Discussing the inspiration behind her book Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Privilege and Brotherhood on Campus, Anthropology Professor Peggy Sanday spoke about the causes of acquaintance rape at fraternities in an hour-long speech last week. Sanday began the speech, which was sponsored by the Women's Alliance, by saying she was a victim of an attempted sexual assault when she was 14 years old. She said she had not told anyone about this incident until a student came to her after being raped. Sanday said that hearing this student's story inspired her to begin researching and writing her book which examines fraternities' initiation processes, and what she describes as fraternity brothers' attempts to dominate women by gang raping them. Sanday then voiced opposition to the fraternities' "control" of Locust Walk. "The center [of campus] is everyone's place," she said. She suggested that fraternities periodically switch houses with sororities in a "round-robin" style. Although Sanday said she is not completely opposed to fraternities, she voiced adamant opposition to certain traditions which have embedded themselves in Greek tradition, particularly that of secret, closed pledging rituals. "[Rituals] are meant to change [one's] consciousness . . . to strip you down and build you up," she said. "In Western society [there is] a tradition in which bonding between men is sacrificed [at the expense of women]." To protect themselves against sexual assault in fraternity houses, Sanday urged female students to always go to the fraternity houses with friends and to stay with them. Sanday then spoke against the "anti-rat factor" mentioned by the prosecutor in a recent rape and sodomy trial of seven St. John's University lacrosse players in New York. She described this as a "tendency [of fraternity brothers who witness a sexual assault] to not talk." She concluded by voicing support for "co-educational groups," ranging from discussion groups in which both men and women participate, to co-ed fraternities. She said these would allow men and women to exist in a situation in which members of one gender do not bond with only each other, shutting others out. Many of the over 25 students at the speech said it was very worthwhile and important. "I just hope we can get fraternities attending functions such as this to get rid of the bad rap that fraternities have," said Wharton sophomore and Delta Upsilon pledge Clarence Brigman. "It was great having this many people here," said College sophomore Stefanie Rosenthal, co-president of the Women's Alliance. "It's important to talk about these things."
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