| Fraternities and Gang Rape Most of campus gang rapes are committed
by fraternity members. In fact, more
gang rapes occur within the property
lines of a college fraternity than
any other specified place in the United States (Frank, 1994).
For fraternity members, this is simply
a form of bonding and acceptance,
and most of the members interviewed
saw nothing wrong with it.
That is, they did not consider the "little sister's program",
the gang rape of first year
sorority members, a crime but believed
it to be perfectly normal and routine (Sanday, 1990).
When tested, fraternity men
were much more likely to report
than non fraternity members that women enjoy
physical roughness, secretly desire to
be raped, and enjoy being
forced into sex (Boeringer, 1999).
Difficulty of Conviction in Fraternity Gang Rapes
Fraternity group rapes are almost exactly
like lower class, slum gang rapes
except for the way in which
they are punished (Sanday, 1990).
The fraternity brother's ideal that there
is nothing wrong with the act obviously
carries over to the universities. That is the
major difference between fraternity rapes
and slum gang rapes: rather than being reported
to the police, they are usually reported
to the university where the
greatest punishment feared is suspension
from the frat or the school, instead of being
thrown in jail like most convicted rapists.
[Emphasis added] According to Sanday (1990),
several universities relieve
themselves of the responsibility by
claiming that they have no control over fraternities
since they are private organizations.
This gang rape among fraternities is continuing
and even increasing because it is
almost impossible to convict
or arrest a fraternity member for rape (Frank, 1994).
1%-2% of all women on college campuses are raped by two or more offenders;
16% of all completed rapes and
10% of attempted rapes are committed by multiple offenders;
gang rape is most often committed by fraternity men or athletes.
86% of sexual assaults involving college students took place off-campus,
often in a fraternity house or apartment.
(Source: National Statistics The Rape Victim Koss and Harvey, 1991 survey of 7000 college students)
Close-Knit Male Peer Groups and Gang Rape: Koss and Dinero found a relationship
between the degree of sexual assault
and the perpetrator's use of violent
and degrading pornography or
involvement in peer groups that reinforced
views of women as highly sexualized objects.
Fraternities have often been used as an
example of a highly intensive male peer
environment that reinforces such
rape-supportive attitudes and behaviors.
Martin and Hummer advanced this
hypothesis in an article on fraternities and
campus rape, noting the likelihood of sexual
abuse in an environment that promotes
narrow, stereo- typical conceptions of
masculinity, encourages use of alcohol to
overcome women's sexual reluctance,
and emphasizes violence, force, and
competition in relationships. Most gang rapes that occur in college
environments are perpetrated by male
members of such groups. In one review of
alleged gang rapes by college students
since 1980, 22 out of 24
documented cases were perpetrated
by members of fraternities or
intercollegiate athletic teams. Membership
in such groups may "protect
a perpetrator from doubts about
the propriety of his behavior," especially
when such groups are associated with
high status and special privileges on
campus. Participation in or observation of
group sexual assaults may also serve to
increase group cohesiveness and resolve
doubts about heterosexuality
created by close, intimate relationships
with other men. (Excerpt from: Berkowitz, Alan, PhD,
"College Men as Perpetrators of Acquaintance
Rape and Sexual Assault: A Review of Recent
Research", College Health,
Vol 40, January 1992.)
|
From The Department of Justice's Statistic Office: During the 1980s and 1990s, a series of rapes
in fraternity houses, and
subsequent cover-ups by fraternity
members, suggested to researchers that
certain all-male living arrangements foster
unhealthy environments conducive
to rape. A male fraternity member was
named as the aggressor in
93% of all university-related
reported rapes between
1984-1993 (Washington Post, 1993).
In terms of geographic locality,
more alleged rapes
happen within the existing
property lines of fraternity/sorority housing
than any other area in the U.S.
(this excludes prisons and military areas).
As well, a 1990 national
survey of over 12,000 students
by the Campus Violence Prevention Center
at Townson State University,
found that almost half (50%) of
acquaintance rapes
were committed by athletes
and fraternity members
(U.S. News & World Report, 10/7/91).
From Various Other Sources:
[In a] mid-1980's case at
Duke University, campus officials
moved against the
Beta Phi Zeta fraternity,
when it was discovered
that senior members
assigned a pledge
the task of
"finding a drunk woman
for a gang-bang".
(Sanday, 1996)
"Fraternity men have been linked to rape
perpetration consistently more than other
students. The reasons suggested by
researches for this link include, among
others, this group’s excessive use of
alcohol and their approval of violence and
physical force"
(Miller, Trivedi, Fenske, 1996).
From 1983 to 1992, 119 fraternity gang rapes
have been reported, thought the number is
probably higher. These attackers are
empowered by fraternity brothers, who
pressure one another in an act of
"brotherhood."
(Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, 1992)
1% - 2% of all women on college campuses
are raped by two or more
offenders. 16% of completed rapes and
10% of attempted rapes are committed by
multiple offenders. Gang rape is most
often committed by fraternity men
and athletes.
(O'Sullivan, Chris S. "Acquaintance Gang Rape on Campus."
Acquaintance Rape: The Hidden Crime,
edited by Andrea Parrot, 1991)
When surveyed, fraternity men were much more
likely than non-fraternity members to
report that they believed that women
enjoy physical roughness, secretly desire
to be raped, and enjoy being forced into sex.
(Boeringer, S.B. Associations of Rape-
Supportive Attitudes with Fraternal and Athletic Participation.
Violence Against Women, 1999.)
Gang rapes on campus are most often
perpetrated by men who participate in
intensive male peer groups (such as
fraternities or athletic teams) that foster
rape supportive behaviors and attitudes.
(Sexual Assault and Alcohol and
Other Drug Use. The Higher Education
Center for Alcohol and other Drug
Prevention. U.S. Department of Education.
June, 1998.)
From a sample of sorority [members], 24% had
experienced an attempted rape, 17%
were victims of a completed rape. Almost
half of these rapes and attempted rapes
were perpetrated in a fraternity house.
(Copenhaver, Grauerholz, Sex role,
vol. 24, nos. 1,2, 1991.)
"Many common practices of fraternity men after
pledging can promote sexual aggression.
These include videotaping, photographing,
or merely observing through
peepholes or windows a brother having sex
with a woman. Most fraternity houses
have collections of pornographic
magazines and videos. Sexual contests
are common among fraternity men.
At the most benign, the contest may
simply be 'notch' contests over who
has sex with the greatest number
of women. A step up in victimizing and
objectifying women, as well as alienating
men from their own sexuality, are
'pig contests,' also called 'hog contests,'
in which a man wins by having sex
with the woman the group
considers most unattractive."
[Excerpt from: O'Sullivan, in
Transforming a Rape Culture]
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