OT: UVA suspends all fraternities after Rolling Stones investigative report on gangrape

Submitted by taistreetsmyhero on

Not sure this is an appropriate topic, but it could definitely have widespread implications. And, UVA's president is Teresa Sullivan (former UofM provost). Link:  http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/uva-suspends-fraternities-following-rolling-stone-campus-rape-investigation-20141122

Anyway, for anyone interested in the original Rolling Stone report:  http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-20141119

It's definitely a...strong move. I'm sure it will be critiqued in the coming weeks. Could lead us down a slippery slope--a pretty extreme move rather than an attempt to reform anything. 

EDIT:  this comes a week after WVU suspended all greek life following the death of a student related to hazing 

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2014/11/after_pledges_death_west_virgi.html

In reply to by DennisFithian

Cope

November 23rd, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^

How bout you leave the blog then and never come back?

This blog is for intelligent fans who can read and if you had you'd be sickened. No respect for those who'd pacify this issue.

WoIverine Devotee

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^

The response from the fraternity basically said the usual junk about frats being a scapegoat, and that it's unfair because this stuff happens all over campus.

itself

November 23rd, 2014 at 1:31 PM ^

A serious investigation into what about male culture and sites of male culture (like fraternities or, yes, football teams) drive behaviors and attitudes of sexual assualt is vitally necessary. Does this happen everywhere? Yes, which is even worse. But, the "not all men" or "not all fraternities" responses, while not incorrect, are not particularly helpful in addressing the core problem. Such reactions deflections at best. 

itself

November 23rd, 2014 at 3:19 PM ^

that's fair. the original rolling stone piece makes clear that the social hierarchy of UVA pressured all parties involved toward a cover up. that said, the site of this incident is a frat house and the social hierarchy in question revolves around the social scene and socializing of and in frat houses. in order to reap the precieved benefits UVA has to offer both women and men are left with little alternatives to enterning these male dominated spaces. i might have chickened out and gone with "male culture" for fear of getting slammed for saying "rape culture." such terminology often sparks a kind of hostile screaming match i always hope to avoid. that said, this UVA story is incredibly troubling and i only hope some serious reflection and redirection can come from it. 

Puget Sound Blue

November 23rd, 2014 at 5:14 PM ^

It's a charged term, to be sure, but I can't think of any story I've read in recent memory that illustrates how it works better than this article. It works on so many levels here: the "friends" who showed no empathy for Jackie and were more worried about their social lives, the guy who brought her there who acted afterward like nothing wrong had happened, and the institutional practices that served to conceal the extent of the problem, among other things.

go16blue

November 23rd, 2014 at 3:57 PM ^

It's not a bad point. I remember there were similar rape allegations at a fraternity at UM last year or two years ago, at a mixer with a sorority. I remember overhearing two other girls from that sorority complaining to one another that the girl (their sorority sister) totally fucked them over by going to the authorities and that nobody would want to mix with them going forward. It's a much bigger issue than just guys.

MGoUberBlue

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^

Sullivan's letter was certainly heartfelt...........One hopes that something positive comes of this.

Further, I highly doubt that she consented to being violated by seven (7) fraternity brothers that fateful evening.  If prosecutions occurs successfully, those boys will have some time to spend thinking about their awful actions.

enlightenedbum

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^

Course, she appointed an alum of the frat in question to investigate/reevaluate their sexual assault policies.  And since the woman's account makes it sound very much like an initiation ritual...

Actual things she's done have been less impressive than her statements, let's put it that way.

taistreetsmyhero

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^

the horrendous response of the student's "friends." didn't want to report the rape because two of the guys were rushing at other frats and didn't want to be ostracized. the girl asked her if she wanted to part of something that would paint uva in a negative light. jesus christ people can be sick fucks.

feanor

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^

Go to the police. Why is that not the standard advice from these admintrators to the victims. The response from the first victim's friends in the article borders on unbelievable, I can't imagine anyone saying something like, "She's gonna be the girl who cried 'rape,' and we'll never be allowed into any frat party again." after your friend calls you at 3 in the morning saying that she had been raped.

It's doesn't even matter if the university had an effective internal system to deal with these cases. Its all confidential and leaves a rapist out there, even if you expell the perpetrator. Why are schools being set up as the primary investigative bodies of campus sexual assualts, its like the Catholic Church scandal again, but this time it is being encourage by the government.

1974

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^

* Unspeakable things have happened to women at UVa. It's likely worse than average in that area.

* UVa administrators (with eyes on the school's $) are afraid of getting sued.

- - -

In speculating on why UVa's culture is like that, I'd have to get political, which is against the rules here.

dnak438

November 23rd, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^

"[N]or shall any person . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . "

Nobody is being deprived of life, liberty, or property. They're not even being charged with crimes. They don't have some kind of natural right to be affiliated with the University.