For better or worse, college parties are not only a source of social interaction, but also of social currency. They set a dynamic of power and of expectation. The people who throw the parties have control.
In fraternities, for instance, the guest-lists, themes (with costumes), drinks, and even the space itself is all monitored and governed by the resident brothers, not by their guests. Members of that house will often control who can and cannot enter the house, using standards such as physical attractiveness or sorority affiliation.
Now, this is not to demonize the Greek system; indeed, being a Bowdoin student, I cannot claim to know exactly what Greek life is like. However, recent studies and media attention do suggest that some of the less flattering depictions of campus life in fraternities or sororities are not always fictitious.
Currently, sororities are not allowed to host parties in their houses.
In a recent op-ed in The New York Times, “Sororities Should Throw Parties,” Juliet Lapidos wrote that allowing sororities to throw parties—and thus to have some agency over the social scene—could decrease the number of sexual assaults committed against women. She posits that parties at sororities would prevent “the worst excesses” of fraternity parties, including spiked punch, and would give female partygoers a kind of home court advantage, so to speak.
However, this idea has proved both contentious and apparently unrealistic. Julie Johnson, of the National Panhellenic Conference (which represents 25 national sororities and women’s fraternities), noted publicly that the social standards—i.e. that women do not host parties with alcohol—are old and deeply rooted.
Johnson said that many sorority members are underage, which makes serving alcohol at parties a legal risk. She added that there would be new responsibility if girls threw parties: they would subject themselves to the associated costs, risks and cleanup. It is true that with power comes responsibility and perhaps, with a little increased responsibility, there might emerge a little more power for sorority women.
When asked why sororities generally remain alcohol free, Johnson replied, “it is what it is.” There doesn’t seem to be much compelling evidence that sororities should not be able to throw parties—it’s just tradition.
There are a lot of old standards that are not ideal. Part of making progress is not adhering to every old rule—we must acknowledge traditions, but we must also allow them elasticity over time.
I do think sororities should be able to have their own social life and throw their own parties. It would probably not be plausible to have sororities take all the social responsibility, and I’m not convinced that they necessarily should.
The way the system might work best is if both fraternities and sororities had the ability to host events, and could alternate monthly. This adjustment would also take some of the pressure off of fraternities, who now bear all the responsibility for social life in the Greek system.
With regard to sexual assault, it remains to be seen whether or not a new system would be effective. Giving women increased control over the social scene might be an important step. But it should not be the only step.