USC serial fondlings are no laughing matter


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Over the past four months, USC students have received a sudden influx of email alerts from the Dept. of Public Safety, and it’s not just about a rise in cell phone theft. Since January, DPS has received 16 reports of sexual harassment near campus. In these 16 incidents, a man, who police suspect is the same person, approached unsuspecting female victims from behind, hit or grabbed their buttocks, and then taunted the victims as he fled.

The sheer number of incidents alone is shocking, but still more surprising is the relative silence from faculty and students surrounding the incidents. Up until earlier this month, when an anonymous student group USC Girl Mafia began posting flyers, the only real talk of the incidents came in the form of the next DPS report or humor. Though it’s understandable to react with discomfort or address unsettling situations with humor, USC Girl Mafia has shown that we need greater awareness to put an end to such harassment.

As news reports have emphasized, the serial fondlings are acts of crimes. On KTLA 5 News, anchor Steve Kuzj asserts that the perpetrator, a 16- to 21-year-old male with spiky hair and a slim build, must be caught before his actions escalate to rape or murder. This media attention certainly lends a new level of urgency to the matter, but we need to recognize that this one issue isn’t an isolated instance of gender-based harassment at USC. Regardless of whether or not the serial fondler strikes again, we can all look to the response to this issue as a launch pad for confronting sexism on our campus.

Thankfully, the positive hype initiated by USC Girl Mafia to combat the serial fondlings has led to a greater activism to eliminate gender-based discrimination. The group’s anonymity has lent all the more significance to its efforts; in focusing on a nameless collective goal, USC Girl Mafia promotes inclusivity, allowing all students to feel comfortable spreading awareness of this issue. In an interview for Neon Tommy, an anonymous member of the group said, “The USC Girl Mafia is anyone who believes that anyone should be able to walk down the street without being in danger of someone assaulting them, harassing them or otherwise feel unsafe.” By breaking the silence and stepping forward when the rest of the university was unsure how to react, USC Girl Mafia started a trend. Thanks to their endeavors, people have addressed the serial fondlings on Annenberg TV News, NBCLA, ABC 7 and KTLA 5 with unanimous urgency and disgust.

Unfortunately, this campaign is only the tip of the iceberg. The group’s Twitter page boasts only 116 followers at the moment, and the group’s founding members are graduating this semester. Unless the group gains more momentum, USC Girl Mafia might wind up eclipsed by the deeply ingrained sexism on our campus. Indeed, even USC student YouTuber TristanTales’ humorous confrontation of the serial fondlings in his video “USC Booty Bandit” reflects harmful gender-based stereotypes at USC. The distasteful use of stereotypes within the skit reflects the prevalence of sexism at USC. At one point in the video, TristanTales asks a female volunteer to stand on the sidewalk and look “sorority-like” in a comedic attempt to lure the attacker.

The assumption that the victims must have been sorority girls en route to or from a party echoes the common stereotype that sorority members — or any young women attending college parties — somehow set themselves up for sexual assault. It is unlikely that TristanTales intended to blame victims for the attacks, but the link between Greek life and sexual harassment reeks of stereotype. Moreover, the YouTuber later asks an alleged victim’s roommate what her friend’s “booty” looks like, as if a “voluptuous” bottom is an invitation for groping. Certainly, we cannot label one student’s comedic sketch as representative of the entire university. Yet, close to 8,000 people have watched the video without leaving a negative comment. Considering the fact that USC has spent the past year under Title IX investigation for mishandling campus sexual assault, this is a cause for concern.

We should thus confront this issue of serial fondling with all this in mind. The current level of commitment to apprehend the serial fondler is a step in the right direction, but USC Girl Mafia pointed out in Neon Tommy that these attacks aren’t occurring in a “vacuum.” Not only will the perpetrator be held accountable for his crimes, but the fondlings must be considered in light of the continued sexism on campus. It is easy to call out a perpetrator who appears separate from USC, but we must apply the same unified vigilance to sexual objectification and victim blaming that exist within the university.

Jennifer Frazin is a sophomore majoring in English and theatre. Her column, “Not That Kind of Girl,” runs Wednesdays.