Serious: Greek Orginizations and False accusation of rape

[KSUViolet06]

I would think that if people are SERIOUSLY (as in going to the police and bringing charges) accusing a member of rape, they might want to seek legal counsel.

[Langox510x]

delete

[xxstardust]

If you're researching issues of rape amongst fraternity brothers, there's an anthropological study you might be interested in reading. It's called Fraternity Gang Rape, and it's by Peggy Sanday. Sanday is a professor at UPenn and the book deals with an actual case which happened in her campus in the late 80's/early 90's (It's been a year or two since I read the book myself, but I know it was written in 92, lol!).

She discusses the type of culture that an all-male atmosphere can create, especially in regards to how the treatment of women (and of each other!). It's a really interesting read.

Also, there is a follow-up article Sanday wrote quite a few years later that I can try to get from a professor for you that deals more with statistics and such, as well as her personal opinions.

My professor went to the AAA meetings a few years back and saw Sanday speak. She was asked by someone in the audience if she thought the Greek system should be done away with entirely and banned at colleges and universities. Based on some of her book, you'd think she say yes, but she said absolutely not. She's actually a strong SUPPORTER of Greek life, saying it does far more good then one or two bad apples could ever do within the system. She discusses how this can occur in ANY group/team set. It's also disturbingly common among athletes. At a campus near me, according to their official statistics, they haven't had a single accusation of a sexual crime in the Greek system; they get 1 or 2 a year with the athletic teams.

It's a negative stigma which is hard to overcome, but it is doable. It takes a lot of education both for the brothers, and for the general public - people truly don't realize the damage they can do with a false accusation.

[kddani]

This is also an opportunity to look at the reputation of your chapter as a whole. If you're thought of as the skeezy, sleazy guys who are always out to sleep with women (regardless of the truth of that reputation), this rumor could easily stem from that. Some good PR may be needed all around, and maybe it is something your chapter needs to focus on. If your chapter had a reputation as good guys that a girl would love to take home to mom, such a rumor wouldn't likely stick.

It seems that sororities spend more time cultivating their images, public relations and reputation than the guys do. But these things can be important to fraternties as well.

Overall, overcoming reputations and rumors takes time, but it can be certainly be done, especially when the chapter as a whole makes an effort to overcome it.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by kddani

This is also an opportunity to look at the reputation of your chapter as a whole. If you're thought of as the skeezy, sleazy guys who are always out to sleep with women (regardless of the truth of that reputation), this rumor could easily stem from that. Some good PR may be needed all around, and maybe it is something your chapter needs to focus on. If your chapter had a reputation as good guys that a girl would love to take home to mom, such a rumor wouldn't likely stick.

It seems that sororities spend more time cultivating their images, public relations and reputation than the guys do. But these things can be important to fraternties as well.

Overall, overcoming reputations and rumors takes time, but it can be certainly be done, especially when the chapter as a whole makes an effort to overcome it.

This is pretty much the moral equivalent to saying that a rape victim deserved what she got because she dressed provocatively.

(although, I will admit, cultivating a good reputation is generally a good thing).