a Sexual violence and drug allegations pile up Officials at the University of Southern California pushed all fraternity parties to close for the last time. Now the parties are back – but with new rules.
Security guards will be deployed on stairs and in public areas, risk and sexual violence prevention training will be mandatory for members and chapters will have to complete compliance reviews before and after all gatherings when they resume in March, as outlined details. is according to. an action plan This week.
The new policies, put together by a fraternity-led committee that included faculty, student government leaders and university officials, led more than a dozen students to confidentially inform the university that their drink had been intoxicated. Or they were sexually assaulted. Six reports were related to Sigma Nu Fraternity House, which promised full cooperation in a statement issued last fall with the investigation and suspended its chapter president,
Protests broke out in the weeks that followed as students and teachers demanded accountability, and school officials promised they would deliver.
But advocates are concerned that the new policies will do little to change the decades-long underlying toxic culture. Some say the safety solutions do more to placate parental perceptions than to solve the root problems.
“This university has a history of not defending its students when it comes to sexual harassment,” says Natalia Parraz, a USC senior and president of the student-led anti-feminism organization. USC flow is calledwho led the protest. She sees the plan as a “quick solution to a very systematic problem” and expresses disappointment that her group’s recommendations, including community-led discussions, were absent from the plan.
Paraz is concerned that the university has prioritized PR over prevention. USC has previously relied on hired security supervisors to address security concerns, And the fraternity is already required to have security guards during the events. Meanwhile, training about consent and sexual assault, though not mandatory, is already provided, and is “obviously not working”, she says.
Warnings about the risks of attending fraternity parties at USC have long been passed on through students. It became common knowledge to never leave a drink unattended, and party-goers often use a friend-system to make sure they get home safely.
USC. one third female graduates in According to a survey conducted by the Association of American Universities in 2019, they have been victims of sexual harassment. he is more than amazing already the national average of one in four girl students and 23% of transgender, genderqueer, or non-binary college students Those who have reportedly been sexually assaulted, according to data compiled by Ren, an anti-sexual violence organization.
But the university has resisted the closure of its fraternities, which form a large part of the school’s social landscape. Roughly 4,000 USC students are affiliated with Greek life and the organizations are also considered important for providing philanthropy, leadership, and postgraduate networking opportunities.
“The Greek community plays an important role in the sense of belonging of many of our students,” the Interfraternity Council Working Group wrote in a statement. Scheme Details, adding that “it is clear that the social environment within the IFC community requires greater attention to safety planning and risk prevention”. The IFC, which serves as the governing board of the fraternity in the university, did not respond to a request for comment. But in a statement issued earlier Group expressed disgust It is deeply sorry for the “violence that has occurred in our community” and for the “trauma and impact it has had on the victims and the entire University of Southern California community”.
The university has placed four IFC fraternities on interim suspension and a fifth is still under investigation, but others will be able to resume social activities next month if found to be in compliance with the new rules.
Laura Palumbo, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit National Sexual Violence Resource Center, says institutions must commit not only to policies but to changing culture.
“There is often a focus on risk management and safety concerns with the fraternity, and it is equally important to think about how to positively shape the environment to promote respect and healthy behavior,” she says. “Long-standing fraternities or campus cultures that normalize and reject sexual abuse cannot be changed overnight.”
USC claims to be in it for a long time.
“Recommendations made by the University’s IFC Culture, Prevention and Accountability Working Group are part of the preliminary” work plan,” a university spokesperson said in a statement to the Guardian, noting that a report will be issued at the end of the semester. “The group’s focus is now on improving culture, increasing accountability and addressing systemic challenges within IFC chapters. focused on exploring long-term strategies.”
Student advocate Parraz says he hopes their voices will be considered and included in the future. “We’re trying to advise on preventive measures and they’re not really listening,” she says. “The sad fact is that this conversation happens every two to four years on campus.”