There is an inequality between the sexes on DePauw’s campus, especially when it comes to the social arrangement of Greek life. The social landscape of DePauw is unfair because men are predominantly in control of the drinking atmosphere.
Men decide how much alcohol to serve, what potency they may serve, who can come into the party and where guests can go within the fraternity houses. Yes, women are in control of how much they drink, but the atmosphere of the house is largely out of their control.
Let’s think about the structure of a typical Friday night at a fraternity party. Men have the convenience of drinking in their own home; they also have the privilege of being surrounded by fraternity brothers who could easily turn a blind eye to inappropriate behavior. Men have strength in numbers, and a pervasive group mentality in combination with alcohol and other drugs can nudge a person quickly into a bad decision. Further, they are serving liquid that makes people forget what they did and gives extra courage to people who don’t always have the best intentions. Fraternities are a place where drinking free alcohol comes with unspoken expectations for later in the night as well.
The advantages men have when throwing a party in their home leads to bad circumstances for their guests. Girls feeling uncomfortable and receiving inappropriate touches and advances is a direct product of the men being in sole control of the party setting.
I am not blaming the victims. I am not saying they willingly put themselves in danger. I am, however, blaming the system. The system perpetuates unsafe situations where women have limited control over the drinking setting.
The entire University, and Greek system, would benefit from both genders having the equal opportunities to control their own party locations. If women are given the home-field advantage that men typically enjoy, then sorority women can enjoy a safer social environment. Most importantly, women will control what and who is being served.
When the party is in the women’s home, the men will be less likely to make risky advances. Men can be thrown out for inappropriate behavior in a sorority house. This improvement will mitigate high-risk scenarios associated with drinking in general.
Women will also have strength in numbers. In the current system, women are divided amongst several fraternities. Instead, women can stay together and enjoy higher women to men ratios. This creates a safer, and likely more enjoyable, situation for sorority women.
Sororities should be given more control over how they drink because it is only fair. Greek women should be able to create their own social environments instead of having to adapt to fraternity houses. Women will be given the responsibility of throwing a safe and fun party, and there are plenty of benefits for women having more control over their social lives.
We obviously have safety problems when fraternities are in sole control of alcohol. We should limit the opportunities for undesirable events. We ought to improve the system that we live in, and we need to strive for equality.
-Tooch is a political science and classical studies major from La Grange Park, Illinois.