I am sorry, but I cannot trust you
Sometimes news can influence people’s actions. Some stories make people express their anger in social networks, protest and even clash with the authorities. Then it is relevant that stories only include confirmed facts, otherwise people could react based on fake, incomplete or misleading information with possible unexpected consequences. Recently, anger was set off in the United States when Rolling Stone magazine published the story “A Rape on Campus” on November 19th, 2014. The news claims that an University of Virginia undergrad student named Jackie was raped by seven men belonging to Phi Kappa Psi at the fraternity Chapter’s house in September 28th 2012 after she went to a date function with a man named
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This news outlet contacted the fraternity’s representatives, one of the alleged perpetrators, multiple friends of the victim (Jackie) and Jackie. Washington Post found that Sabrina Rubin Erdely, the Rolling Stone’s contributor that investigated and wrote the piece, did not talk to the accused perpetrators and also found that one of Jackie’s friends said he met her on September 28th 2012 on a different place that what the story says, specifically one mile away from the fraternity Chapter’s house. He also did not see her injured and covered by blood, as Rolling Stones claimed. Washington Post called one of the alleged rapists who said he worked in the Aquatic Fitness Center as Jackie said, but he did not belong to the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He added that he was familiar with the name Jackie, but he had not met Jackie in person. After, on December 5th Phi Kappa Psi published on Facebook a press release on which the organization denied having hosted a date function or social events on September 28th 2012. Moreover, the fraternity denied having a member with the name of one of the presumed perpetrators or someone who belonged to the Aquatic Fitness Center. Phi Kappa Psi added that initiations just take place in the Spring semester, not in Fall (including September) and that these do not include any sexual ritual. Therefore, they reject Jackie’s claim that she was raped as part of a initiation ritual. Of course I mistrust the fraternity’s point of view because they are being accused, but what about the other doubts?
Her three best friends on campus – two boys and a girl (whose names are changed) – arrived to find Jackie on a nearby street corner, shaking. “What did they do to you? What did they make you do?” Jackie recalls her friend Randall demanding. Jackie shook her head and began to cry. The group looked at one another in a panic. They all knew about Jackie’s date; the Phi Kappa Psi
At a young age I knew as an African American woman through activism, educational autonomy, and community service, I can thrive through the wake of extreme poverty and turmoil faced by the people of my neighborhood of East New York. My interest in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. The ladies of this organization exude exemplary character who excel in sisterhood, respect, honesty, accountability, and integrity. Throughout my life I always encouraged myself to have these ideal characteristics without knowing that one day I would be pursuing membership in a prestigious organization, whom upheld the key principles “greater service, greater progress. The first
As seniors in high school are committed to colleges and getting excited for some of the best years of their lives, they are preparing for early classes, late nights and good times. These teens have been looking forward to these years that have seemed to come so fast. Of course they’re getting excited about picking their dream job and looking forward to meeting life long friends that they should be able to trust. No one thinks about or mentions the number of rapes on college campuses. If the first thing colleges mentioned was the reported rapes on their campuses, would that change the minds of kids that have had a certain college in mind? Besides the reported date rapes, what about the estimated sexual assaults that go unreported? Knowing the facts and statistics about colleges and how they handle sexual assault cases would make anyone getting ready for college think twice about how safe they’re being and who they are trusting.
When university or police find out about the sexual assault, they immediately blame the victim or question what the victim was wearing, drinking, or doing. “Brownmiller identified four basic rape myths: (1) All women want to be raped; (2) a woman cannot be raped against her will; (3) a woman who is raped is asking for it; and (4) if a woman is going to be raped, she might as well enjoy it” (Helgeson, 2012, p. 432). In The Hunting Ground, the rape myth, which a woman who is raped is asking for it, is seen throughout the testimonies of the survivors. Clark, herself, was told by her dean that “rape is like a football game” and asked if “looking back, what would you have done differently?” (Ziering & Dick, 2015). These rape myths affect how many victims actually report and how seriously sexual assaults are taken within universities and the justice system. For example, some women, themselves, subscribe to rape myths because they see how current cases are handled. “Women who did not physically fight off the person who raped them and who subscribed to the rape myth that “it can’t be rape if a woman doesn’t fight back” were less likely to acknowledge that they had been raped” (Helgeson, 2012, p. 434). Universities need to teach first-year students about consent and how to
I watched the movie Animal House; it gave me an interesting perspective on academic life in the 1960’s. The movie follows two friends Lawrence "Larry" Kroger and Kent Dorfman, as they try to gain acceptance from a fraternity at Faber College in 1962. The movie starts off with Larry and Kent going to a social event at one of the better fraternities on campus the Omegas. The Omegas are the snooty, uptight, rich fraternity. Larry and Kent are not like them and find themselves uncomfortable but try their best to fit in. They are made fun of and they leave disappointed without a bid. They head over the Delta Tau Chi House where Kent’s brother used to be a member making Kent a legacy. There they meet John "Bluto" Blutarsky, who seems to be a little crazy. Delta Tau Chi offers the boys a bid because they need the due money. We next are introduced to the main protagonist Dean Vernon Wormer. The dean dislikes the Delta’s and there party attitude. The Delta house is already on probation so the dean puts them on double secret probation. He enlists the president of t...
In what is sure to be a very solemn matter for all American students and their families across the country , in January 2013 , President Obama, the office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls converged and issued a renewed call to action against rape and sexual assault report which analyzes the most recent reliable data about this issue and identifies who are the most in peril victims of this malefaction, investigates the costs of this violence both for victims and communities , and describes the replication very often inadequate of the US malefactor equity system.
Nicole Johnson*, a 22-year-old senior at an area university looks back at her college experience as graduation approaches, generally happy with how everything turned out, however, a dark cloud still looms over her freshman year when she was raped.
The mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and genuine friendships among college women, aid in issues concerning girls and women in order to come up with solutions to eliminate or ease the circumstances they may face, maintain an ongoing interest in college life, while also being of service to all mankind. This sorority has not only empowered women to help others, but it
Often, when one hears about fraternities or sororities on the news, the program has to do with hazing and a death or injury that it has caused an innoce...
Sexual assault is defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and In the United States 80% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 30. Of that 80%, 44% are under the age of 18 (RAINN, 2016). That leaves 36% of victims between the ages of 18 and 30. These percentages become even more alarming when that 80% is of about 293,000 victims of secual assualt each year (RAINN, 2016). It is estimated that 1 in every 6 women in the US has been or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. The risks of sexual assault increase on college campuses. Women ages 18-24 who are enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence (RAINN, 2016). One would think that with all these women being sexually assaulted, one would hear more about it, or perhaps the police stations would constantly be busy. This is not the case. Sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes, with 68% still being left unreported (RAINN, 2016). This could be because of every 100 rapists, only 2 will spend a day in jail. Of the 32 out of 100 that would be reported, only 7 are referred to an arrest (RAINN, 2016). Why would men or women want to report sexual assault when the system that is supposed to protect them fails so often, and why does this system continue to fail?
“I felt his hands start to move down towards my shorts as if he was trying to unbutton them or pull them off. I was still crying at this point and felt so scared that I couldn’t move” (Henneberger, 2012). These are words written by a college freshman after she had been raped, but they are true for many others as well. According to the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties, “every two minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted” (Get the Facts). “Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the than the general population to be victims of sexual assault” (Get the Facts). These women may be described as slut, cheap, or ready for action, rather than victim, sufferer, or survivor. Rape myths encourage these demeaning terms for women and conceal the reality of rape culture. I will describe the pervasiveness of sexual assault on college campuses as well as the systems and procedures in place to address it. Power plays a role in this issue, including the powerful men on campus such as athletes and fraternity members as well as the administrators in power who regulate the punishments and actions that are taken against the perpetrators. The influence of those in power often goes overlooked in our society because it has become so intertwined with our culture.
... the fraternity chapter than ourselves. Machiavelli states, “it is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.”(chap 17). Machiavelli would believe that the pledge process within the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity is being run with a type of government that is cohesive for the greater good of not only the fraternity but the entire community that is surrounding the fraternity. Machiavelli would understand that the end justifies the means of the pledging. Our pledge trainers do not fear being feared more than loved and according to Machiavelli this is one of the characteristics of a good leader.
Day in and day out we hear about high school and college students wanting to pursue a sorority and/or a fraternity based on the stereotypes these organizations uphold, well I chose to differ. I told myself if I ever decided to become a member of a sorority it would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated consists of ladies of distinction and exemplary character who excel in scholarship, leadership, and service, which are qualities I have chosen to uphold. From my perspective, I encourage myself to maintain a respectable appearance and reputation which doing so inspires me to embrace my self-concept; which helps me confidently excel academically and professionally as a “lady of distinction” and “exemplary character.” Most importantly, I continuously remain involved in community service, being involved allows me the opportunity to learn and understand the lives and circumstances of others by opening my mind, heart, and soul. Overall these qualities strengthen my passion to be a member of the prestigious Alp...
Walking up dilapidated stairs, my friend and I enter into the chapter room of Beta Sigma Psi, where the Little Sisters of the Gold Rose meets every week. The fraternity house smells of stale beer and sweat, and has clear signs of past parties and shenanigans. However, we have officially become activated members of the service sorority and were attending our first chapter meeting with the entire sorority. In that chapter room we discussed future service events, volunteering opportunities, and then went around the room for anyone to share news and announcements with the group. It was at this moment that I felt like a true active member in LSGR, when everyone was interested in hearing about each other’s lives and wellbeing. While as a rushing
Sexual assault and rape on college campuses is a serious public issue. Before applying to these accredited institutions most students do not look up the school 's past records of sexual assault and rape on their campus.College campuses have failed to keep students safe the system they use has failed to protect and obtain justice for those that have been victims of sexual assault. Society plays a huge part in how young adults view sexual assault. From young age girls are told “if he’s bothering you it 's because he likes you”, and boys aren 't held accountable for their actions because “boys will be boys”. At what time does it stop being a game. At what age is it not acceptable for boys to mistreat girls, when is the line drawn and, what is the punishment for when this line is crossed.
...ole, the female students became close when they became true to themselves and the cliques begin to blend. For example, Gretchen, one of the Plastics became close friends with the Asian students. Social acceptance should not be the most important thing in anyone’s life. Always wanting this acceptance will cause people to change into someone they are not.