To the editor:
In Carly Berndt's Feb. 26 column for The Miami Student, she decries the "double standard" by which fraternities are suspended for alcohol consumption and suggests that these standards are unfair to young men. Yet her argument completely overlooks the gendered and organizational processes in place that, in fact, give young men in fraternities the most social capital and power at college campuses.
At universities across the country, it is the enforcement of explicitly gender-neutral policies - such as the policing of alcohol in residence halls - that have very gendered consequences. It is these policies that encourage first-year students, who are by and large underage, to turn to fraternities to party. Even more significant is the fact that, at Miami, fraternities have houses while sororities do not. This gives young men in fraternities the power to control and engineer the party resources on campus. It should come as no surprise, then, that studies have consistently shown higher rates of hazing, binge drinking and sexual assault in the Greek community, with fraternity members most likely to be the perpetrators. Alcohol is often blamed for sexual assault, hazing, academic failures and even student deaths, but the high-stakes status competition that fuels drinking and leads to other troubling behaviors is less well understood and frequently under-emphasized.
As Hamilton and Armstrong in their seminal article on 'party rape' put it, "the enforcement of alcohol policy by both university and Greek organizations transforms alcohol from a mere beverage into an unequally distributed social resource."
To illustrate this point, a friend of mine from another university recently went public with her story of sexual assault, which began with her drinking as a first-year student at a fraternity. Her friend, a fraternity member, convinced her to crash at the house so she would not be cited for an alcohol violation - which she might have been if she went back to her dorm for the night. She agreed, and woke up with him assaulting her.
Since it is this heavy policing of college dorms and light policing of fraternities that ultimately increases the power of those who can secure and host parties, holding fraternities accountable when they abuse that power is crucial to keeping students safe on campus. Taking on male entitlement that allocates young men on campus the control of party resources by more consistently regulating fraternities will help equalize access to alcohol and, ultimately, different social and living spaces.
We are clearly in the midst of a massive cultural shift around Greek life and related issues such as hazing, sexual assault and binge drinking. The only way for cultural shifts to come to fruition is for strict lines to be drawn. As an alum, I am proud that Miami is taking a zero-tolerance stance toward fraternity bad behavior, and I hope they will continue to do so. Some students may not be happy now, but making these changes will ensure that current and future students can reap the benefits of a safe, respectful and supportive community where they can have fun.
Nadia Dawisha
dawishnk@gmail.com