Wesleyan University is taking a serious stand against sexual assault on campus. While it took a lawsuit to get them there, they are perhaps becoming the first major University to force fraternities to admit women. In an email to the Wesleyan community, Board of Trustees Chair Joshua Boger and University President Michael Roth explained their decision. They acknowledged the many contributions of fraternities to Wesleyan, but have decided that the organizations have just three years to admit and house both male and female students, The Raw Story reports.
This move comes after a federal lawsuit was filed against Wesleyan after a sexual assault against a woman at a fraternity on the campus, the Mu Epsilon chapter of Beta Theta Pi. ?According to documents, which name the victim as “Jane Doe,” this particular fraternity house was known as the “Rape Factory” on campus. After reporting the rape, the victim alleges that she was harassed on campus, and the University refused to do anything to stop the harassment.
Now, we have already reported on the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, and how California is becoming the first state to attempt to put real laws in place to address the problem. A large number of colleges and universities nationwide are under federal investigation regarding how they have been handling sexual assault cases, and names like “rape factory” or some variation thereof are common- so common, in fact, that there was a Law and Order: SVU episode that addressed the problem and used that very name. Now, Wesleyan is just the latest university to come under fire regarding this issue, and is doing away with the boys’ clubs that are fraternities and forcing them to be co-educational. Now, many people will likely have many opinions about this decision, but, at least they are doing something, even if it did take a federal lawsuit and national attention to get them to act.
This move will mean big changes on Wesleyan’s campus, likely including the revocation of charters from national fraternity organizations that forbid allowing members of the opposite sex into the fraternities. Here is the email that Boger and Roth sent to the Wesleyan community, in full:
To the Wesleyan community:
As you may know, we have been considering the future role of Greek life at Wesleyan, and over the summer a great many Wesleyan alumni, students and faculty offered their views. Some have urged that we preserve the status quo; others have argued for the elimination of all exclusive social societies. The trustees and administration recognize that residential fraternities have contributed greatly to Wesleyan over a long period of time, but we also believe they must change to continue to benefit their members and the larger campus community. With equity and inclusion in mind, we have decided that residential fraternities must become fully co-educational over the next three years. If the organizations are to continue to be recognized as offering housing and social spaces for Wesleyan students, women as well as men must be full members and well-represented in the body and leadership of the organization.
This change is something that Wesleyan and the fraternities have been contemplating for many years, and now the time has come. The University looks forward to receiving plans from the residential fraternities to co-educate, after which it will work closely with them to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Our residential Greek organizations inspire loyalty, community and independence. That’s why all our students should be eligible to join them. Although this change does not affect nonresidential organizations, we are hopeful that groups across the University will continue to work together to create a more inclusive, equitable and safer campus. We look forward to working with all campus constituencies to improve the residential experience of Wesleyan students now and for generations to come.
Joshua Boger ?73, P?06, P?09
Chair, Board of Trustees
Michael S. Roth ?78
President
Now, no matter what people think about this particular approach to the problem of sexual assault in fraternities on college campuses, one thing is certain: if women are truly represented equally, including in positions of leadership in these organizations, the “Rape Factory” will be closed for business, and it can’t come too soon.
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