Everything You Need to Know About Yesterday’s Greek Row Protests

The reality of SA culture on campus

by ASHLEY BRODERICK ★ SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

TW: rape, sexual assault

Time to have a talk about the YikYak induced protest that had us all questioning the morality of fraternities, Greek Life, and even our peers last night. After accusations of a member of a registered Greek Organization sexually assaulting a girl flooded the anonymous social media app YikYak, students banded together to demand accountability for the accused and stood in solidarity for the victim and all victims who have been affected by sexual assault.

Within hours of learning the news of the assault, hundreds of students made their way to the front of a seemingly abandoned fraternity house, chanting phrases such as “say his name” and “F Title IX.*”

The protest ultimately evolved into a cry for the reformation and accountability of all fraternities as protesters made their way down Greek row. Numerous journalistic outlets, such as CitrusTV and Ricky Reports rushed to document the waves of change on campus.

The chaos that ensued on campus made its way into conversations online and off as people argued “the individual is responsible, not the whole frat,” or “the girls protesting now are the same ones wondering what frat to go to Thursday night.” These comments provoked conversations on how women should be able to go out without getting sexually assaulted, as well as how going to a frat doesn’t equal defending SA.

Whether or not you or someone you know has been affected by rape culture on campus, many can agree that Greek life and rape culture going hand in hand has become too normalized. We’ve become too accepting of “don’t drink that frat’s juice, it’s probably spiked,” or “don’t hook up in that house, they have cameras.” This is not normal behavior, yet many continue to accept it as the status quo.

Regardless of the controversy that arose last night, something can be said for everyone who did show up to protest. It takes a level of bravery to stand up for what you believe in and publicly put yourself in a situation where people will have strong opinions about your actions.

Sexual assault is nowhere near limited to one individual fraternity, or for that matter, solely Greek life. This is an issue that is prevalent on college campuses, and it is our duty to constantly confront the issue and demand it not be taken lightly.

* Title IX refers to regulations placed on institutions of higher education to act when accusations of sexual assault become known to them.