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The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

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Rape remains an issue at colleges

Last week, Rolling Stone published an article detailing a gang rape and the ensuing alleged cover-up by a fraternity at the University of Virginia. Initially, the school made no effort to warn students of the incident. Afraid of being labeled a dangerous school, they refused to publish proceedings of numerous sexual assault reports.

Only after being publically ridiculed and following numerous other reports, as former students began feeling empowered, has the school suspended fraternities under investigation and begun taking steps to address what seems like gross systemic accountability problems.

Unfortunately, stories of rape victims like this go largely unnoticed and statistics related to these problems point to fraternity culture as a main culprit.

While one in five women is sexually assaulted in college, only about 12 percent report the incident to police. Furthermore, men who are a part of fraternities are three times more likely than other men on campus to commit rape.

Clearly, a number of changes need to happen. President Barack Obama has become involved, challenging 86 schools who have inadequately dealt with sexual assault cases with financial consequences.

Currently, University of Minnesota fraternities are attempting to address this problem, and progress is being made. Campus greeks recently gathered to discuss how to fight “toxic masculinity.” The newly elected president of the Interfraternity Council, JD Braun, is promising to address the issue of campus sexual assault. Now it’s up to students to continue fighting to ensure that no one must live in a corrosive culture of fear and predation. 

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