We’ve all heard the publicized stories of alleged sexual assault on college campuses, whether it’s Jameis Winston, the Duke lacrosse scandal, or the recently convicted Vanderbilt football players. There are also thousands upon thousands of other instances that receive less attention, and some that are never reported to begin with. An entity that is gaining a lot of attention, in particular, is Greek life on campus, where many alleged assaults take place.As bad as these acts are, it needs to be understood that a common component in all these cases is the use or abuse of alcohol (which is the foundation of a fraternity party) to commit such heinous acts, and the University of Virginia took a big step in the right direction with a preventative measure, not a reactive one.
A little background, a story came out a couple months back about an alleged rape in a frat house at the University of Virginia. Despite the fact that many of the reported facts have been disputed since, the case is still under investigation. However, that did not stop the University from making some major changes to how fraternities will conduct themselves moving forward, particularly at fraternity functions, or anything that involves at least half the members, guests, and runs past 9:00 p.m. When these criteria are met, the following must be enforced: three “sober and lucid” fraternity members must be in attendance to serve drinks, prevent people used from using the stairs, and they must have the keys to enter any room at any time. In addition, any pre-mixed drinks, punches, or kegs are strictly prohibited. Licensed bartenders are required to handle liquor at the larger fraternity events (sober individuals at smaller events), and security guards are required to be hired by the fraternity to enforce guest lists and to bounce unruly patrons.
These rules may seem excessive, but the facts support the changes. Every year in the United States, there are approximately 97,000 alcohol-related sexual assaults of individuals ages 18-24, which is college-age. That doesn’t even include the 690,000 yearly assaults committed by students in that age group while under the influence of alcohol. On top of that is the issue and consistency of excessive drinking in college and in the Greek community. According to a Harvard study, 4 out of 5 sorority and fraternity members regularly engage in binge drinking, compared to just 2 out of 5 of all college students. These numbers are higher than any other age group because of the availability of alcohol, the social pressure, and the lack of responsibility.
An obvious connection this story shares to our class is the abuse of alcohol and how an entity is looking to limit its availability in an effort to cut down on the ability to use it as a “weapon”, of sorts. The correlation between the sexual assaults and alcohol made it clear that, whether by using the “date rape” drug in the drinks or just through excessive drinking, alcohol was a key component in most cases of sexual assault on college campuses, and fraternities were one of the top places for the crime to occur. It’s not Prohibition, by any means, but it’s a move in the right direction by limiting the chances for drinks to be spiked or for individuals to be forced upstairs.
Even though the University of Virginia sexual assault allegation isn’t appearing to hold much water, I think the University is taking a big step in making campuses, particularly fraternity houses, much safer. I would also expect many other college campuses to follow in their footsteps very soon by issuing similar changes.
Stroud, M. (2015, January 21). Post-Scandal, UVA Frat Parties Rage On. Retrieved January 25, 2015, from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2015-01-21/post-scandal-uva-frat-parties-rage-on#p2
Binge Drinking in College - The Impact of Alcohol in Higher Education. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2015, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/college/binge-drinking/
Drinking and Drug Abuse in Greek Life - Substance Abuse in Fraternities and Sororities. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2015, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/college/drinking-drug-abuse-greek-life/
I was unaware of how high the alcohol-related sexual assault rate was. With that in mind I of course think its great for any college to maintain a safe and protected environment for their students.
ReplyDeleteLast semester I did a research study involving the amount of binge-drinking and alcohol related accidents and assaults on college campus. It's definitely a significant number, as you described. I think it's great that the University of Virginia is reacting in a preventative way, like you said. At the end of the day, the primary concern on any college campus is to ensure the safety of students and I'm confident that this is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think it was really interesting to see such huge action taken by this university on an issue that seems to be such a reoccurring problem. Not only have I heard personal stories about incidents at frat parties, it is, as you mentioned, a very popular topic in the media and it seemed like college campuses could have been doing more to stop any type of alcohol or non-alcohol related sexual assaults from occurring in these environments. Hopefully other college campuses will follow the University of Virginia's example with this more preventative approach.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article post. I always knew that alcohol was a huge problem on college campus especially in fraternities but I never thought about all the other outcomes that came with it such as assaults. Your article talks about the steps that the University of Virginia is taking in regards to reducing the number of sexual assaults on campus. I think that having a specialized bar tender pouring drinks is a fine idea, along with needing a key to go into private rooms and security guards. Although all of these steps are great I personally do not believe that this is the best solution to stop sexual assaults from occurring. This is off course because the root of the problem (alcohol) is still there. I think that fraternities can limit the number of drinks giving per person, to amount that permits driving. Sounds too drastic right! But it is the only solution that can control drunk individuals and it would in fact lessen all other circumstances associated with alcohol. None-the-less this is a good first step in a positive direction.
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad that a university is enacting preventative action for sexual assault. Alcohol is no excuse to do anything to anyone (there's NEVER an excuse for sexual assault), and I am glad that these measures are being put into place. It's unfortunate to reduce the fun of the fraternity by regulating drinking, but in the end of the day, regardless of whether or not the allegations were true, the parties will be much safer for everyone involved. Yes, some people will see the regulations as too much, but at the end of the day Greek life is part of the university, which should be dedicated to keeping its students safe. The facts all point to the idea that alcohol is quite often related to sexual assault. These regulations have the safety of students in mind, and people they don't like them they can always go somewhere unaffiliated with their campus to party how they want.
ReplyDelete~Christina Smith
I found this to be a great topic and article when it comes to relating to this class. With alcohol at the forefront of the college culture, it is good to see that the University of Virginia is taking steps to make things a little safer. I knew sexual assaults happen on campuses nationwide but I wasn’t aware of how bad the problem had become. I was also somewhat familiar with alcohol related statistics prior to reading the article, however, I wasn’t exactly up to date. Hopefully other universities will follow suit and take steps to making the college environment a little safer. This is something that we can all learn from.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post about the fraternities change how things are done in Virginia. I agree with the things that were put in place to stop the risk of rape in the fraternities. Unfortunately rape happens all the time in college towns and a lot of places don't do anything to change it. What the University of Virginia did was the right thing to do. I think this change should happen at every fraternity across the country whether or not there has been a rape allegation against it.
ReplyDelete-James Morgan
I think it's really interesting to see a real life example at an actual university and I'm glad to hear the Virginia is taking steps to improve. It's sad that things like that actually do happen and that drugs can play a hefty role in terrible decisions.
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