The idea is that you can enter a fraternity for free if you arrive early, bring booze, or are a woman.
Women do not have to pay because, of course, they are treated as the reward for paying; this fact has never exactly been subtle. Attending (and therefore supporting) such establishments makes you complicit in the viciously sexist culture they promote. The fleeting and myopic sense of euphoria surely is not enough to justify engaging in a culture that inspires hazing, drugging, and rape.
What enrages me about the Cornell incident is that such establishments are still allowed to exist after an incident of such severity. The allegations of rape involving seven “frat boys” have gone on for almost two years, and Cornell University has been shameless in its attempts to conceal the incident. The institution will revoke a student’s visa for participating in protests for Palestine but allow alleged rapists to roam free after an apology essay. The safety of women on post-secondary campuses has seldom been taken seriously in favour of men with “bright futures,” as society worships men in positions of power. The Ivy League is a stomping ground for such men.
Admittedly, I have been to frats. For socially active adults, attending these events feels like a rite of passage, and I must confess that as a man, I don’t feel any fear about going. I still remember my surprise when a friend pulled a canister of pepper spray from her purse, explaining that she carries it everywhere she goes. A lack of awareness among men regarding the realities women face daily is why we can be complicit in sexual assault without deliberate intention. The classic “boys will be boys” mantra has done irreparable damage to our collective conscience, but more so has the black-and-white definition of rape that society accepts. Many still believe that “rape” only applies when a man, mainly a stranger, forcibly pushes a woman down to have sex with her. I’ve even heard some defend sexual assault, stating that “if she got drunk, she’s having fun,” as well as the classic dismissal, “she regretted the sex after the fact and is crying about it.” We believe rapists have a certain “look,” and therefore people like the alleged Cornell rapists evade institutional purview.
In an era where diversity and inclusivity are mainstream values, it is somewhat of a miracle that frats still exist. The theory has been that they help undergrads establish a social life and prepare them for adulthood. These days, I suspect most frat members are looking for a socially acceptable way to provide illicit substances to innocent teenagers, who mistake the chaos of nightlife as the milestone of maturity.
People in frats are some of the least mature people you will ever meet, so obviously their politics don’t seem to be working very well. While socially inept men wallow in self-pity after a string of forced-conversation rejections, conversational Prince Charmings effortlessly fill their dance cards. There is no camaraderie to be found between these two echelons – evidence suggests that fraternities do not effectively alleviate Gen Z’s social isolation. These establishments do more than reinforce a hierarchy based on attractiveness; they actively incentivize the idea that traditional gender roles grease the gears of society. They allow outdated and harmful ideologies on gender dynamics to fester in adolescents, who are too helpless to suggest otherwise. It’s clear that we as a society have grown past the need for them; for those who fight to keep them, social growth has not happened at all.
“Greek Life” is less common in Canada, and York, thankfully, does not recognize any frats or sororities. Yet many of our students flock to the chapters near U of T (Delta Upsilon, Zeta Psi, Alpha Delta Phi) during the fall season, immersing themselves in the HOCO craze and eyeing a good location for Halloween celebrations. If you plan to attend such events in the future, be mindful of the “Red Zone.” This is the period between Orientation Week and Halloween, when campus sexual assaults are most prevalent, especially for first-year and, disproportionately, female students. Consider whether it is worth supporting such an insidious culture in exchange for a few hours of euphoria you can surely find elsewhere.
I’ve met people at frats I don’t regret meeting, but I’ve met people at the local café whom I don’t regret meeting either. If the goal is simply to acquaint yourself with new people, there are countless places to do so without accepting the culture fraternities foster. We do not need fraternities to make friends, find community, or grow up. If adulthood is supposed to mean becoming responsible for ourselves and the people around us, then perhaps it is time to stop treating fraternity culture as a rite of passage and start asking what, exactly, we are passing on.
