A former student of Cornell University in the US filed a civil lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court last month, alleging that she was raped by seven members of a university "fraternity" house party - Chi Phi fraternity. They are now being referred to for seven students of Cornell who belonged to one of chapters of national "Chi Phi" fraternity. There has been now being referred to for its title.
Incident has shone a harsh light on a ubiquitous aspect of college life in the US - "fraternity" which are male student organisations built around shared social, academic or professional interests. Many have voiced anger over freedoms enjoyed by these so-called frat houses in country, relative to their status as a student-led group.
Mayor of Ithaca, where Cornell is situated, has called for a moratorium on fraternity life - also called Greek life because their names use Greek letters, with the Chi Phi fraternity's Cornell chapter shut down pending investigation.
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Around a million students are estimated to currently be part of such organisations across US, according to Fraternity Advisor, a website that documents US college activities.
How college fraternities evolved: Until late 1700s, student-led groups in US were dominated by literary societies. Michael L Syrett, author of book A History of White College Fraternities, told The Indian Express: "Almost everyone who wanted to be in one (literary society) was able to join. Indeed, at some schools, students were basically required to join one of two societies. In that sense, they weren't exclusive." In 1776, however, a fraternity called Phi Beta Kappa at College of William and Mary in Virginia came up as alternative. "For first time, unlike the literary societies that were, by definition exclusive," said Svrett, who is Gender Studies Chair at University of Wisconsin-Madison. "One of reasons was also to separate out wealthier or secular students from poorer students studying for the ministry (religious
Greek lettering was derived from the position the study of Classics represented in Western education.
For much of their existence, Greek letter organisations had membership restrictions that could encompass elements from race and class to gender and political ideology.
Fraternal mindset of brotherhood was contingent on who qualified as community. Fraternities were also gender-segregated and 'soritie', as they were known for women, developed later during expansion of women's higher education. The underlying structure remained the same - their bankrolls determined their ethnicity to be a part of pledging process," said Syrett.
Activities and operation: Over time, fraternities have become increasingly financially separate entities. A national organisation oversees local campus chapters that consist of undergraduate members. National board and chapter houses also benefit from their respective alumni networks built over time.
When protests over fraternity crackdowns are not "unprecedented" and national organisations also have "lobbyists in Congress who work to limit how much their chapters can be regulated," Syrett said.
The Cornell case: People arrive for a hearing on sexual assault at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, on Oct. 1, or fraternity behaviour and misconduct. In 2007, researcher John Foubert concluded that fraternity members were three times more likely to commit sexual assault than non-participants. Excessive alcohol ingestion is another component which fraternity life is closely linked with.
Cornell University students staged a mass rally on Monday voicing solidarity with a classmate whose gang-rape allegations have ignited a national uproar and demanding that the Ivy League school take firmer action against sexual violence on campus.The alleged gang-rape victim, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe, has said the university failed to adequately investigate and punish campus fraternity members who were involved.
In a lawsuit filed last month, Jane Doe said she was plied with drugs and alcohol and then sexually assaulted by several members of the campus chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024 after she had become incapacitated.
Doe, who was 20 at the time, named seven Chi Phi members as defendants in the suit, along with the fraternity chapter, a local bar, her own sorority, and the university.
She had reported the alleged assault to police several weeks after the fact, leading to an internal university investigation and a law enforcement probe, but the local prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges in the case.
Cornell, which has defended its response to the original report, shut down the Chi Phi chapter and imposed a range of discipline on the fraternity members involved, including expulsions and other sanctions.
The men all denied any wrongdoing, some saying the sexual activity was consensual and others disputing their participation, the New York Times has reported, citing Cornell documents. Some demonstrators also called for the resignation of Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other members of his administration, saying their policies have perpetuated what protesters called a "culture of rape" on campus.
Disproportionate freedoms: The true source of fraternity's power on campus is real estate. "Most fraternity houses are owned by alumni corporations controlled by alumni members to live in them," Syrett explained. “This means universities do not officially control the property.”
These fraternities are also infamous for their hazing rituals. According to a database maintained by journalist and hazing researcher Hank Nuwer, there has been at least one university hazing death every single year between 1959 and 2021.
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According to journalist Hank Nuwer, hazing deaths every single year between 1959 and 2021.
This is why for Indian students paying $80,000 a year to study in US, Greek life is not Animal House comedy - it is safety risk. US State Department's own campus safety advisories never mention it.
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