Several national sorority chapters have barred their University of Virginia members from going to fraternity parties this weekend because they’re worried the women will get raped if they go.
The idea behind the ban is that the fraternities’ bid night is on Saturday, and the guys might be so extra out-of-control that sorority women would be in danger from just being around them.
“We believe the activities on Men’s Bid Night present significant safety concerns for all of our members and we are united in our request that the 16 NPC [National Panhellenic Council] sororities not participate,” Tammie Pinkston, international president of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, said.
She also cited NPC policy that prevents sororities from participating in fraternity recruitment and rush.
But here’s the thing: Incoming Inter-Fraternity Council president Ben Gorman confirmed to the UVA student newspaper that the bid-night parties are not official fraternity–sorority events, so it isn’t clear why the national sorority organizations have anything to do with this at all.
The Washington Post reports that some national chapters are forbidding their members not only from going to official fraternity parties, but also from going to any party where frat guys are in attendance (which will probably be, you know, all of them). Saturday also happens to be the night of the big Cavaliers–Duke basketball game.
And as if all of this isn’t enough patronizing from the national fraternities, some sororities are hosting mandatory in-house bonding events — a.k.a. locking the women inside so that they won’t accidentally break the rules by going to a party they want to go to.
There is one impressive thing about it. As UVA senior Story Hinckley pointed out, the national chapters managed to offend and insult all parties involved — fraternities and sororities — with just one single move!
“Yes, I’m having to deal with this stereotype that I’m a stupid, slutty sorority girl” unable to make good decisions,” she told the Post. “They’re having to deal with the stereotype of stupid rapist fraternity brother. ‘No women can come to your house on this night because they will all be sexually assaulted.’”
According to the Post, many women are considering quitting their chapters.
— Katherine Timpf is a reporter for National Review Online.