Last week, the greek community took an important step in ensuring the safety of party guests by forming Arkeo, a student-run social monitoring group, but there remain some troubling issues with the programâÄôs implementation and design.
First, ArkeoâÄôs implementation has not been swift enough. Though the group is being established in response to the three sexual assaults reported in fraternity houses earlier this semester, the UniversityâÄôs Interfraternity Council recently ended the social moratorium that was put in place to prevent further assaults long before Arkeo was fully organized. ArkeoâÄôs implementation and the termination of the social moratorium leave an unnecessary void of security.
Moreover, by ending the restrictions the social moratorium put in place before the establishment of Arkeo patrols, the IFC sent a mixed message: An enforcement mechanism for its policies is needed, but not immediately.
Secondly, the self-policing design of Arkeo may have the same faults as any self-policing mechanism. At best, Arkeo can be a watchdog that prevents and reports violations. At worst, Arkeo could fall to nepotism, hesitant to report violations of its fellow students and greeks. Currently, the majority of ArkeoâÄôs 28 volunteers are greek.
We have nothing but praise for the idea behind the Arkeo, which is seeking to gain official status as a student group. Its formation is a sign the greek community cares about safety. We just hope the idea behind Arkeo translates to effective action and a safer party scene for all students.