Quote:Here's something to think about... why not address and solve the problem rather than deal with the outcome?

Ok, here's the problem: young women are being raped on college campuses.

 

Here's one major contributing factor: fraternities have a history of being involved in those rapes, frequently (but not always) through drugging them.

 

Why do frats do this? Because they're [BLEEP] young men, sure, but also because a culture of "we'll do what we want to to women on this campus" exists in frat houses nationwide. Some send out emails detailing how to drug and rape a woman. Some have color-coded systems for how to drug them. Some revel in their reputation as rape houses, thinking it adds some kind of mystique to their frat. Some hang signs that, at the very least, are taunting incoming female students and, at worst, are suggestive of rape.

 

How do we solve the problem? Address the culture head on. If a report of sexual misconduct comes out of a frat house, suspend the frat while an investigation takes place. If everyone is cleared, fine. Life goes on. If anyone in the frat is found guilty of sexual assault taking place in the frat house or at a fraternity-sanctioned event, that frat is shut down for good. No appeal rights. And while you're at it, forcibly clean up the image of frats. No more massive co-ed keg parties, no more emails detailing how to drug and rape women, and no more hanging signs that a reasonably person could interpret as being sexually threatening from your balcony. Basically, if a frat member has to ask himself if it'll get the frat in trouble, he shouldn't do it.

 

I'm not so naive as to believe that the college rape problem stems solely from fraternities, but a significant portion of it does. If solving that problem involves systematically dismantling Greek life and either rebuilding it in a new image or leaving it dead, then so be it. Fraternities in the US originally existed as social clubs formed around fellowship, and engaging primarily in discussions, debates and literary exercise. They're still based (loosely) around fellowship today, but instead they specialize in keggers and orgies. The vast majority of them add nothing to their colleges anymore except for rape allegations and a reason for prospective students not to go there.

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