Comment & Debate
Caitlin Flanagan calls for the end of fraternities.” CHLOE. “Caitlin Flanagan calls for the end of fraternities.” Fleministing. April 26th, 2011: “‘Yes, date rape happens at frat houses. It also happens at marching band parties, and at crew training camp, and in ROTC barracks and at chess club away meets. This is not to minimize what happens in frat houses or to tell women who have suffered sexual violence there that their experiences don’t matter. It is simply to say that sexual assault happens all over college campuses. And that’s what we need to change.”
Georgianna Martin. “Ethics 101 for New Members.” New York Times Room for Debate. May 6th, 2011: “There was no excuse for the lewd, disrespectful and offensive behavior exhibited by members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity at Yale, nor is there an excuse for any aggressive, violent or harassing behavior perpetrated by a fraternity member or any individual toward another. However, to presume that non-fraternity members are immune from such behavior is misleading. In the recent article in The Wall Street Journal, the writer Caitlin Flanagan posed and answered a question, ‘Can the mere presence of slur-chanting fraternity men really create an environment that robs young women of equal opportunity to education? Yes, it can.’ I agree with her. But football players, all-male floors in a college residence hall, and male fans or spectators at any college recreational event can and do exhibit the same behavior. Focusing on the removal of fraternities from university campuses fails to address the root of the issue — that sexism persists and is part of the fabric of university campus cultures.”