New Greek life guidelines are a band-aid solution

Content warning: This article contains references to sexual assault and violence.

The Interfraternity Council at USC has been under fire for years, but this heightened when allegations of drugging and sexual assault surfaced against the Sigma Nu Fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and other fraternities in October. All eyes were on campus leadership as students protested the University’s late notification of the allegations to the student body and its lack of action.

Some students demanded institutional reform. Others demanded total abolition of the IFC. But absolutely no one advocated for the band-aid solution that the IFC Culture, Prevention, and Accountability Working Group presented as its “Preliminary Action Plan” on Jan. 14.

The plan’s biggest takeaway was its declaration that each fraternity chapter will restrict socializing to houses’ common areas and “will strengthen its practice by requiring the posting of security not only at entry points and gathering areas, but also at stairs or hallways leading to bedrooms.”  

In other words, the working group brainstormed since Nov. 11 a response to sexual assault and violence within Greek life, which culminated in an unsound requirement that fraternities hire babysitters to supervise their members.

The new policy implies that the University accepts that fraternity houses are packed with rapists, and it has several fallacies. First, its reputability depends on student trust with those security guards. The plan states that the “Security vendors will be selected in consultation with the university,” which honestly leaves us with more questions than anything. Who are these vendors? What are their credentials? Have they specifically trained in drugging and rape prevention? What role will security guards play in preventing sexual assaults?

This plan also assumes that sexual violence only happens in bedrooms. Convicted on three counts of sexual assault, former Stanford University student Brock Turner sexually assaulted a woman behind a dumpster. 

If anything, the bedroom guards will only help fraternities avoid accountability. If a fraternity brother assaults a person outside of their chapter’s house on the Row, it may be easier for the IFC to claim that the incident was unrelated to Greek activities. 

Instead of addressing the role fraternities play in enforcing rape culture, this plan tells fraternity members: “Do what you want but not under our roof.” Further, fraternities often hold unofficial events at satellite houses or other locations, which is a simple way chapters can dodge the security requirement. 

The public’s negative response to this plan was rather predictable. Verified Instagram account @itsonus shared a Los Angeles Times article reporting on the update, which received comments such as “[I] didn’t know this university could stoop any lower,” “Reminds me of a highschool dance,” and “If you can’t have parties that don’t harm people, you don’t get to have parties!” I can’t help but agree with the outraged commenters — is this really the best solution USC could offer?

The Preliminary Action Plan does include other requirements: “Prevention Education,” “Pre-Event Planning and Post-Event Review,” “Risk Management” and “Accountability to Community Standards.” However, these conditions mostly depend on individual responsibility and faith in each fraternity member’s obedience. Participants of previous Relationship & Sexual Violence Prevention Services education workshops will attest that it is very easy to keep your attention at a minimum at these workshops and still meet compliance. 

If fraternities appear to adhere with the “Preliminary Action Plan,” USC will allow fraternities to “begin a limited calendar of social gatherings” on Thursday, with a full resumption on March 3. USC plans to hire a “Compliance Coordinator” to ensure all conditions are met, and an event review committee will review “risk management plans” and “security implementation” with chapter leaders each week. 

I hope for the best — that this plan will succeed in mitigating sexual violence in Greek life. Yet, I cannot ignore the reality that this plan fails to present any real institutional solutions. All it does is imply that sexual assault in Greek life is a mere situational problem that can be cured with a band-aid and some babysitters.

Correction: The following article was updated on Feb. 1 at 9:20 a.m. to correct spelling and grammar mistakes. The Daily Trojan regrets these errors.

Clarification: This article was updated on Feb. 1 at 9:20 a.m. to clarify that the IFC Culture, Prevention, and Accountability Working Group’s new policy implies USC’s acceptance that “fraternity houses are packed with rapists.” A question regarding security guards’ role in preventing sexual assaults was also updated for clarity.