Allow sororities to host parties on their own terms

This month, a University of Richmond fraternity was suspended after an email surfaced containing offensive, predatory language and veiled threats toward female students. The issue has unsurprisingly called into question the behavior of men in Greek life and the promotion of rape culture across college campuses. Though any organization may choose to pursue its own self interests, problems arise when these self interests are achieved by exploiting another group, in this case, women. However important it is to draw attention to such inappropriate behavior, the reaction of women in these situations must also be addressed.

Such behavior by fraternities is often publicly denounced as unacceptable — luckily, this email included. But still, weekend after weekend, fraternities host parties with similar suggestive themes and succeed in attracting crowds of young women. When invited to a situation so clearly created by men, for men, a clear reason remains to explain why female students would continue to attend. Women attend fraternity parties despite their misogynistic nature because, as our society has demanded, they have trained themselves to feel safe in these environments, while being unconsciously pressured to accept or ignore sexist behavior. Again, a simple solution to a large and complex problem exists — put greek parties on women’s terms. The Panhellenic Council needs to allow sororities to host at their own houses.

It seems that women are adept and experienced at enjoying themselves in these situations created for men to enjoy. However, it is often impossible for women to feel at ease. Female attendees continue to travel to parties in groups of trusted friends, watch their drinks being made, keep their cups in eyesight all night and give out  fake phone numbers when men won’t take no for an answer. It has become so ingrained in campus culture for women to act this way that they take these precautions without even recognizing that they are directly responding to the potential danger.

Women have also adapted to filter media written by men. When the details contain threats of sexual assault, claiming that the party is the type that “makes fathers afraid to send their daughters away to school,” it is troubling to think that women would still attend.

However, on a campus where greek life is dominant and loud, where parties like that at University of Richmond are a part of every weekend, language like that present in the University of Richmond fraternity email is not uncommon to hear in daily life. After some time, women often disregard these comments and behaviors with an eye roll or a scoff, no longer taking it seriously. It seems like the age-old saying “boys will be boys” carries an implicit message that girls should be girls — meaning they should play their part in such situations and ignore sexist messages or play along. It is seemingly suggested that women should not only accept the sexist behavior, but they should also be willing partakers in the gendered role assignment. Young women are not unaware of this sexism that persists on campuses across the nation. But they’re certainly pressured to ignore it in the context of a party scene.

The actions of fraternities are self-motivated and taken to benefit or please the men in the organization. With sororities unable to throw their own parties like fraternities can, there is no model for a similar party situation created by women, for women. Allowing sororities to have alcohol in their houses, though currently banned by individual National Panhellenic Council chapters, is a potential solution to this issue. This way, sororities could host their own parties instead of feeling pressured to attend the fraternity parties. By delegating specific rules for women in Greek life that don’t apply to men, the system is limiting women’s independence and forcing them to outsource for parties. This is not a call to end all fraternity parties, but rather a proposal for more the creation of more options for women, for equal treatment and rules for men and women in Greek life. The freedom to throw parties on their own terms and in their own home — choosing the guests, the drinks and the themes — could create a safer environment for women.

Many wonder why a fraternity would showcase a blatant sexist attitude toward women in a widely distributed email. Ultimately, this is because they know it won’t change the outcome of their events. Men objectify and sexualize women, and women still attend their parties. A preliminary step to addressing sexism in Greek life is understanding the willingness with which women choose to participate in these events and the many different factors that can influence this. The next step is taking action to create a more progressive environment in which women have no reason to fear for their safety — because, for the first time, they are in control of a once-predatory environment.