Madeleine Branley
UNIV 112
December 8, 2014
Unit III Essay
Extra Sexual Assault Prevention Education for Greek Life
Introduction:
Greek life is an extremely appealing path for some college students. Joining a sorority or
fraternity might be what some are most looking forward to when they enter college. They will
gain an entire new family, and their sisters or brothers will become their lifelong friends. Greek
life can be an excellent experience for many, but the fact that rape culture is alive and well
within these institutions cannot be ignored. Campus sexual assault is a national issue, and it is
more prevalent in Greek organizations than anywhere else. In light of this, college fraternities
and sororities should be required to integrate extra educational program on sexual assault
prevention into their current programs. Types of programs that have proven to be affective
could take as little as one hour out of the entire semester. There would be a focus on opposing
rape myths and rape culture within Greek life, where all the issues lay. And by communicating
this information through a fellow Greek, the students would be even more responsive. While this
will not completely solve the issue of campus sexual assault, by focusing in on Greek life
specifically, progress can be made.
The Correlation between Sexual Assault and Greek Life [Circumstance, Quantitative
Reasoning Revision]:
It is an undeniable fact that students involved with Greek life in college are more likely to
be involved in a sexual assault, whether they are the attacker or the victim, than other college
students. It is well known that rape is more prevalent on college campuses than most places, but
the risk factor for rape is drastically raised when a college student joins sorority. Christopher J.
Einolf, a professor at DePaul University, and his colleague Jacqueline Minow report that from a
study of 1000 female undergraduates at a large public university, “a total of 29% of sorority
women reported having been sexually assaulted while in college, four times the rate (7%) among
non-sorority members” (835). This means that a student’s chance of being raped more than
triples when they become a Greek. This is an alarming jump in percentage rates, and should not
be tolerated. Because of this, sorority members need to be exposed to even more sexual assault
prevention tactics than the average college student. Of course, the main reason for the jump in
sexual assault rates is due to the rapists themselves, and it is obvious that Greeks tend to hang
out, and party with, their fellow Greeks. “Research by the National Institute of Justice found that
fraternity men are more likely to commit sexual assaults than men who are not in fraternities”
(Marcus). Just by joining a fraternity, the likelihood of being involved with a sexual assault is
automatically higher. Professor John D. Foubert, who teaches at Oklahoma State University and
holds a Ph.D. in College Student Affairs, claims this is do to the fact that “fraternity members
have more rape-supportive attitudes” than other college men who are not involved with Greek
life (“The Longitudinal” 158). Rape-supportive attitudes are ones that agree with rape myths,
which are “prejudicial, stereotyped, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, or rapists” (Foubert,
“The Longitudinal” 159). A study on the effects of pornography viewing on fraternity members
found that “during the last 12 months, 83% of participants reported seeing mainstream
pornography,” again according to John D. Foubert (“Pornography” 220). Frequent pornography
viewing is linked to sexual assault. Additionally, a study found that “fraternity members
committed 55% of gang rapes reported on college campuses” (Foubert, “The Longitudinal” 158).
The numbers look daunting, but studies have shown that progress can be made.
Rape Prevention Programs [Consequence, Argumentative Fairness & Humility Revision]:
Integrating additional and specified sexual assault prevention for fraternities and
sororities will result in lowered attack rates within the Greek life system. A “study that focused
on the effects of rape prevention in Greek life” that was conducted by John D. Foubert, a
professor at Oklahoma State University who holds a Ph.D. in College Student Affairs, supports
this (“The Longitudinal” 158). The study compared a control group of fraternity members to
those in a rape-prevention program that revolved around a “victim empathy-based presentation
titled ‘How to help a sexual assault survivor: What men can do.’” (Foubert, “The Longitudinal”
158). Results of the study showed “significant 7-month declines in rape myth acceptance and the
likelihood of committing rape” (Foubert, “The Longitudinal” 160). Rape myths are a vital part of
the issue at hand, so tools that productively fight against these ideas are extremely valuable in
sexual assault prevention. Foubert also discovered that “all-male programs that use peer
educators have been found to be particularly effective in the context of rape-prevention” (“The
Longitudinal 158). This study provides an excellent example of a program that actually produced
results: “among the 20% of men who indicated some likelihood of raping before participating in
the program, 75% reported a lower likelihood of raping after the program” (Foubert, “The
Longitudinal” 159). These promising results from Foubert’s study support the idea of
including sexual assault education specifically for Greek life, and they are further
supported by noneother than the White House.
The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault [Authority]:
The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault understands the
importance of fraternities and sororities in the fight against sexual assaults on college campuses.
“The Task Force is Co-Chaired by the Office of the Vice President and the White House Council
on Women and Girls” (“Not Alone” iii). This is a high powered organization that are “committed
to solving this problem” of sexual assault. They too recognize how Greek life plays a role in
ending the epidemic that is campus rape (“Not Alone” 7). The Task Force writes in their first
report that they “urge Greek Organizations,” specifically fraternities, to discuss sexual assault
prevention on a more individual and intense level (“Not Alone” 10). It is clear that not everyone
will agree with the White House and this Task Force in what is the best way to combat sexual
assault, but they still open an excellent dialogue. Something must be done about campus rape,
and The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault is taking a step in the
right direction. Just how this task force is focused specifically on sexual assault, there are a
plethora of similar groups that are fighting against alcohol abuse.
Sexual Assault and Similarities to Alcohol Abuse [Comparison]:
It is not secret that the drinking behaviors in college students involved with Greek life are
particularly worse than those not involved, so extra measures are taken to provide education on
the dangers of alcohol within the fraternities and sororities. One study found that “as many as
47% of those residing in a Greek house reported themselves as heavy drinkers, compared to 14%
among students at large” (Danielson, Taylor, and Hartford 454). Living within Greek life more
than triples the chance a student will abuse alcohol, which is quite similar to the chance a
sorority member will experience a sexual assault compared to a non-member. “The perception of
many within and outside academia place Greeks at the center of alcohol problems, especially
binge drinking” (Danielson, Taylor, and Hartford 451). The Center for Disease Control and
Prevention “defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol
(BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above” (“Facts”). Binge drinking is incredibly dangerous, and
that fact is universally recognized. The focus on alcohol abuse in Greek life is also needed where
sexual assault is concerned. “Conclusions suggest that to be successful, intervention efforts must
focus not only on individuals but also on organizational and institutional layers” (Danielson,
Taylor, and Hartford 451). The problems of alcohol abuse are found within the foundation of the
Greek life system, just like the problem of sexual assault. Constant alcohol abuse by fraternity
members is a result of the brotherhood ideals and mentality that members share.
Brotherhood [Definition]:
Fraternities are bonded together by common purposes are interests, and these ideals can
involve praising masculinity, which “has been defined around the idea of success with women,
and being able to consume a lot of alcohol,” and female domination (Marcus). These types of
attitudes are those which promote sexual assault. “The brothers are concerned to dominate
women socially and sexually. Part of the reason they bond as a group is to achieve the
domination that they believe is owed to all males (Sanday 139). Of course, not all fraternity
members think this way, but it is the overwhelming majority. While they like to portray
themselves as outstanding students, “the two biggest priorities, when they’re honest about it, are
getting drunk and getting laid” (Marcus). Alcohol has already been presented as a problem
within Greek life, and the fact that sexual assault goes hand and hand. Fraternity houses are also
decorated with the brotherhood ideals in mind. “Fraternity men would have more images of
women in their rooms than would non-fraternity men, that the fraternity men’s images would be
more degrading, and that the degree of degradation in the images would be correlated with the
rape myths held by the men” (Bleecker and Murnen 490). These rape myths are so intertwined
in Greek life are the foundation of rape culture, and they must be rescinded due to the
organizations’ moral obligation to create the best environment for their brothers and
sisters.
Protecting Student Experience [Value, Ethical Reasoning Revision]:
College Greek life must be required to have extra sexual assault prevention education
because not actively fighting rape is a moral failure to uphold the ideals of sisterhood and
brotherhood that are apparently so important in these institutions. If sororities and fraternities are
accepting of rape culture, which “is a set of values and beliefs that provide an environment
conducive to rape,” then they are not the morally correct types of organizations they portray
themselves to be (Boswell and Spade 133). The University of Oregon Fraternity and Sorority
Life defines themselves as a “community that enhances the student experience,” along with
“promot[ing] positive professional and personal development” (“About”). The acceptance of
rape culture certainly does not contribute to a great experience in college or any positive
developments. Rape culture only diminishes any environment. The occurrence of sexual assault,
and the acceptance of it does not promote strong moral ideals and righteousness. Rape is a crime,
and should not be tolerated by anyone. While it could be said that not all Greek systems in
colleges are as accepting of rape culture as others, this is still the typical description of a sorority
or fraternity. If these groups do want to create “a safe and inclusive community,” then they must
be willing to go to any lengths to provide their members with the best tools to end sexual assault,
even if it is not a popular topic among the members (“About”). The fact that “abusive attitudes
toward women that some fraternities perpetuate” still exist is a failure for Greek life and their
moral integrity (Boswell and Spade 134).
Conclusion:
Sexual assault is an accepted part of fraternity and sorority life due to the acceptance of
rape culture and rape myths, and more intensive programs need to be included within these
groups in order to combat these issues. Specified sexual assault prevention presentations for both
fraternities and sororities will not eliminate rape completely, or even campus rape, but it will
improve the situation and therefore improve lives. No student, whether involved in greek life or
not, should ever be sexually assaulted. The tools to fix the present issues are attainable, and it is
crucial that Greek organizations use them.
Bibliography
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