Deranged feminists sue to gain admission to fraternities that sexually assaulted them

[Metaphor]

You couldn't make it up.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/us/yale-fraternities.html

Three Yale students who claim they were groped at fraternity parties have filed a class-action lawsuit against the university, arguing the school has fostered an environment where alcohol-fueled gatherings at off-campus fraternity houses dictate the undergraduate social scene.


While the New Haven, Conn., university presents itself as a campus where fraternities are not a major presence, the lawsuit states that few options besides fraternity parties exist for women who want to socialize and meet other students.

It's incredible that these women have been banned from the internet and forbidden by law to organise their own social events. That's deeply unjust.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Connecticut, comes as universities across the country have been trying to crack down on bad behavior by fraternities, from binge drinking and sexual harassment to abusive hazing rituals that have led to several deaths.

[Citation needed]

Aware that their image has been tarnished, fraternities have often been partners with universities in trying to change party culture.


Yale has often looked the other way, the plaintiffs claim, while parties rage and women from Yale and surrounding colleges are routinely sexually harassed and abused.




Joan Gilbride, a lawyer for the fraternities named in the lawsuit, said the accusations are “baseless and unfounded,” and that the fraternities and their national organizations would vigorously defend themselves against the claims.


A Yale spokesman, Thomas Conroy, said he could not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit. But he shared a message to Yale students last month from the dean of Yale College, Marvin Chun, after a yearlong review of campus culture, including fraternity culture. It said in part, “I condemn the culture described in these accounts; it runs counter to our community’s values of making everyone feel welcome, respected, and safe. I also offer some plain advice about events like these: don’t go to them.”

Chun needs to check his privilege. How can Yale women be expected to not go to parties where they'll be sexually harrassed? That's blaming the victim and it implies women are capable of organising their own social events, which they clearly are not.

The dean said that Yale “plays no formal role in the organizations not affiliated with the university, including Greek organizations,” and he said the university was working on providing alternative social spaces and events on campus.


The lawsuit acknowledges that there may be questions about Yale’s ability to regulate off-campus organizations.




“Yale often claims that the university cannot punish the fraternities because they are unregistered, off-campus organizations,” the lawsuit says. But it argues that this position is disingenuous, because the fraternities “act as extensions of Yale,” providing party space, while Yale permits them to use the Yale name, Yale email addresses, Yale bulletin boards and campus facilities for recruitment.


Peter McDonough, general counsel of the American Council on Education, a university trade group, said universities have been reluctant to become too deeply involved in regulating fraternity life.


“The very concept of a campus is where people learn not only from each other but through shared experiences,” he said. “And this isn’t the K through 12 environment.”


The plaintiffs — a sophomore and two juniors — have demanded in the lawsuit that Yale and its fraternities rein in the parties. They have also asked for a court order that would force the fraternities to admit women and allow them to share in the benefits of membership, like housing and powerful alumni networks that can lead to jobs, internships and social capital.

It makes sense. All the people I know who've been sexually harassed wanted the State to compel the harassers to let them live with them.

“Simply put, fraternities elevate men to social gatekeepers and relegate women and non-binary students to sexual objects,” the lawsuit said. “Moreover, Yale’s fraternities have alumni and professional connections to the business world, including banking and consulting firms, which often result in coveted job offers and economic opportunities.”


The three women who filed the suit are Anna McNeil, 20, a junior from Brooklyn majoring in art history; Eliana Singer, 19, a sophomore from Minneapolis majoring in political science; and Ry Walker, 20, a junior from Brooklyn majoring in astrophysics and African-American studies. The law firm representing them, Sanford Heisler Sharp, is also representing women who are suing Dartmouth College for sexual assault and discrimination by three professors who they said turned a human behavior research department “into a 21st-century Animal House.”


All three women in the Yale case said they were groped at fraternity parties during their first semesters. In the lawsuit, Ms. Walker, who is African-American, said she was passed over by fraternity brothers controlling admission to a party, while white women behind her were admitted.




“We eat together, take classes together, exist in this coeducational place,” Ms. Walker said in an interview. “But somehow because of the way Greek life operates on campus and the control they have over social spaces here, that means that on weekend nights, men are the only ones who have power.”

I didn't realise feminists were so fond of men's company. Perhaps the sororities can host their own, alcohol-free, vegan parties, and invite the boys from the fraternities? They're sure to be successful.

Sororities are not a substitute for fraternities, the plaintiffs said, because they have been around for much less time, and do not have the depth of contacts that fraternities have.

It's true that all those sororities founded in the 19th century just haven't gotten their shit together yet.

The lawsuit, filed as a class-action complaint, accuses Yale of violating Title IX of federal education law, which prohibits sex discrimination by institutions receiving federal funding, and breach of contract for not providing the educational environment it promised. It accuses the fraternities of violating the Fair Housing Act for offering housing only to men, and Yale and the fraternities of violating Connecticut’s law against discrimination in places of public accommodation. It seeks unspecified damages.

Of course I support these women, but is there a small chance that finding that male-only accommodation violates the Fair Housing Act might also apply to female-only accommodation?

The women belong to a student group called Engender that has used civil rights-type tactics to try to force fraternities to accept women. For the past three years, women and “non-binary” students from Engender have tried to join fraternities. Only one fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, let them apply, according to court papers. But in the end they were denied and the fraternity chapter said it was because their national chapter did not allow women, the lawsuit says.


The complaint suggests that there is a “symbiotic” relationship between Yale and its fraternities, which involves letting the fraternities manage social life on campus, in exchange for Yale officials looking the other way when parties get out of hand.

“The fraternities take on the liability associated with student alcohol consumption, and in exchange, Yale allows the fraternities to use Yale resources (and recruit Yale students) and largely turns a blind eye to the sexual harassment and assault occurring in connection with the fraternities,” the complaint says.


The lawsuit claims that Yale lags behind peers like Harvard, which in 2016 announced that it was discouraging students from joining single-sex social clubs by barring them from leadership positions on campus and from receiving endorsements for prestigious scholarships like the Rhodes.


In December, Harvard was sued by fraternities, sororities and students saying the new policy is discriminatory.

Madness. I can't believe that Yale denies sororities the same power to use Yale resources that it grants fraternities.

 

[Rhea]

Is this like Bernie seeking the Democratic nomination?

 

[Metaphor]

Is this like Bernie seeking the Democratic nomination?

Well, the Democratic party may not want him, but I don't see Bernie asking the government to compel the Democratic party to make him the nominee. At least in that sense, Bernie is more grown up than these women.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Is this like Bernie seeking the Democratic nomination?

I think this is more like young girls wanting to be part of the old boys network. Social change does not come from being imposed by the outside, it needs to come from within.
So women want to be part of the fraternity, and be part of the group that plans parties, and part of the group that writes their rules and part of the group that determines punishments for violators.

 

[Trausti]

Is this like Bernie seeking the Democratic nomination?

I think this is more like young girls wanting to be part of the old boys network. Social change does not come from being imposed by the outside, it needs to come from within.
So women want to be part of the fraternity, and be part of the group that plans parties, and part of the group that writes their rules and part of the group that determines punishments for violators.

So then men get to join sororities. Panty raids made easier.

 

[repoman]

Civil rights laws were a mistake.

 

[ZiprHead]

Civil rights laws were a mistake.

Added to the list of things nazis would say.

 

[Trausti]

Civil rights laws were a mistake.

If civil rights is forcing fraternaties to accept women (and sororities to accept men), then civil rights is pretty much done.

 

[Toni]

Is this like Bernie seeking the Democratic nomination?

I think this is more like young girls wanting to be part of the old boys network. Social change does not come from being imposed by the outside, it needs to come from within.
So women want to be part of the fraternity, and be part of the group that plans parties, and part of the group that writes their rules and part of the group that determines punishments for violators.

No. It's like: women would like to be able to attend social gatherings held by social organizations sanctioned by the universities they attend and NOT be sexually assaulted.

A horrible over reach, I know.

Edited to add: They would also like the same access to job and career opportunities as men who belong to these exclusive organizations do, simply by being members.

That access is quite real, even at small chapters at obscure universities. Brothers help brothers, make introductions, throw information about jobs their way and later, provide access to financial deals, investments, etc. It's not unlike how golf clubs and country clubs work. See: Trump conducts a lot of government and personal business on various golf courses.

What seems to be proposed by the original poster is that women should simply form their own separate society rather than expect to be treated as equals in a nation that depends heavily on their labor--and their submission to the status quo.

 

[rousseau]

I'm of the perspective that if you start a conversation with 'Deranged [anyone]' you've started it off on the wrong foot. This constant finger-pointing of perceived irrationality of the other guy needs to stop, until we start realizing our own inconsistencies. Until then this type of discourse is nothing but divisive and unproductive.

 

[Metaphor]

No. It's like: women would like to be able to attend social gatherings held by social organizations sanctioned by the universities they attend and NOT be sexually assaulted.

Toni! I was hoping you'd come in to defend this.

A horrible over reach, I know.

Edited to add: They would also like the same access to job and career opportunities as men who belong to these exclusive organizations do, simply by being members.

Since we live in a patriarchy, this will harm their chances. The fraternities who are forced to admit women will still keep their bro networks, but now they will be additionally resentful of women leaving cooties in the common kitchen area.

That access is quite real, even at small chapters at obscure universities. Brothers help brothers, make introductions, throw information about jobs their way and later, provide access to financial deals, investments, etc. It's not unlike how golf clubs and country clubs work. See: Trump conducts a lot of government and personal business on various golf courses.

Are there any dudes who can volunteer to organise a women's network? I seem to recall seeing women's networks around the place, but I must be mistaken, as only men can organise and make contacts. Even men at small chapters at obscure universities have greater organising power and access to the network than women at sororities in Yale and Harvard that were formed in the 19th century.

What seems to be proposed by the original poster is that women should simply form their own separate society rather than expect to be treated as equals in a nation that depends heavily on their labor--and their submission to the status quo.

No, I suggested they host their own parties.

You see, despite their protestations, I am certain Yale does not give exclusive access to resources to fraternities and not sororities.

I'm also certain women are capable of using the internet. If these women want to change the boozy hookup culture of frat parties, they should offer alternative, no-alcohol parties. They can test the market of which parties are more popular.

 

[Half-Life]

Feminism has never been about equality. It's about women wanting superiority over men under the guise of equality.

Dennis Prager had a great point. He asked, "If sex means absolutely nothing to people these days, why do women feel violated when someone rapes them? I thought sex was meaningless?"

 

[rousseau]

Toni! I was hoping you'd come in to defend this.



Since we live in a patriarchy, this will harm their chances. The fraternities who are forced to admit women will still keep their bro networks, but now they will be additionally resentful of women leaving cooties in the common kitchen area.

That access is quite real, even at small chapters at obscure universities. Brothers help brothers, make introductions, throw information about jobs their way and later, provide access to financial deals, investments, etc. It's not unlike how golf clubs and country clubs work. See: Trump conducts a lot of government and personal business on various golf courses.

Are there any dudes who can volunteer to organise a women's network? I seem to recall seeing women's networks around the place, but I must be mistaken, as only men can organise and make contacts. Even men at small chapters at obscure universities have greater organising power and access to the network than women at sororities in Yale and Harvard that were formed in the 19th century.

What seems to be proposed by the original poster is that women should simply form their own separate society rather than expect to be treated as equals in a nation that depends heavily on their labor--and their submission to the status quo.

No, I suggested they host their own parties.

You see, despite their protestations, I am certain Yale does not give exclusive access to resources to fraternities and not sororities.

I'm also certain women are capable of using the internet. If these women want to change the boozy hookup culture of frat parties, they should offer alternative, no-alcohol parties. They can test the market of which parties are more popular.

So this is where you get to act sanctimonious because someone you don't like did something logically inconsistent?

 

[J842P]

Toni! I was hoping you'd come in to defend this.



Since we live in a patriarchy, this will harm their chances. The fraternities who are forced to admit women will still keep their bro networks, but now they will be additionally resentful of women leaving cooties in the common kitchen area.



Are there any dudes who can volunteer to organise a women's network? I seem to recall seeing women's networks around the place, but I must be mistaken, as only men can organise and make contacts. Even men at small chapters at obscure universities have greater organising power and access to the network than women at sororities in Yale and Harvard that were formed in the 19th century.



No, I suggested they host their own parties.

You see, despite their protestations, I am certain Yale does not give exclusive access to resources to fraternities and not sororities.

I'm also certain women are capable of using the internet. If these women want to change the boozy hookup culture of frat parties, they should offer alternative, no-alcohol parties. They can test the market of which parties are more popular.

So this is where you get to act sanctimonious because someone you don't like did something logically inconsistent?

Isn't that sort of the purpose of the politics forum?

 

[rousseau]

Toni! I was hoping you'd come in to defend this.



Since we live in a patriarchy, this will harm their chances. The fraternities who are forced to admit women will still keep their bro networks, but now they will be additionally resentful of women leaving cooties in the common kitchen area.



Are there any dudes who can volunteer to organise a women's network? I seem to recall seeing women's networks around the place, but I must be mistaken, as only men can organise and make contacts. Even men at small chapters at obscure universities have greater organising power and access to the network than women at sororities in Yale and Harvard that were formed in the 19th century.



No, I suggested they host their own parties.

You see, despite their protestations, I am certain Yale does not give exclusive access to resources to fraternities and not sororities.

I'm also certain women are capable of using the internet. If these women want to change the boozy hookup culture of frat parties, they should offer alternative, no-alcohol parties. They can test the market of which parties are more popular.

So this is where you get to act sanctimonious because someone you don't like did something logically inconsistent?

Isn't that sort of the purpose of the politics forum?

I had it blocked for a year or two, I'm still readjusting.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Feminism has never been about equality. It's about women wanting superiority over men under the guise of equality.

Dennis Prager had a great point. He asked, "If sex means absolutely nothing to people these days, why do women feel violated when someone rapes them? I thought sex was meaningless?"

Prager thinks rape is sex?

That's pretty disgusting.
And i have a few rape fantasies!

 

[ZiprHead]

Feminism has never been about equality. It's about women wanting superiority over men under the guise of equality.

Dennis Prager had a great point. He asked, "If sex means absolutely nothing to people these days, why do women feel violated when someone rapes them? I thought sex was meaningless?"

This has got to be in the top ten most stupid statements ever placed on this board. Starts with a strawman, ends with disgusting, obscene idiocy.

 

[Keith&Co.]

This has got to be in the top ten most stupid statements ever placed on this board.

And you've been here for Syed and Self-Mutation, so that's saying something!

 

[Toni]

Toni! I was hoping you'd come in to defend this.



Since we live in a patriarchy, this will harm their chances. The fraternities who are forced to admit women will still keep their bro networks, but now they will be additionally resentful of women leaving cooties in the common kitchen area.



Are there any dudes who can volunteer to organise a women's network? I seem to recall seeing women's networks around the place, but I must be mistaken, as only men can organise and make contacts. Even men at small chapters at obscure universities have greater organising power and access to the network than women at sororities in Yale and Harvard that were formed in the 19th century.



No, I suggested they host their own parties.

You see, despite their protestations, I am certain Yale does not give exclusive access to resources to fraternities and not sororities.

I'm also certain women are capable of using the internet. If these women want to change the boozy hookup culture of frat parties, they should offer alternative, no-alcohol parties. They can test the market of which parties are more popular.

So this is where you get to act sanctimonious because someone you don't like did something logically inconsistent?

If you mean me, I wasn't logically inconsistent. Metaphor has a number of axes to grind.

 

[Half-Life]

Feminism has never been about equality. It's about women wanting superiority over men under the guise of equality.

Dennis Prager had a great point. He asked, "If sex means absolutely nothing to people these days, why do women feel violated when someone rapes them? I thought sex was meaningless?"

Prager thinks rape is sex?

That's pretty disgusting.
And i have a few rape fantasies!

Keith,

The fact that women get upset over rape shows that sex is not meaningless. Something can not be both meaningless and upsetting at the same time.

If I say, "Someone poking me in the shoulder is meaningless" and then I get angry when someone pokes me in the shoulder, I am being a hypocrite, am I not? It's either meaningless or it's upsetting. Can't be both.