Jain ’30: Banning Greek life won’t eliminate sexual assault at Brown

Last week, Cornell announced that it would ban all parties and social events in fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year. This decision comes as a result of a national conversation about the role that Greek life should take on college campuses in the wake of the Title IX sexual assault investigation at Cornell. Notably, the New York Times recently published an op-ed arguing that Greek life is fundamentally flawed and called for its abolition across U.S. universities. As Brown looks inward to our own practices surrounding sexual violence, we must recognize that Greek life at Brown is dissimilar to Greek life at peer institutions, and thus we cannot subscribe to this national antidote for minimizing sexual assault on college campuses. Rather, the University should formulate a tailored sexual assault reduction plan for Brown’s culture and needs. 

The case for the abolition of Greek life as a fix to pervasive issues with sexual assault on college campuses hast merit. Research shows that fraternity members are three times more likely to commit sexual assault as other male students, and that sorority-affiliated women are 74% more likely to be assaulted. Much of this risk stems from fraternity party culture. Previous studies have suggested that women who attend fraternity parties often — settings where heavy drinking and drug-use are prevalent — are more likely to experience incapacitated sexual assault. 

Greek life is unique at Brown primarily due to its limited scope and on-campus status. As of 2022, only 9% of the undergraduate student body is reported to be involved with a Greek organization, and all recognized organizations are mixed with non-affiliated students in dormitories on Wriston Quad and Patriot’s Court. This means that Brown’s Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management is able to easily and quickly patrol and respond at the on-campus locations, and students not affiliated with Greek organizations are just a floor away. These residence halls also have community coordinators that provide an additional level of peer oversight and are liable to university policies. This integration helps ensure a level of safety which organizations that only house members of a specific Greek organization do not benefit from. 

This is dissimilar to the role Greek life plays at many of Brown’s peer institutions. At Dartmouth, roughly 60% of eligible students belong to a Greek organization. At Cornell, a third of students are involved in Greek life. At Penn, a quarter of students are part of Greek organizations, and the Daily Pennysylvanian described frat culture as having a “stranglehold” on social life and campus culture. When Greek Life is prevalent on campus, the case for abolition seems like an obvious solution to reduce instances of sexual assault. But at Brown, the abolition of Greek life would only eliminate one potentially high-risk environment, without addressing the risks of sexual assault at other, much more prevelant social outlets that exist on College Hill.

At Brown, additionally, roughly 60% of Greek organizations are sororities or are gender-inclusive. In contrast, at Cornell, roughly 30 of 50 recognized chapters are all-male fraternities. Studies link sexual assault beyond fraternities to all-male groups that control a party’s space and alcohol and enforce rigid masculine norms — features that make up less than half of Brown’s recognized Greek life. 

Despite the limited scope and immense oversight of Greek life at Brown, sexual assault remains a persistent problem. A 2019 campus climate survey found that one in four undergraduate women at Brown reported non-consensual sexual contact, and only 29.1% of students said they were very or extremely knowledgeable about how Brown defines sexual assault and misconduct. It is clear the issue is not Greek Life — rather, it is much larger. This demonstrates the need for a specially tailored University plan focused on reducing sexual assault on campus. 

By implementing recurring, peer-led sessions on consent throughout the year, Brown could reinforce orientation training and close the gap between knowledge and practice. Consent training is required every year at universities such at Dartmouth, and every two years at UVA. As the editorial page board argued, the University should implement a new, transparent sexual assault reporting and more comprehensive data collection system. This system would help Univeristy leaders understand what risk factors lead to sexual assault at Brown specifically, and how to mitigate those risks.

Brown’s record of sexual assault points out the prevelance of sexual assault in certain kinds of relationship, rather than in specific types of organizations. In 2020, survivors shared more than a hundred stories on the Voices of Brown Instagram page, most alleged assaults took place by partners, friends, or friends of friends. This exacerbates silence as victims know they will keep seeing their abuser in class and on campus, and in 2015, nearly half of Brown women who didn’t report believed nothing would be done about it. These dynamics thrive in any tight-knit social circle where loyalty overshadows accountability — whether this be a club, a team, or a friend group. 

Additionally, Brown already has prevention programs through BWell Health Promotion, wherein students can train as peer educators in two programs — Sexual Assault Prevention Education, which leads workshops on consent, bystander intervention and supporting victims of sexual abuse — and the Sexual Health Awareness Group, which runs sexual health workshops and answers students’ questions through a confidential texting service. Both are student-led, but their scope is limited. SAPE’s workshops are delivered primarily to students who request them, and SHAG’s workshops focus mainly on safer sex. Brown should build on both by requiring annual SAPE workshops in smaller groups, and expanding SHAG’s work to further emphasise consent. 

Such measures would make comprehensive strides towards a safer culture on campus. Creating a plan to measure the successes and implementation of these measures would benefit Brown more than targeting the tiny fraction of campus in fraternities.

Each student, organization and administrator holds a responsibility for making Brown a safe and respectful place to live and learn. Disbanding student organizations is not the fix. Rather, we must work together to foster an educated and secure environment. It is time Brown creates a more unified and comprehensive consent education program that all students, regardless of year, consistently undertake. At Brown, sexual assault is a cultural issue — rather than enacting a “band-aid” fix, we must seek a comprehensive solution that truly makes campus safer for all.