University considers reforming sorority rules
In an effort to combat sexual assault on The Row, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Ainsley Carry expressed a willingness to reform university policy by allowing sororities to host social events in their own houses.
USC does not have policies prohibiting sororities from allowing alcohol in their houses or allowing men upstairs, but each chapter’s national office enforces these policies.
Though USC does not have the power to reform sororities’ policies, the university is not opposed to allowing sororities to host their own social events.
“I welcome all ideas to reduce incidents of sexual misconduct,” said Carry in an email to the Daily Trojan. “If women would feel safer hosting events in their own sorority houses, then I am supportive of their efforts to establish this as a regular practice. This decision is up to the sorority leadership.”
Panhellenic President Caroline Cannan said that the organization hopes to ensure better safety for its members while abiding by each individual chapter’s rules.
“Each sorority has national or international offices that have their own set of rules that each chapter must follow,” Panhellenic President Caroline Cannan wrote in a text message to the Daily Trojan. “We as a Panhellenic Council do our best to support these rules and we support the sororities in promoting the safety and well-being of their members.”
Julie Johnson, National Panhellenic Conference Committee Chair (the NPC governs the 26 national sorority chapters around the country) said each chapter individually chooses whether or not to allow alcohol on sorority property, and each one has decided against it, according to USA Today.
Johnson also told USA Today that the reason for ban on alcohol and events that will likely include alcohol, is mostly a legal issue since the majority of members are underage.
In a January NPC statement to the media, the organization said that by allowing sororities to throw these events that include alcohol, it would be an indirectly supporting underage drinking. The council argued that this risk would increase insurance premiums as well.
“NPC would find insurance companies would not support the effort to modify or change the stance that has been in place and worked for 50-plus years,” NPC said in the statement.
Other officials from the USC Panhellenic Council declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries because of USC chapter policy to not speak to the media. Also, the USC Office of Equity and Diversity did not respond to inquiries from the Daily Trojan.
Reforming Greek life to better protect sorority women from sexual assault has been a significant national issue in the media following the publication of a story about an alleged 2012 gang rape at a fraternity party at the University of Virginia that ran in Rolling Stone. The story eventually led to the temporary shutdown of the university’s Greek life.
Though the magazine later apologized for some misinformation included in its account, the NPC responded to the report by calling for the end of the social sorority ban at UVA as well as a call to action to reform campus culture.
“We seek to be involved in next steps moving forward to heal from these events and assist in education to help prevent sexual assault and protect our women,” NPC wrote in the December statement. “We must not be bystanders. Let our voices be heard and actions be noticed.”
Emma Peplow contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that the National Panhellenic Council has a policy against members speaking to the media. It is instead the USC Panhellenic Council that has this policy.
The article also stated that National Panhellenic Conference Committee Chair Julie Johnson asked individual chapters to”vote” on whether or not to have alcohol in the sorority houses. There is no vote, but rather it came to be through individual decisions made by the individual chapters.
The Daily Trojan regrets these errors.