The Sorority Solution
Sorority members are two to three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than non-Greeks. Why they’re part of the problem, and part of the solution.
5.4.2015
One year ago, Jackie Reilly’s face sat poignantly on the cover of almost every Syracuse, NY publication. Tear struck and voice still trembling, she told her story to the viewers of Channel 3 news, the readers of the Syracuse Post Standard, the whole entire Syracuse University student body via The Daily Orange and Equal Time magazine, and the nation in an article featured on Buzzfeed. Everywhere you looked, it was Reilly’s face. And next to her face sat the word taking all the weight of the story: raped.
One year later and Jackie is no longer willowed. She stands tall with her shoulders back, head up, and eyes glistening with determination. Gone is the girl too afraid to come out from underneath the covers. The new, confident girl standing in front of hundreds, raising awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses is here to stay.
Reilly is just one of many women across the United States that has been subject to rape and nonconsensual sexual contact. In 2012, 3,944 forcible sex offenses were reported on college campuses – a number that has steadily increased from 2011 and 2010. At Syracuse University, 16 sex offenses were reported in 2013 according to their Clery Report. According to an America Tonight analysis of the Clery Reports of America’s top 25 universities, across the nation the number of reported sex offenses increased from an average of 12.5 in 2011 to 20.1 in 2013 – a 61 percent increase. “Nationally, this percentage seems a little high,” says Syracuse University Department of Public Safety Detective James Hill. “But I can only speak for SU. And within the past couple years we have seen a slight increase in sexual assault reports.” But these statistics only include the number of reported assaults; the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) estimates over 95 percent of rapes and 68 percent of sexual assaults against college women remain unreported. And with one in four to one in five college women experiencing sexual assault, that’s a lot of assaults going unreported.
It seems that being a female in Greek life is something that increases your likelihood of potential sexual offenses during your time at college. The National Institute for Justice has reported that sorority membership is one of the most common factors that increase sexual assault risk. Similarly, a 2014 study at the University of Oregon found that sorority sisters there are twice to three times more likely than non-Greek women to have been raped or victims of nonconsensual sexual contact. About 40 percent of sorority sisters surveyed reported that they had been subjected to rape or attempted rape and 48 percent reported that they experienced nonconsensual sexual contact.
Reilly had no idea that when she would walk into a fraternity party that fateful night that she would wake up the next day in an unfamiliar bed, naked, with no recollection of how she got there. The day after Jackie was raped, she was on her way to meet a friend for a casual lunch at Chipotle when she ran into her sorority sister Caroline Heres. Heres joked about the dark spots covering Reilly’s neck, but the conversation turned dark when she realized that the bruises on Reilly’s neck weren't just hickies. A victim of an abusive relationship herself, Heres encouraged Reilly to speak out about her experience and go to the police to get the justice she deserved.
Most studies of sexual assault on campus that examine Greek life look at fraternities, arguing that features of fraternities create norms of sexual behavior and gender relations that make fraternity brothers more likely to commit rape or sexual asault. According to a 2007 study at the College of William and Mary, fraternity men are three times more likely to commit sexual assault than other college men, putting them in a rather negative light.
While these statistics are irrefutable, the over-sexualized nature of Greek life, and the many problems that go with it, can only be upheld by both sides of the system. In a community where sex, alcohol, and partying are the norm, if one party refuses to participate, it could incite the other side to change. “The way sororities come into play is because they support and rely on one another within the Greek system,” says Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment (SASSE) President Claire Keaney.
Others blame higher rates of sexual assault in the Greek community to the drinking culture that can be associated with much of Greek life. According to a 2009 study by Jacqueline Minow and Christopher Einolf, sorority members were much more likely to drink six or more alcoholic beverages per week than those not associated with Greek life – 55 percent of sorority members as compared to 20 percent of nonmembers. Alcohol serves as a common tool of sexual predators due to its effects on the victim, and it often reduces the perceived responsibility of violation on behalf of a perpetrator who was intoxicated at the time of the incident. A national survey found that alcohol use by men played a significant part in 53 percent of all sexual coercions and 73 percent of all acts that met the legal definition of rape.
So while alcohol definitely plays a role in sexual assault and rapes, it is not completely specific to Greek life. Minow & Einolf’s study found that when alcohol consumption and attendance at Greek parties involving alcohol was controlled so that it was the same between members and non-members of sororities, sorority membership still had a stronger association with sexual assault. Meaning that outside of alcohol consumption, being a member of a sorority was a factor that increased their likelihood of being sexually assaulted. This implies that there is some other aspect of sorority membership that puts them at a higher risk for sexual assault.
One of these possibilities is socialization for greater sexual activity that occurs within Greek life. A 1994 study by Lottes & Kuriloff found that sorority members were subject to peer socialization toward more openness to sexual activity, which might include risky sexual activity. According to Minow & Einolf’s study 75.1 percent of Greeks were sexually active as compared to 64.8 percent of Non-Greeks. With reputations at stake, sorority members will be more likely to perform sexual acts that they would not usually do to preserve the name of their sorority.
Sorority members have cited many instances where they were talking to a fraternity man, started to hook up with him, and then were expected to accept the invitation to have sex with them. Junior Melissa Viola recounts a time only a week ago when she had been just sitting next to a boy on a couch, talking about the paddles and other historical artifacts related to the fraternity that were in that room. Out of nowhere he unzipped his pants, exposed his penis, and merely nodded toward it, signaling he was expecting oral sex. “I was quite taken aback that he just whipped out his dick and expected me to give him a BJ,” says Viola. “Just because I’m in a sorority, it doesn't mean I want to have sex with you.”
At date parties, sorority members frequently set up their sisters with their friends in fraternities. Often times there is a stigma that goes along with date nights: if you invite someone to go to the date night it is an invitation to hook up with them or have sex later on in the evening. “Every single time after formal or a date night, you constantly get bombarded with the question ‘Did you guys hook up last night?’” says junior Christina Gandy. “I even get that question after talking to a guy at a mixer.”
Another possibility for sorority member’s higher risk is socialization into traditional gender roles. Sorority women are expected to dress and act “sexy” to attract a man, and to use flirting techniques to smooth over any issues or avoid awkward moments in conversation. At the same time, they are expected to assess risk and protect themselves should the situation arise. In many situations, sorority sisters are expected to run errands for fraternity brothers and do them favors, playing off the notion that women should be subservient to men.
This concept is the most evident during philanthropy events that fraternities hold. Sororities compete against one another during fraternity philanthropy events, with one sorority coming out on top as the winner. Winning certain events gains them a number of points, and the house with the most points wins. Some sororities go into these philanthropy events with the mindset that they have to win. If the fraternity is considered “top tier,” sororities often put extra-added effort into the events in order to try and win.
Status is especially important in the Greek system. So sororities feel that they must win philanthropy events, especially those with their favorite fraternities in order to maintain their status within the Greek community. Oftentimes fraternities give “bonus points” to the sororities whose members provide sexual favors for its members. These points go under the table and are added to their house’s score. “If you’re in a ‘top tier’ house you’re almost expected to do it because you have a status on campus and to maintain that status they think they have to win,” says Viola. Also sorority members often go out and buy favors for fraternity members to get “bonus points.” This often includes going and buying food or beer or making them coolers for their parties. These sorority women are giving in to the fraternity man’s every whim, providing him with food and favors that are not a requirement to participate in the philanthropy.
“During one of the most recent philanthropies a girl in our house had a boyfriend in the fraternity whose philanthropy it was,” says Viola. “She made this comment that we were going to get a lot of bonus points because she was going to fuck him every night.”
The third possibility for their risk is the lack of desire to recognize their risk and act out against it. In a 1996 psychology study on factors affecting women’s perception and resistance to sexual agression, they found that sorority members were aware of their higher risk of sexual assault, but tended to see this risk as applying to other women and not themselves. Most thought that they were perceptive enough to avoid men who might be rapists. “I know that the statistic for women in college who are sexually assaulted is high, but so far neither me nor any of my friends have experienced any harassment or attempted assault,” says sophomore Jessica Rickel. “I know it happens, but it hasn’t happened to us.”
These women realized a large amount of alcohol consumption could put them at higher risk, but thought that they were smart enough to fend off a rapist, even when under the influence. Sorority women also thought that they could talk their way out of a stressful situation with a potential rapist. When presented with a hypothetical situation in which physical struggle or screaming might be required, women said they would be embarrassed, afraid of angering the man, and would not want to draw the attention of others as reasons not to use these strategies.
These women realize that their actions reflect that of the whole sorority. If they were to scream or physically struggle against a man, it could bring a bad name or rep to their sorority – that fraternity’s opinion of the sorority would change and their relation could suffer as a result. “I would never want to do something to bring embarrassment to my sorority,” says junior Catherine Smith. “However I would do whatever it takes to keep me and my sisters safe.”
Their lack of desire to respond in “embarrassing ways” is due to what Jeanette Norris and colleagues call the “good-time” cognitive framework associated with fraternity parties. In the situation of a fraternity party or other social interaction, sorority women interpret male behaviors that might otherwise seem dangerous in a way congruent with the social situation, “as joking, as showing off, or even as section.” Since they are at the party to have a good time, they pass off suggestive jokes or gestures to preserve their fun. If serious situation arise, they try to deal with them themselves so that they don’t ruin anyone else’s time.
In order to combat sexual assault, the biggest part of the solution is education. To solve the problem, we first need to acknowledge it, learn about it, and then find viable solutions. Due to the recent blow up of media coverage, sexual assault became a topic of national conversation and colleges reevaluated their policies. College campuses have altered the process for reporting sexual assault, providing them with more resources to guide them through the process. “Sexual assault is a multifaceted problem with a multifaceted solution,” says SU Title IX Coordinator Cynthia Curtin. “Part of it is education and part of it is holding people accountable as well as deciding your own boundaries and enforcing these boundaries.”
Within the past two years, Emma Sulcowicz and her mattress, Jackie and her discredited Rolling Stone story, and an anonymous Harvard op-ed letter brought sexual assault to the media’s attention; dozens of schools have had victims-turned-activists file complaints on their university’s handling of their cases and started campus-wide movements in an attempt to spark change; and the White House published its first-ever report on campus assault, identified its list of colleges under investigation – the number of which is over 100, and released a celebrity-filled PSA campaign, “1 is 2 Many.”
“Sexual assault is a topic in which not everyone knows the language,” says Emily Schell, a junior at Brown University and the founder of the sexual assault prevention group Stand Up! “The media has allowed sexual assault to enter the conversation and become more normal to talk about.”
As a result, students will be more likely to understand the crime, recognize their rights and know the process for reporting. And they're less likely to feel ashamed. “What’s happening is more universities are providing better education and more resources,” says Janet Epstein, Case Manager in the SU office of Student Asistance. “Because of this, more people are coming forward and then we can work with them to solve the problem.”
Several campuses across the U.S., including the University of Loyola-Chicago and the University of Texas-Brownsville, are developing their own apps that send alerts directly to campus security and provide resources for those who have been assaulted. While these apps won’t actually stop the act of sexual assault from happening, they are promising prevention and reporting tools. “Not everyone is going to be able to reach their phones in these situations,” says SU Department of Public Safety Detective James Hill. “But if people actually use the apps in these bad situations, they can alert us right then and there and we can respond quickly.”
DPS Detective Cleveland McCurty Jr. says the real solution is us, all of us. “There are going to be people who don’t use any of these apps. More or less we need to help each other out.,” he says. “Whether it’s an app or a phone call or someone coming and talking to an officer, it just needs to be reported.”
Following a national initiative, Syracuse started it’s own “It’s On Us” campaign to increase bystander intervention and increase the knowledge that as bystanders we have a responsibility to help those around us in need. The “It’s On Us” campaign is about intervening in situations where consent has not been given or cannot be given. It’s about identifying situations in which sexual assault has the potential to occur and recognizing that nonconsensual sex in any form is rape. “If people see a situation, they need to do something about it,” says Hill. “We’re encouraging people to do that.”
Oftentimes this can be quite difficult because the friend who is taking care of the other friends who get too drunk is also under the influence of alcohol. “People will go and get drunk and then make everyone else responsible for taking care of them,” says McCurty. “How effective can that system be if both the person and their friends are drunk?” While the person is being responsible by responding to the situation, their judgment and actions are still impaired by the effects of alcohol.
Smith knows the situation of having to step in and save her friends all too well. She remembers one time in particular where she physically had to drag her friend away from a fraternity brother because he would not let go. “I could tell that my friend really wasn’t interested in this guy and she was trying to get away, but he wouldn’t let her,” says Smith. “I tried to pull her away and she was literally stuck in a tug-of-war between us two.”
Smith’s story is one that proves that sorority membership may provide some protection against sexual assault, as sorority women’s friends may look out for their sisters at social events. “There have been so many times where I have pulled my friends away from guys because the guys want to hook up with them, but they’re clearly too intoxicated to make their own decisions,” she says.
Sorority women also have social outlets separate from parties where alcohol is served, i.e. sisterhood events, which are women-only. “Sisterhood events allow you to really get to know your sisters,” says Rickel. “There isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for my sisters, they’re basically my second family.” These outlets allow sisters to empower one another and learn what causes are truly important.
After hearing about Reilly’s rape, Heres joined her, along with another sorority sister Julie Gelb, who had been raped twice, to create the Girl Code Movement. The Girl Code Movement originally started as a Greek initiative, but now targets all women on college campuses, since they are the demographic at the most risk for sexual assault. Girl Code works to educate women on the issue of sexual assault, and insists they take precautions to stop sexual violence on college campuses. Within the past few years, other similar movements across various college campuses have sprouted across the U.S.
Too much of sorority life revolves around the girls’ status among the fraternities. On many campuses, Greek systems follow longtime traditions of sororities pairing with fraternities for Homecoming, Greek Week, and other activities. And some sororities expect their chapters to socialize with only certain fraternities and even to dress a certain way when going out with brothers. “You get judged so harshly based on what house you’re in,” says Smith. “I know plenty of girls that won’t talk to guys in ‘bottom’ houses because they think it will make their house look less cool to other houses.”
The solution is to change the nature of sororities so that they are about women - their members – and so they don’t just send out their sisters into the houses of fraternity men to fend for themselves. While it may take years for this to happen, it’s something that needs to happen. Because one more sexual assault is too many.
