional points to understand about sexual assault statistics. One: Many rape and sexual assault cases are missing from these numbers due to complications arising from the reporting process, such as failing to obtain a rape kit or believing that police cannot or will not be able to assist. Two: As noted in the statistic above, 80% of female students from the ages of 18 to 24 do not report incidents of sexual assault. Based on my own experiences and those of women I know, I can tell you that many women do not report out of fear, shame or longing for the situation to go away. Therefore, even updated statistics would not accurately inform us of the number of sexual violence incidents that occur at UCSB. If you take the time to have a conversation with a female friend about sexual violence, you will begin to grasp how common this phenomenon is — even if the numbers don’t reflect it.
Lastly, my inability to find statistics regarding the correlation between reported sexual assaults and fraternities left me dumbfounded. This lack of data does not reflect the reality of the situation. Quickly searching “frat rapes” on Google leads to link after link, story after story, of hundreds of abhorrent sexual assault cases across the country. UCSB is not alone. This lack of data sheds blinding light on the fact that women and our safety at UCSB are not prioritized by our university or within the college community as a whole.
If they were priorities, universities and community members would place more pressure on those responsible for collecting data about sexual assault on college campuses to expose the high rates of frat-related sexual assault incidents. If the safety of women at UCSB was valued, frats would be banned — or at the very least, the topic of banning them would be a prevalent conversation amongst students and community leaders. It is no longer a question of whether or not rape culture exists and whether it is perpetuated by frats at UCSB. It’s not, “Will any girls get raped in a frat or by a frat member this year?” Instead, it is “How many?” Your phones buzzing with emails reading,“This is a timely warning of a sexual assault incident” should be a strong enough reminder that sexual assaults are a repugnant reality in our community.
Rape and sexual assault should not be a partisan issue. Liberal or conservative, Greek life member or not — this topic does not deserve any form of tolerance. The fact that this argument needs to be made reflects the core of the problem: Issues pertaining to women do not receive the attention or gravity that they deserve. What atrocities need to take place in order for fraternities to be disbanded at our university? Because currently, rape is not enough.
Regarding solutions, banning accused fraternities and/or fraternity members is not substantial enough. Putting a hold on frat parties until “interpersonal violence prevention practices” are implemented is not effective either. These proposed solutions only slap a Band-Aid on a festering wound. Year after year, at universities around the country, one frat member after another is charged with assault. Universities that have tried enforcing “prevention practices” in frats still find their fraternities committing sexual assault. In 2004, SDSU implemented “FratMANers,” which stands for Fraternity Men Against Negative Environments And Rape Situations. Men in fraternities at SDSU have been cycling through this program for years, yet in 2014 there were 13 sexual assaults reported in just one semester. Whether fraternity members want to accept it or not, an all-male institution which places an onus on drinking and sex is bound to attract men who think they can get away with assault.
I end this piece with notes for the university, for all UCSB students and specifically for men and frat members. To our university: Why don’t you ban fraternities and dedicate your attention, effort and money to creating and promoting other institutions that students can safely partake in? In other words, what is the value in keeping frats around if they have been proven over and over again to perpetuate sexual violence?
I get it, everyone wants to have fun. People like to feel like they belong to something. A lot of people like to party. Why don’t we fill the space frats currently occupy with the endless list of clubs and societies which do not have a long, atrocious track record of sexual violence?
To students: Do not turn a blind eye to what happens in frats and the behaviors of certain frat members. Think about the institution you are supporting when you attend frat parties or rush frats yourselves. Instead of supporting these organizations, take action. The university needs to feel pressure from its students before it will even begin to think about disbanding frats.
And to the men who participate in fraternities: Rethink your decision to be a part of a fraternity. Is fraternity membership worth it when it is more than likely that someone you call your “brother” is a rapist?
Jemma Robson believes that universities and their students should consider banning fraternities altogether.
To sum up, because very few men in fraternities victimize very few women, every other innocent frat member has to lose all the money and time he’s invested in addition to forcing potentially 70-year-old institutions to close? Generally speaking, on-campus assault statistics are overblown, as even feminist professor Christina Hoff Sommers points out, but that’s irrelevant. Even if 100% of these cases were proven true in court, which they haven’t, you can’t punish someone for the crimes of another. How about instead of using the long arm of the state to solve this problem by infringing on innocent people’s lives… Read more »
Imma be honest the way you spoke so fake eloquent with *some* big words to make you seem smart did not work. Ending your response which was clearly a rebuttal with “hold party goers (women) accountable for staying sober enough to defend themselves” is exactly the issue this article is battling. Frats cost money, to make connections with extremely misogynistic *successful* men in order to say whatever they want no matter how stupid it may be, and get away with it for WHO knows what reason other than fighting against these men can result in extremely dangerous situations. Your investment… Read more »
Wish I could like this comment^
Sounds like an SJW reply to me. OP’s point shouldn’t be criticized so harshly. The points made seem like nothing more than mere common sense. Again, if you walk in the ally with 300 dollars out of your pockets, then people sure as hell will ask you what you were thinking. How about instead of being so self-righteous and replying to comments online that makes you feel good about yourself. Go invest your time participating in programs that could be started by the ASB that spreads awareness about alcohol poisoning, personal defense, and SexED classes. Which ultimately at the end… Read more »
Ok boomer
Fraternities are sanctioned and supported by the university as social and charitable organizations. At an event held by such such an organization, students safety should be put first, and there is an expectation that the university is held accountable for any jeopardization of students safety. When we are at such parties, we are not in a bad neighborhood expecting to be mugged, we are at a UNIVERSITY SOCIAL EVENT. The distinction here is incredibly important. Sure, rape could occur at any party in IV, but if there is a repeated pattern of rape and sexual violence occurring at fraternity events,… Read more »
I wouldn’t be alive today without my fraternity. I wouldn’t even have the job I got without my fraternity. Assuming that every fraternity “has rapists” is out of line. So go ahead take that away from me but at the end of the day assuming all “frats” should go is wrong. Keep fraternities that commit rape and domestic violence accountable fully.
“Not every frat” and “not every brother” is so besides the point. What matters is that women’s lives are being ruined and changed forever because of the culture enabled by the existence of frats. People need to be more outraged about the fact that women and their bodies are being violated. This type of experience literally derails lives and instead frat brothers are worried that they wont be able to get a job or make friends without their frat. Get it together. If you want to make friends, be friendly and meet people like the rest of us do. Get… Read more »
Ahhh yes. Terrorists in the Middle East are bad and kill people, so let’s just get rid of all Muslims by your logic.
You’re clearly not understanding the point this article and I are making. This is about at least reflecting about the culture that frats promote and having a conversation about the possibility of banning them. This is not about saying that every frat brother is a bad person. Again, this is about the institution, not the individual. Looking at the bigger picture and realizing that peoples lives are being ruined however “few” these instances might be is very important. Your pride is much less important than the safety and bodily autonomy of others.
Love how you dodged the point. What about the culture that Islam promotes (read the Qur’an, it openly instructs believers to cut off the heads and fingertips of non-believers, among other atrocities)? Shall we ban Islam because some Muslims do bad things? Shall we ban fraternities because some members do bad things?
Or instead, shall we accept that individuals perform heinous acts and place the blame on the perpetrator rather than the group they associate with? Pick your line of thinking.
People in frats/sororities do stupid things, but rape is heinous, and in my eyes, punishable by death in the most extreme cases.
Well, the author didn’t just want to start a conversation, though they did. They argued that all fraternities should be banned (at UCSB) and said that if you are a fraternity members, your brother is “more than likely” to be a rapist. I approached this article hoping to find a healthy dialogue — this article isn’t that.
Seriously – this is a free country. You can choose to join a frat or sorority, or you can choose not to. You can also choose not to go to their parties. This is like the far left stating that I should not be able to own a semi-automatic rifle because some nut went on a shooting spree. I don’t like frats, which is why I never joined one. But if Billy Bob Joe wants to, that’s fine with me. Ruin things for everyone because of the bad behavior by a few. I know other people have already made this… Read more »
The thing is that 80% of rapes occur at frats, 80% of rapes, alcohol is involved, and 80% of rapes, the alleged rapist knows the victim or accuser.
Where does this 80% come from!?
Hi all! To those reading the comments, you should know that I am aware sexual assault goes FAR beyond the scope of fraternities. That’s besides the point, if sexual assault is going to be spoken about on college campuses frats need to be a part of the conversation. That is my larger point. :)
Hi Jemma! I understand the larger point that you’re trying to make about starting a conversation, but article goes well beyond that in arguing that all fraternities at SB should be banned. Let’s not pretend like that isn’t the thing stirring people up.
Jemma, then your piece is a total fail. The reality is Isla Vista as a student community fosters this sort of behavior in general. It’s a truism that excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol often leads to bad decisions and negative outcomes, including sexual assault. The message in this and other articles seems to be; “we (women) want to go out and get as wasted as we want without running any risk of a negative outcome.” That’s not how the real world works. Stop blaming fraternities and take a deep look at the sexual culture of IV. “Overheard at UCSB”… Read more »
Jemma your article did not address sexual assault on college campuses, it was an opinion piece about sexual assault in regards to fraternities on campus and you made comments that did nothing to address the problems so this sub comment of your “larger point” makes no sense.
Banning fraternities is not going to stop years of patriarchal culture that is widespread in many groups–not including fraternities. Targeting one group and believing you will have solved the problem is imprudent.
Fraternities can sometimes reinforce violence and objectification, but I truly wonder if eradicating fraternities would solve the problem.
Why is patriarchy bad? Over 70% of women view a man as a protector.
Lol. To solve the rape “problem” at UCSB you’d have to ban all men. Even then there would be rapes because women can rape other women.
Lmaoo lately these angry white feminists really do hate white men. They argue with emotions instead of logic. They claim to be tolerant but they love Islam and defend the Berkeley Antifa rioters lol. Not to mention they can’t take a joke..
I agree that sexual assault is bad and the rapists must face the consequences.
“Is fraternity membership worth it when it is more than likely that someone you call your “brother” is a rapist?”
I understand the sentiment of this argument, I do — but this type of writing isn’t trying to be helpful, just an attempt of being provocative. It’s likely true that certain demographics are more likely to be rapists (male, fraternity members, etc.), something the author points out in the article. But saying that they’re “more than likely” to be rapists is just needless provocation to offer an unrealistic solution to a very legitimate problem.
I want to know why the Daily Nexus is allowing this article to say “Men in frats are more likely to commit rape than their non-Greek counterparts” with no proof to back this up. Thought this was supposed to be a respectable paper and not somewhere people can just say whatever they want and make things up.
lol click on the hyperlink buddy
That study is more than 12 years old and it’s so old that the actual study is no longer available on Academia because the findings are out of date.
“Buddy.” How condescending for someone making a reasonable argument.
Ow, the truth hurts lol. Cue the fake outrage. They’re not saying frat boys are all rapists. They’re saying that most college rapes occur within frat boundaries. Read.
Frankly I support the idea of Greek life separating itself from the university and essentially becoming independent organizations. The only advantage to being affiliated is connected to use of campus facilities. However, the Greeks really don’t need UCSB.
Do you know the difference between “charged” and “convicted”? And do you know who tends to get charged? Not privileged white guys! Your white corporate feminist privilege is showing, Ms. Robson.
No one cares if a man is raped by another man. And what is decrying “rape culture” going to do to stop liberals from raping other liberals in IV?
Perhaps I am missing something but have the police made an arrest in the “fraternity” case?
No. I understand one investigation is underway. Otherwise the “victims” declined to make police reports. Without reports, there’s nothing for police to investigate. As it should be. Reports to the Title IX office are not the same as reports to law enforcement.