Newsflash: Fraternity Deaths and Rape

Article URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/us/22hazing.html?scp=2&sq=fraternity&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/us/28wabash.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/opinion/lweb06fraternity.html?scp=2&sq=fraternities&st=cse

Martin, Patricia, and Hummer, Robert. “Fraternities and Rape on Campus.” Feminist Frontiers. 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2007. 417-24.

In today’s higher education system, Greek life is one quality many students seek when searching for a University or College to attend. However, while it is also known that many rapes that occur on a College campus are committed by fraternity men, very few studies have been documented examining the fraternity structure and its culture. It is true that fraternities place emphasis on their qualities of masculinity, but what about their core functions and values encourages them to rape women or attempt to show their superiority over women? With recent events about hazing and deaths of fraternity men on multiple College campuses, some questions must be raised; why do fraternities, rape, and death occur simultaneously? Two articles and one letter to the editor place fraternities in the spotlight in the New York Times. The first article discusses the burning of fraternity men as an act of hazing ritual, and the second article discusses the death of a fraternity man on an Indiana campus. Both articles convey the need for research and change within the fraternity system on all college campuses across the US.

The first article, “7 Students Pledging a Fraternity Are Burned,” by Katie Zezima sets the stage for analysis into the culture and pledging process of a fraternity. The pledges were all lined up and received a brand of about seven inches long across their chest, close to their hearts. The article also cites that police have had to obtain warrants because of the unwillingness of the members to cooperate with the investigation. The article also cites that hazing has been on the rise on the University of Maine campus: 55% of students involved in Greek life, clubs, or other activities have been hazed. Also included in the article is a brief mention of hazing committed by cheerleaders in Katy, Texas. It is said that their new members were bound, blindfolded, and pushed into a swimming pool. Their charges could result in jail time or a $2,000 fine.

The second article, “Rift on Indiana Campus after Student Dies,” by Dirk Johnson, tells the story of a freshman dying at the fraternity house Delta Tau Delta at Wabash College’s campus in Indiana. Afterwards the fraternity was ordered disbanded and the school took over the lease on the house. There have been multiple discussions between students and with the faculty as to the fairness of this punishment; many members as well as other students feel that it is unfair to punish the entire fraternity. The school operates on one rule: the Gentleman’s rule, which is said to encompass all other necessary regulations. While the president of the College punished the whole fraternity because of an intoxicated minor, many students feel that his actions violate the Gentleman’s rule and that he is punishing innocent students. The members of the fraternity are also upset that they have had to move and feel like they have lost 20 brothers instead of just one.

As a response to this article, one letter to the editor comments that this was a completely avoidable and preventable death of a fraternity brother. He comments that the real failure is the failure to see the real problem, while only focusing on individual behavior. He notes that investigation needs to be done on the values and norms of the entire fraternity system (Myers, pg. 1). She also notes that it is the colleges that enable this behavior in houses that are neither owned nor governed by school officials. She believes that until fraternities are completely revoked, or until their houses are owned and governed by their colleges, that this dangerous behavior of fraternity men will continue, and more men will die.

These articles are extremely intertwined with Martin and Hummer’s article, “Fraternities and Rape on Campus” (Feminist Frontiers, pg. 417-424) and serve to illuminate the obvious problems within the fraternity system. As can be seen in the first article, not only are these individuals being subjected to extreme physical pain as part of a pledging process, but both the members and the pledges put themselves in a legally sticky situation. In New Hampshire, where this college campus is located, hazing is illegal and those who are hazed can be charged with misdemeanor offenses if they don’t report it. As the article reports it, it appears that neither the initiated members, nor the pledges will admit to any hazing behavior. One common trend between these articles, as well as other research, is the unwillingness of fraternities and fraternity members to cooperate with the law and investigations into their actions. This is fully discussed within Martin and Hummer’s article as one piece of the culture of fraternities. Loyalty is a key value in fraternity culture and cooperating with investigations is viewed as being disloyal to the fraternity. Loyalty is demonstrated within fraternities as being secretive and protective of both their members and their rituals. This can clearly be seen in these two instances: members are refusing to divulge information to protect their brothers who committed the crime. Even when a minor was killed due to fraternity actions, their brothers find issues with the school officials who intend to disband the fraternity. While it is obvious that the actions of the fraternity members are responsible for the freshman’s death, they view themselves as innocent, and blame the student for his own death. They refuse to accept punishment or point fingers at any of their own.

While these articles do not discuss the relation between fraternity members and rape, the link is clear and detailed in Martin and Hummer’s article. Along with their ideals of loyalty and secrecy, come their desire to prove their masculinity; they are also characterized by their violence, commodification of women, and use of alcohol as a weapon. Men in general, and fraternity men in specific, are known to use alcohol to get women drunk and thus more easily sleep with them. When women are drunk they are less likely to be able to turn down sex, and men are more likely to have sex with them even without their consent. Fraternity men also blatantly use women to attract “better” and more masculine men. If they obtain the image of being able to attain attractive women, other men will want to join their fraternity and obtain those attractive women as well. There also exists a large gender hierarchy among men and women within the Greek system. Fraternity men use women as “Little Sisters”, or in other words, servers. They expect these women to cheer at all the brothers sporting games, show up at parties, and even pay money so the brothers can have parties. These men involved in Greek life also often host parties that are known to turn into orgies, or have parties in which they can have sex with women other than their girlfriends. All of this evidence points to the fact that fraternity men abuse women, are more likely to rape women, and that the culture of fraternity life is in desperate need of revamping.

If further proof is needed, Martin and Hummer also make the same case as the articles in the New York Times that fraternity houses are composed of all male, same-age students who live in houses that are not regulated by school authorities. This will ultimately lead to illegal and dangerous activities, sometimes including death, as seen on Wabash Campus. To take a step farther, there is no diversity in these houses. Because of the recruitment process, the current brothers are bound to select the men that are most similar to themselves. This leads to a house full of men who think and act the same, which means there is no sane voice to say that something is dangerous or illegal. There is no smart man to stand up to his brothers. Also, because of the pledging process, the new members are threatened by their older brothers and are eager to please them. This means that they will most likely complete any task asked of them, and even when they are initiated, they will not be able to stand up to their older brothers. In any form of society or group of people, we know that this system does not work. That is explicitly the reason for our system of checks and balances within our government. In fraternity houses, there is no system of checks and balances, and the older brothers will likely take complete control. Martin and Hummer also comment on this, especially the idea of a group leader. They say that this group leaders’ desire to show off to his brothers or prove their masculinity will ultimately lead to coercion of women into sexual acts which further enforces the gender hierarchy present on college campuses.

In conclusion, because of the inherent cultural and moral standards existent within fraternities, and due to the commodification of women and the gender hierarchy, fraternities are in desperate need of change. We need to examine the entire fraternal structure, rather than individual behavior displayed in such articles as those in the New York Times. Ideals of the fraternity, as well as its environment exist no where else, and it is no surprise. Because of its unique position on college campuses, rapes are more likely and violence towards both women and pledges is more rampant. They are exposed to little if any regulation or supervision, and even when faced with charges, because of their values of loyalty and secrecy, investigations are usually forced to end. Because of these reasons, and their destructive behavior towards women, fraternities need to be investigated, and significant changes must be made to ensure the safety of women and college students across the US.

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Gloria Steinem’s article, “Supremacy Crimes”, gave good insight into the world of hate crimes and violent acts committed by white, heterosexual males. While most stereotypes focus on black males being aggressive, this article gave a different perspective, citing that the majority of hate crimes, or sexually based crimes. This is a statistic not often cited, as many would probably like to cover it up. It is true though, while reading through her examples, I remembered all the killers, most of them being extremely well known cases. All of them were committed by white, heterosexual males. I find this issue of supremacy of these males disturbing, that people feel the need to kill or attack innocent people just because they feel they are superior to others and have the “right” to kill them. She is also accurate in saying, “…the group most likely to become hooked on the drug of superiority. It’s a drug pushed by a male-dominant culture that presents dominance as a natural right” (Steinem, pg. 429). I find it interesting that males view their dominance as a natural right when they have nothing to base this off of. I am irritated that they see themselves as being above women or racial minorities and then find the need to kill those “below” themselves.

These crimes that have occurred in the past still scare me today, being a woman. I am always nervous walking alone at night, or even in my room at night, with the door locked, after hearing of men coming in through the windows. I always feel the need to check the backseat of my car when I get in it, and I don’t think that this should be necessary. Women should be able to go about their normal lives, even in dangerous areas, without being scared for their lives. I think our culture needs to get over the idea of male dominance and move toward a society without gender hierarchies.

Kimberle Crenshaw’s article was also interesting, reading about the immigrant women and their struggle to be legal citizens. I am glad that the amendment was passed at least, allowing for women to try and get out of their marriages while still pursuing citizenship. Although, I am sad to hear about the amount of difficulty these women must go through just to get a waiver. I never would have even thought that some of these women do not have access to telephones, or that their only source of information is from their husbands. I think that these women should be able to find their own sources of information and be knowledgeable on their own, so they are not taken advantage of by their husbands.