California recently passed a bill known as the “yes means yes” law, which requires positive affirmation of intent for sexual activities on college campuses. The new law states that silence or a lack of resistance does not constitute confirmation and any sexual activity taking place without consent would therefore be punishable as sexual assault. Furthermore consent can be revoked at any time and the previous affirmation would then be void. Proponents of this law applaud the California Legislature for taking the first step to end victim blaming. Instead of asking the victim if, how and when they said no, the investigation will shift its focus to the accused. This new law serves as a positive example to the rest of the country that it is time to take action against the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses. But while progress is happening in California, there is troubling news closer to home.
The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity on the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee campus received national attention after a Sept. 12 party where members were accused of color-coding female guests with a red or black “X” on their hands and slipping date rape drugs into their drinks. Three females and one male were sent to the hospital following the party. All three females had a red “X” on their hand while the male’s “X” was black. The male later told police that he had been drinking from a female friend’s cup who bore a red “X.” The fraternity’s chapter and affiliation with UWM is currently suspended while it undergoes investigation.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, when officers asked one of the three women hospitalized after the party if this specific event was unusual for the fraternity, she responded: “No this is how it usually is. Girls always get wasted there.”
That type of relaxed attitude about the inner-workings of the fraternity is something that unfortunately permeates many college campuses that have Greek life. Sexual assault is not a problem reserved for greek communities alone, however.
UW-Madison has had three reported sexual assaults in residence halls within the past two weeks. We saw as alarming and surprising, yet for some reason the cloud of “frat culture” keeps similar reactions in check when particularly sinister news like that from Milwaukee breaks.
We fully acknowledge that the negative idea of “frat culture” does not apply to all fraternities. In most cases, the bad steals the spotlight from the good. Fraternities hold many positive events and allow young men on campus to connect with a tight-knit group of mutually supportive people throughout their college years and beyond. But perhaps this tight-knit group aspect is what also led to unfortunate events at UWM.
Groupthink can lead to actions supported by few, but stopped by no one. We hope not all of the fraternity members who attended the investigated party were in on the crime. But it is difficult to stand up for something, especially if you go against someone like your fraternity brother in the process.
We can imagine the situation, and no one really knows how they will react until it is right there in front of them. But we need to seriously consider how clear a decision it is to sacrifice something like the honor of a fraternity for the safety of women.
There also needs to be strict principles set for fraternities. When an individual is caught and found guilty of sexual assault or intent to commit sexual assault, they face the penalties associated with their crime. When a fraternity does the same thing, we hope they are held to an even higher standard because of the image it holds on campus. Individual or group, there should never be second chances when it comes to a serious issue like sexual assault.
What is your view on campus sexual assaults? Is there a better method to fixing the sexual assault problem? Are you a member of the greek community? We want to hear from you. Please send your feedback to Opinion@dailycardinal.com.
