The sexual assaults reported at Delta Kappa Epsilon and Chi Psi (The Lodge) have cast the University of MinnesotaâÄôs greek community in a bad light, whether campus greeks believe it or not. Accordingly, this is an opportunity, however unfortunate and untimely, for the chapters to begin a dialog about sexual assault on campus, on how to avoid it and what greeks are doing to put an end to it at their houses.
In a statement, DKE said six sober members were in charge of security during the party when the assault took place. But they acknowledged that the assaults could have been prevented by tighter security. HereâÄôs the greek communityâÄôs starting point. Examine what went wrong and safeguard against it âÄî now.
Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes on college campuses âÄî studies show that as little as 5 percent of sexual assaults occurring at colleges actually come to light. ItâÄôs reassuring that the two victims of the alleged assaults came forward, but reports show the perpetrators might not have been greeks. With statistics demonstrating most rapes are perpetrated by acquaintances, the greek community should also reassure members and guests there is a reporting system in place for potential sexual assaults, no matter who the perpetrator might be.
We truly hope the past two weeksâÄô incidents are anomalies. The alleged assaults nevertheless present a chance to take legitimate, preventative and lasting actions against sexual assault, an unforgivably common crime in college. If students are going to party, they deserve to do so safely.