Sexual assault is rampant on college campuses due to the environment, as it is characteristically conducive to new experiences, personal freedom, and inappropriate behavior. This freedom and behavior is encouraged by the social scene the university boasts, the lack of restrictions on the social scene by the schools’ administrations, and the easy access to abusive substances--particularly alcohol. These lenient and alarming conditions enable the perpetration of sexual assault on college campuses, and on average, 20% to 25% of women attending higher educational institutions have fallen victim to accomplished or attempted sexual assault (Fisher). This statistic represents the population of college women as a whole assaulted by no specific group of individuals, however, conducted research concludes that fraternity-affiliated men are three times more likely to commit sexual assault than college men who are not involved with Greek organizations (Foubert). For fraternity men, sexual assault is the perfect storm that stems from a confluence of factors, such as male peer support groups, a sense of entitlement because of membership to a privileged group, sexually objectifying women, and the overabundance of alcohol, both consumed by members and supplied to women in a social setting. Through these self-proclaiming attitudes and behaviors, the social control fraternities impose on campus, and excessive alcohol consumption they inspire, fraternity men are more likely to perpetrate sexual assault because of values and behaviors they learn through their Greek organizations.

Young men on college campuses generally portray similar characteristics and tendencies, as they seem to gravitate towards similar interests. Education is the forefront of most students’ priorities, considering each pupil is attending a higher-learning university to further their learning. Establishing and nurturing new friendships is an additional action most take when entering college. The transition from high school to college in terms of ordinary life is a monumental step all students take, including life-changing actions, such as the gaining of fresh independence from parents, leaving friends behind that have been around as long as one can remember, and the abandoning of the joy of the simplicity that high school offered. Typically, college students fill the gap of the fluster and excitement of being relocated miles away from home, placed in unfamiliar surroundings by befriending a myriad of people. Psychologically, humans are inclined to submerge themselves into a group rather than venture onwards companionless (Forsyth). Most individuals “consistently seek inclusion over exclusion, membership over isolation, and acceptance over rejection” (Forsyth). To satisfy the needs of surrounding one’s self with people, students on campus are drawn towards, and, more than that, encouraged to join clubs, societies, and organizations. One such type of group involvement on campus is the joining of a fraternity: a Greek-letter organization of male students, which can be social, service, professional, honors, religious, or ethnic-oriented (Nobile). The central focus of this argument concerns social fraternities more so than others. The very first fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was a combination of a social as well as a professional fraternity (SJSU). Almost all of the first founding fraternities were considered secret societies, in which members debated “highly charged and controversial subjects” pertaining to that time, rather than joining to simply wear the letters printed on their t-shirts, and further assert their social status and hierarchical dominance through the flaunting of their membership (SJSU). Since the 1700s, fraternities have rebranded themselves in terms of membership requirements and stereotypes. Contrary to the intentions of earlier fraternities, present-day fraternities pride themselves on their philanthropic actions, prestigious membership, and how much social influence they exert on their respective campus. This cachet can trickle into members’ attitudes and behaviors, demonstrating a sense of entitlement in their daily actions and words. One such action that is disappointing, but has been a recurring story in the news, is fraternity men sexually assaulting fellow college women on college campuses nationwide. Statistically speaking, men involved with fraternities are three times more likely to rape other female students than male students who are not members of Greek organizations (NSVRC). Furthermore, the reason this statistic has skyrocketed over the past few decades is due to the transformation of the values of fraternities on college campuses today.

In most fraternities’ creeds, brothers promise under oath to uphold the highest standards of education, character, and integrity. However, behind the closed doors of beautiful mansions, gracing Fraternity Rows, nationwide, brothers are indoctrinated to believe that they are above the university’s rules and can do as they please without any fear of repercussions. Research conducted by Cortney Franklin, Leana Allen Bouffard, and Travis Pratt unearth and summarize common theories that attempt to explain why fraternity men are more inclined to rape. These “dominant theories … pay particular attention to the impact of rape-supportive social relationships on woman abuse” (Franklin). Franklin asserts that the central factors of the facilitation of rape-supportive peer groups are male peer support and low self-control (Franklin). Brotherhood of a fraternity is the epitome of a peer support group that could augment not only good, but also bad behavior. These peer groups “reinforce particular attitudes and behaviors that are social desirable and appropriate according to the group” through rewarding or punishing other members performing these said actions, which can either persist or discontinue such behavior (Franklin). Deviant behavior, such as the perpetration of unwanted sexual action upon women, may be an achievement that is legitimized and praised by fellow group members. Franklin suggests that “these kinds of supports may provide men with the confidence and encouragement that dealing with women in abusive ways is socially appropriate according to group norms” (Franklin). Male support groups also “facilitate hypermasculinity, group secrecy, excessive alcohol consumption, and the sexual objectification of women” (Franklin). Each one of these components can be exemplified through typical fraternity members’ characteristics. Hypermasculinity is demonstrated through sexist conversations; group secrecy is represented by hazing rituals all members must suffer through but never disclose; heavy use of alcohol is used as a bait to convince girls to attend the fraternity parties; sexual-objectification of women is can be seen walking into a bedroom in a fraternity house, witnessing walls covered with Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. The second component of Franklin’s theory, the characteristic of low self-control, is a “strong predictor of a host of criminal and noncriminal “risky” behaviors,” such as drinking, smoking, reckless driving, and partaking in illicit sex. The theory also offered that individuals with low self-control are more likely to feed their temptations of misbehavior by satisfying tantalizing urges, such as the desperation for sex. When male peer support systems and low self-control, the two elements that can instigate fraternity members to commit sexual assaults, occur synchronously, “abuse-facilitating attitudes and behaviors” will arise. These attitudes and behaviors can be seen through the usage of illegal drugs, pornography, or the utilization of anything else that indirectly influences sexual assault. Therefore, “low levels of self-control directly predict[s] abuse-facilitating attitudes and behaviors” and is a contribution to the explanation that fraternal men, on average, commit sexual assault 33% more than non-fraternal men do (Franklin, NSVRC).

 Another explanation for the sense of entitlement among men involved with fraternities is the huge financial contribution fraternity alumni return back to the universities. According to Jacobs of Business Insider, “Greeks tend to be more successful than unaffiliated students,” and therefore are more likely to donate to their alma mater. Universities are reliant on plentiful alumni donations, and if the university’s administration implements policies that counter the alumni’s interest, such as banning or imposing harsh rules on Greek life, the donations may decline exponentially. According to a study, “fraternity men tend to be generous to their alma maters,” which can prompt administration to think twice before on placing restrictions on Greek life, and, furthermore, prompt them to turn their heads from questionable discoveries a fraternity is found responsible for, such as hazing cases or inappropriate behavior within the house by members. This type of financial pressure on administration prevents many colleges from imposing stricter rules on fraternities as well as dissuades them from completely removing Greek life altogether.

Fraternities yield a massive amount of social control on college campuses by hosting parties for a range of events that aim to gather women by the masses. Each weekend, schools such as the University of Virginia, a heavily Greek-oriented school, exert their huge social control by “providing the alcohol, hosting the parties, [and] policing who may enter” (Bennett). Jessica Bennett, an alumnus of the University of Virginia, published an opinion-editorial on Time detailing her experience as a student who attended many of these off-campus fraternity parties, the heart of UVa social life. She recounted that to intrigue and convince women to attend a fraternity’s party, a brother, typically a pledging member who was designated as the one to spread the word about future gatherings, specified what type of alcohol the brothers will be providing and the quantity supplied. Supplying alcohol at parties and to attendees is not the primary issue—it is a significant factor of increasing chances of sexual assault, but, after all, it is college, and college should be fun and rewarding at times for all of the hard work students accomplish—but the main concern is the aura that frat parties elicit. There are understood ‘rules’ at frat parties, which freshmen girls quickly learn from upperclassmen the week of move-in. Rules such as “never let your drink out of your sight” and “don’t go upstairs, where the bedrooms were housed, without a girlfriend who could check in on you later” are disturbing guidelines that are basically shrugged off by college women, and considered to be “just how it worked” (Bennett). This accepted notion that girls cannot attend a college party without fearing for their safety when finding themselves alone is the truly concerning aspect of fraternity life and what their parties connote—that women are simply taught to tolerate and accept societal norms for attending such social functions. Kaitlin Boyle discusses how in college party subcultures, sexual violence can be denied and neutralized. She examines how this unsafe atmosphere subjects girls to sexualization, which can increase “hypermasculinity, dominance, and sexual competition” among brothers, enabling them to ultimately “brag about their sexual accomplishments” (Boyle). Parties with similar objectives can assist brothers in accomplishing their personal goals of having sexual relations. To help facilitate these desires, parties include universal aspects of “loud music, heightened levels of intoxication, dominance behaviors between brothers, and the disrespect of female guests” who are seen as “sexual outlets” to the brothers (Boyle). When all of these components occur simultaneously, the hot, sweaty basement now becomes a “rape-prone environment” due to the atmosphere in which women are “devalued, commodified, and ultimately taken advantage of” (Boyle). The neutralization of sexual violence continues on after the party because “participation in parties hosted by fraternities shapes women’s perceptions of their own sexual assaults” (Boyle). Most women are friends with, or at least familiar with the brothers of the parties they attend. According to a study, about 9 in 10 offenders were known to the victim, and 10.3% of sexual victimizations took place in a fraternity (Samuels). Therefore, when these same women are raped by their so-called “friends,” they do not acknowledge themselves as victims of such crime, rather blame themselves or subdue the perpetrator’s accountability. In all, the fraternity party scene possesses a multitude of factors that can neutralize and increase chances of sexual assault.

Fraternity life glorifies the use and misuse of substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and other illegal drugs. Reasons such as group living, hazing rituals, lack of supervision, and social pressure can help explain why men involved in Greek life and substance abuse correlate (Addiction Center). Heavy alcohol use is a predictor for sexual assault, and a Harvard University study claims that binge drinking is far more prevalent among Greek members than non-affiliated students (Addiction Center). This study also cites that 4 out of 5 fraternity members are regular binge drinkers, while in comparison, 2 out of 4 students, overall, identify as binge drinkers (Addiction Center). Additionally, levels of alcohol consumption and drug use were much higher among men who reported sexual assault in a 2012 study analyzing the relationship between sexual assault on the typical college campus, in relation to fraternity affiliation (Franklin). These statistics imply that men who are involved with Greek life are more likely to commit sexual assault, claiming that fraternity men do in fact rape 300% more (Foubert). Aside from alcohol, the most commonly abused drugs among college men and women include cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, and hallucinogens, as well as Xanax, a benzodiazepine which has become increasingly more popular on college campuses over the last few years (Scott-Sheldon). More frequent alcohol and drug use is not too astonishing given the central role “alcohol and/or drugs play in socialization and bonding processes” in Greek organizations (Scott-Sheldon). For the most part, alcohol and drugs are abused at events and social gatherings, such as fraternity parties. Pennsylvania State University, a popular university with an enrollment of 46,606 undergraduate students, boasting a heavily Greek-oriented student population, 17% being involved in Greek life, is indefinitely suspending fraternity and sorority parties where alcohol is served because of the recent death of a student with what the school calls growing allegations of “hazing, sexual assault, and other misconduct” (Hayes-Freeland). According to authorities, the student, Timothy Piazza, was intoxicated when he fell down a stairwell at a fraternity party (Snyder). Members of the same fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, did not call for help until about 12 hours later, believing Piazza to have endured minor injuries from the fall, but, at that point, the pledge member was already in critical condition that, sadly, could not be reversed (Snyder). Similar stories of alcohol-related deaths and severe injuries at fraternity parties, such as this one, have been popping up a lot around the country, which calls into question—how much alcohol are these men and other attendees really consuming at these parties? The National Institute of Health notes that 37.9% of college students reported binge drinking in the past month, and 12.5% of college students reported heavy alcohol usage (NIH). These percentages contribute to the fact that 97,000 college students have reported experiencing alcohol-related assault or date rape, when intoxicated (NIH). Prevalent drinking in college, especially at these types of gatherings, concurs with the statistics found in a study that 26% of party attendees experienced sexual assault in college (Boyle). These findings reinforce the idea that attending parties hosted by fraternities is associated with a higher risk of intoxicated rape and victimization.

Sexual assault perpetrated by any person, ever, is a completely individual decision. Although there are some factors that fraternity environments possess which can predict an increased likelihood of a member committing such sexual assault, by no means does this interpret that most fraternity men will undoubtedly commit an act of sexual violence in their life. Sadly, scandals and statistics, such as ones highlighted in this essay, make headlines, and philanthropic actions do not. For this reason, controversial scandals have masked the overwhelming benefits that fraternities, and Greek life overall, provide their members. Members of Greek life are more involved on campus than any other group of students, have higher GPAs on average, and are much more likely to graduate (Jacobs). Each social-oriented fraternity and sorority also has a national philanthropy, which members hold events and fundraisers to benefit; these non-profit organizations include the Huntsman Cancer Institute for Sigma Chi, Make-A-Wish Foundation for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Feeding America for Lambda Chi Alpha. Not to mention, these fraternities are phenomenal at accruing a substantial amount of donations. Sigma Chi alone raised a whopping $1,436,883 for charity in 2012 (Statista). One reason fraternities, such as Sigma Chi, alone, are able to collect donations as massive as this is because of their notable alumni-base. 11 Sigma Chi men have landed themselves in Congress, and more extensively, 85% of Fortune 500 executives were part of Greek life (Glass). This demonstrates that membership of and involvement in Greek organizations can skyrocket chances for future success in the career world. To communicate the overwhelming benefits of Greek life rather than the misconduct stories that get spotlighted, Greek lobbyists in 2015 took to Capitol Hill to talk with legislators about these organizations’ activities and interests (McMurtrie). An important discussion that arose was how university administrators should handle sexual-assault investigations (McMurtrie). These students lobbied for deeper investigations and more police involvement in allegations of sexual assault, which demonstrates that members of Greek life are unhappy with and disappointed in the way that sexual assault cases are being treated currently, and are actively seeking a resolution to, effectively, save their image (McMurtrie). Although their effort is commendable, barely any change came out of it. Many solutions that were discussed brought out a very negative reaction from the general public. Greek organizations proposed that students accused of sexual assault should have the right to a lawyer while the investigation occurs. Though this may seem like a solution to preserve case’s placidity, and to lessen overall chaos, upon further review, many viewed this as an attempt, by fraternity members, to protect their brothers, these perpetrators, to a greater extent. With much concern over the magnitude of the situation, the chairman of the North American Interfraternity Conference also offered his beliefs, which, importantly, seemed to be in accordance with the students’, stating that “[sexual-assault] cases should be deferred until the completion of the criminal investigation and any subsequent trial,” though, some took this as university administrators attempting to hold themselves to a higher standard than the law. This event seemed to have the right objective in mind, but, once again, proved that Greek life is not capable of devoting the time and energy necessary to completely reform this societally-mangled image.

The evidence above shows that fraternity men are taught through a multitude of group behaviors and attitudes that sexually-objectifying women is acceptable. Through male peer support systems and group secrecy, brothers begin to idolize older brothers and mimic their actions, such as taking advantage of intoxicated women, continuing the cycle of sexual assault, which very commonly takes place at social gatherings hosted by such fraternity. Characteristics of the party, such as heavy alcohol distribution and drug use, create a rape-prone environment, further encouraging sexual assault to occur. Although many Greek activists have expressed concern for the overall representation of Greek life, not enough is being done by chapters at large to truly incite revolutionary change. While correlation and causation may be two dissimilar findings, ultimately, college women need to reject the societal norm that fraternity men are simply inclined to commit sexual assault, and be the building block the nation needs to stop tolerating this norm to experience these alarming statistics.
