The Eagle was the first news outlet to report on 70 leaked documents allegedly written by members of Epsilon Iota, an unchartered fraternity, over the past three years. By now, AU students are probably aware of the horrific content of these emails. They include references to rape, illegal drugs, violence against women and they are full of various misogynistic, racist and homophobic slurs. It should go without saying that this kind of behavior and language is reprehensible and should never be tolerated at AU. But while it is important to understand the terrible nature of these emails, it is also vital to examine the culture that allowed for AU students to even think these terrible things.
A lot has been said about the University needing to do something about these documents, but it is important to remember that there is not much that they can legally do. Until a victim comes forward with his or her story, the discussion of rape by the EI brothers is just that: talk.
Statements written in emails are not concrete proof of any illegal activity, so the University would need further evidence to take any legal action beyond suspending those involved. While this is frustrating, we must realize that this situation should be treated as a wake up call.
While we encourage the University to continue its investigation with as much transparency and speed as possible, we also must examine ourselves to see the ways every single one of us has contributed to rape culture. Sexual assault is clearly endemic on this campus, and it would be a lie to say that it is contained within EI or even the Greek system.
At parties, if we see a guy being aggressive toward a girl, we may decide it is not our place to step in. If a friend makes a racist or homophobic remark, we may not want to make a scene and instead let it slide. It is very likely that every single person on the AU campus has said something not unlike what was contained in the EI documents themselves at some point in their lives. We all make flippant jokes, knowing they are wrong but without thinking much of it. We do not realize that even the most casual remarks contributes to rape culture. A victim could hear it and become too afraid to share his or her story or be triggered. A potential rapist could hear it, and use the flippancy on the topic to justify their crimes. We are all part of the problem, but we can all be part of the solution.
The first step is simple: don’t let your friends assault people or denigrate women and always step in when things like this happen at parties. Be more careful about the language you use and understand the importance of words. Always listen to survivors and do anything in your power to help them heal. Let them know that you believe them and are on their side. Reassure them that the assault was not their fault and that they are not alone.
After we all make these simple individual acts a priority, students and administrators must work together to make a change. AU needs to hire at least one full-time victim advocate in addition to Daniel Rappaport, AU’s sexual assault prevention coordinator. We must establish a space where fraternity brothers can safely report behavior like this within their fraternities. We need to expand the sexual assault prevention course during Eagle Summit, as well as the ones for professors and any adults involved in Greek life. We need to give the racist, homophobic, and misogynistic remarks like those contained in the emails such a harsh social stigma that saying them is unthinkable.
Rather than emphasizing that we are not EI, we need to create an environment where EI cannot thrive. Only when we all come together to share the blame for these despicable acts can we actually make progress toward changing the culture that allowed for them in the first place. -E
