[TRIGGER WARNING]
Talking with my—mainly female—peers on campus, I’ve realized over time that nearly everyone has at some point, throughout their time in college, fallen victim to some circumstance of sexual harassment or assault. The prevalence of these shared experiences in young adults across college campuses is not only disturbing but begs the question: If we are aware, why does it continue?
Over time, administrations and individuals alike have attributed this epidemic to various causes: revealing clothing, the influence of alcohol/drugs and of course the classic (and disgusting) “boys will be boys” explanation. More recently, however, an increasing number of activists and reformers have pointed the blame towards another possible perpetuator: Greek life. Although fraternities have been somewhat notorious over the decades for traditions of misogyny and date rape, sororities have also been exposed as being centers of enabling sexual harrassment and assault as of late, with victims coming forward sharing their experiences, battling the stigma that men are the perpetrators of sexual violance, and displaying evidance that greek life as a whole is riddled with this issue.
Once SUNY Geneseo students were sent home to finish the Spring 2020 semester remotely, many students used their extra spare time to create various Geneseo related instagram accounts. Probably the most impactful of these was @shareyourstorygeneseo, who’s page serves to “show support and bring awareness to those who have experienced harassment, assault, etc. at Geneseo.” The creator of the account has identified themselves only as a “survivor,” and since their first post in June of this year has accumulated nearly 3000 followers and posted hundreds of stories from survivors submitted by Geneseo students through an anonymous Google form. The account instantly became a popular topic of conversation among Geneseo students, inspiring productive discussions about the topic of sexual harassment and assault on campus. The Lamron (a student run newspaper at Geneseo) published an eye-opening article around this time, featuring an interview with several surivors. Only weeks after it was created, the account had attracted enough attention to be featured in the Livingston County News, as students and administration alike were forced to address something many had turned a blind eye to.
A concerning number of submitted stories mentioned various campus fraternities and sororities as enablers and perpetrators of toxic behaviours. As allegations accumulated, some reform has resulted. A rally and march coined “Take Back Geneseo” was planned and carried out upon the return of students to campus for the Fall 2020 semester in late August, where students came together and shared their personal experiences and encouraged change. Specifically in Greek life, extra sexual violence prevention training was provided to members of fraternities and sororities, and many individual organizations have already began reforming certain practices and investigating allegations made by victims in posts on the aforementioned instagram account.
In respect to actions taken by administration, on Monday Oct. 25, Geneseo’s Office of the President released an email in which they shared updates on steps they have taken directly in response to the posts on the @shareyourstorygeneseo Instagram account. Among these is the formation of a Title IX Advisory Committee; the establishment of a new Title IX Grievance Policy; and increased mandated prevention training for members of sports teams, Greek life and faculty/staff. President Denise Battles referred to these reforms as critically important, recognizing it as a “top priority for the college.” Although potentially unrelated to the recent allegations, Geneseo also has appointed a new Title IX coordinator, Marcus Foster, who so far has seemed highly motivated to effect change throughout campus.
As an active member of Greek life, this situation has forced me to consider my role in enabling the persistance of rape culture and assault on college campuses. How can members of fraternal organizations be proactive in ending/reforming traditions and behaviours that promote sexual violence? If you know me, you probably know how much I value tradition. Whether it’s something as simple as going to the same cafe for brunch every Sunday or making homemade sugar cookies every year for Christmas, I enjoy routine as a convention that gives life order. Despite this, I can still recognize when certain “traditions” become outdated or enable toxic behaviour to continue. Many practices normalized by Greek culture are long overdue for reform. Introducing positions and committees specifically with the purpose of amelioration of questionable conventions and conducts may be necessary to combat this epidemic. Sisters and brothers alike should examine behaviours that are traditional for their organization and ask: could this encourage the continuity of rape culture? Considering we are long past the era of the frats of Animal House, it’s undeniably time to make a change.
If you or anyone you know is dealing / has dealt with circumstances of sexual assault, harassment or domestic violence, you can find support at:
SUNY Geneseo:
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Title IX Office: (585) 245-5023
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University Police Non-Emergency: (585) 245-5651 (x5651)
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Lauderdale Health Center: (585) 245-5736 (x5736)
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Lauderdale Counseling Center: (585) 245-5716 (x5716)
General:
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RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
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Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741741