Greeks and non-greeks deserve to know

Today, the Indiana Daily Student published a story regarding the work of Mark Houlemarde, a Ph.D. student whose work involves speaking to men on campus about preventing sexual assault.

The story brings attention to alarming statistic — 46 percent of rapes on campus last year were committed by members of a fraternity, according to the Office of Student Ethics.

There were at least 35  sexual assaults reported in 2012 that occurred on IU property. The problem is that any sexual assaults that don’t happen on IU property do not have to be publicly disclosed. This means we’re getting only a fraction of the entire picture.

And though not all of these crimes are exclusive to the greek system, we cannot ignore its part in this problem. Each year, the Student Organization Ethics Board provides a list of campus organizations on probation, suspended or expelled. Every organization on the current list is a fraternity. Yet on that list, an important piece of information is missing — the reason for the disciplinary action.

Leaving people unaware of what offenses certain fraternities have committed in order to find themselves on judicial watch not only does a disservice to our greek system, but also to our campus at large.

It’s important to note that when something as atrocious as a rape is committed, it is committed by individuals, not an organization. But we cannot ignore the existing culture in some chapters on our campus and the role it ultimately has on the actual perpetrating of sexual violence.

This is why the Editorial Board — composed of both greek and independent students — believes the Student Organization Ethics Board should make this knowledge public.

If a fraternity is on probation because its members were found responsible for a sexual assault, students should be able to access this information so they can make an informed decision whether to attend events where they are at risk of predators.

Perhaps the Ethics Board thinks by not releasing the cause of the disciplinary actions, they are protecting victims. But the organizations, which would have the most motivation to antagonize victims that get them into trouble, already know why they have been chastised. They know what and who got them in trouble, so further secrecy in the name of the victim is moot.

We aren’t asking for names or dates. We aren’t asking for descriptions. A simple box labeled “sexual assault” with a check beside it would serve our campus well.

Adding some public accountability would work as a preventative method. Fraternities and individuals don’t want to be labeled as sexual predators. So if the simple moral obligation doesn’t prevent attacks, perhaps the public shame and threat to their image will.

Many students are already aware of the different reputations different greek organizations have in regard to sexual assault and other illegal activities. But incoming freshmen, who some might argue are already the most vulnerable because of their unfamiliarity with the college lifestyle, aren’t in the loop. They are sometimes left to learn where not to go the hard way.

In order to prevent these situations, everyone should be aware of the infractions made by fraternities that are severe enough to result in probation.

The Editorial Board absolutely acknowledges not all fraternities, and certainly not all fraternity brothers, are guilty of sexual assault. But it would be naïve to think it isn’t a problem on this campus.

If the Student Organization Ethics Board were to be more transparent in regards to the specific infractions of fraternities on probation, the student body would be better able to know which chapters to avoid, instead of casting a wide net of suspicion over our entire greek system.

­opinion@idsnews.com
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