Shutter Fraternities for Young Women's Good

[AlphaFrog]

Shuttering (is this the new buzz word? I've seen it more in the last month than, well, ever) young women's vajayjays may be more effective. Obviously no one deserves to be victimized, but an ounce of prevention...

[Munchkin03]

Normally, I LOVE Caitlin Flanagan's essays. This, however, was completely wrong. At least she admits that it's her mistrust of the fraternities that led to her not taking full advantage of the college experience. Otherwise, it's all bull. Leaving a school because the fraternity houses freak you out? I'm pretty sure she transferred from Berkeley, and she must have lived at home because she sounds completely clueless.

Here's a controversial thought: I wonder if more assaults are reported at fraternity houses because the victims tend to be freshmen (they've recently gone through that whole sexual assault reporting training during orientation), or because the victims tend to be sorority women (who get that education throughout their college experience in the name of risk management). Either way, it speaks to the fact that students should be regularly reminded of what to do when they're victimized.

[katydidKD]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Normally, I LOVE Caitlin Flanagan's essays. This, however, was completely wrong. At least she admits that it's her mistrust of the fraternities that led to her not taking full advantage of the college experience. Otherwise, it's all bull. Leaving a school because the fraternity houses freak you out? I'm pretty sure she transferred from Berkeley, and she must have lived at home because she sounds completely clueless.

Here's a controversial thought: I wonder if more assaults are reported at fraternity houses because the victims tend to be freshmen (they've recently gone through that whole sexual assault reporting training during orientation), or because the victims tend to be sorority women (who get that education throughout their college experience in the name of risk management). Either way, it speaks to the fact that students should be regularly reminded of what to do when they're victimized.

I agree the article is crap, but saying women only report sexual assault because they can and were trained how to, and not because they were assaulted, is such a huge problem/false/contributes to rape culture I don't even know where to begin.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by katydidKD

I agree the article is crap, but saying women only report sexual assault because they can and were trained how to, and not because they were assaulted is such a huge problem/false/contributes to rape culture I don't even know where to begin.

Reading comprehension fail.

She's saying that victims who meet those criteria may be more likely to report the crime (if it happens to them) because they know they CAN and are more trusting that something will be DONE about it.

Meaning, women who are not regularly reminded on ways to report sexual assault are that much less likely to report it if it happens to them.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by katydidKD

I agree the article is crap, but saying women only report sexual assault because they can and were trained how to, and not because they were assaulted, is such a huge problem/false/contributes to rape culture I don't even know where to begin.

Reading is fundamental.

Munchkin03: contributing to campus rape culture since 2011.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Shuttering (is this the new buzz word? I've seen it more in the last month than, well, ever) young women's vajayjays may be more effective. Obviously no one deserves to be victimized, but an ounce of prevention...

Really?

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by agzg

Really?

Ummm....no. I was being satirical.

Point being that there really isn't a way to stop sexual assault on college campi, short of gender segregation, and even then there will still be cases of same-sex assault and those who break the segregation.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Ummm....no. I was being satirical.

Phew.

And yes, you're right that it's a pervasive problem not only on college campuses but in society as a whole.

[jflynn]

"The Greek system is dedicated to quelling young men's anxiety about submitting themselves to four years of sissy-pants book learning by providing them with a variety of he-man activities: drinking, drugging, ESPN watching and the sexual mistreatment of women."

...I don't even know where to start. This author has obviously had some terrible experiences, and apparently she feels the need to characterize a vast population with her misconstrued perceptions.

This article is deeply offensive to me. Sad that the WSJ would post such rubbish.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by jflynn

"The Greek system is dedicated to quelling young men's anxiety about submitting themselves to four years of sissy-pants book learning by providing them with a variety of he-man activities: drinking, drugging, ESPN watching and the sexual mistreatment of women."

...I don't even know where to start. This author has obviously had some terrible experiences, and apparently she feels the need to characterize a vast population with her misconstrued perceptions.

This article is deeply offensive to me. Sad that the WSJ would post such rubbish.

Agreed- I read this last night and was really surprised it was via WSJ. She is obviously talking about things she happens to hear from whomever- I mean, if she hears that she could get sexually assaulted if she went "upstairs", and then she withdraws from UVA the next day after just looking at the fraternity houses? I don't think that she has much of an argument, because she's telling tales of third parties and just spreading around the misconception that all men who are members of a fraternity are Rapists In Waiting.

[agzg]

As an aside, it irks me that colleges are trying to handle sexual assault themselves, rather than turning over such cases when they are reported to the police.

No violent crime should be handled "in house."

[HannahXO]

Originally Posted by agzg

As an aside, it irks me that colleges are trying to handle sexual assault themselves, rather than turning over such cases when they are reported to the police.

No violent crime should be handled "in house."

I could not agree with this more. I don't understand how not going to the police in such a case is even legal. How on earth is getting suspended for a semester or two an appropriate punishment for rape?!?! or even getting kicked out of school? Those cases need to go to a courtroom.

That said, I understand how painful it can be for a victim to have to relive her experiences through a trial. But still...would murder be dealt with through a campus judicial board?

Anddd back on topic with the thread, an assault happened recently on my campus that was committed by a non-greek student at a fraternity house. The brothers have definitely taken the fall out for it, and people now constantly refer to that house as unsafe because it the brothers are "rapists." Really, all they are guilty of is really poor risk management, and that issue has been addressed. The problem is that a GLO is so easy to blame under these circumstances.

[jflynn]

Wall Street Journal’s “Shutter Fraternities for Young Women’s Good” Offers Faulty Logic and Wrong Conclusion

Apparently Phi Delta Theta's General Council President got wind of the article and wrote the above rebuttal. I couldn't have said it better myself:

This is the story of a despicable rape and its aftermath – not a story about fraternities. A sound argument is a valid argument with true premises – this article provided neither. Please don’t use poor logic, and lack of facts, to paint all of us fraternity men with a broad brush due to the inexcusable actions of a few – it just isn’t right.

[PiKA2001]

This lady sounds like a nut.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

This lady sounds like a nut.

That's all that really needs to be said.