Are frats “rape factories”?
  October 15, 2026 Hello, my lovely Meteor readers, The fall sickies have hit our staff with a vengeance, so we’re getting right to the point today. First, a damning list of misogynist fraternity incidents (and these don’t even include horrific hazing incidents or rampant racism). Plus, right on time, an invitation to a night of fury. Hand-foot-and-mouth is as gross as it sounds, Nona Willis Aronowitz  WHAT’S GOING ON THIS IS NOT OUR FIRST RODEO. (VIA GETTY IMAGES) Bring down the (frat) houses: On the ninth anniversary of MeToo, and as debate rages anew about the horrors of frat culture, we present to you a non-comprehensive list of sexual assaults and other misogynist incidents occurring at fraternities in the last couple of decades. 2008, Arizona State University, Sigma Chi: A woman charges that she was drugged and raped by two men at the frat, waking up in what she describes as“immense pain.” 2010, Yale University, Delta Kappa Epsilon: Brothers walk through campus chanting “No means yes, yes means anal!” 2010, Wesleyan University, Beta Theta Pi: A freshman is sexually assaulted at a Halloween party hosted by a frat dubbed “the rape factory.” 2013, Georgia Tech, Phi Kappa Tau: One member emails his brothers advice on “luring rapebait.” 2013, Willamette University, Sigma Chi: The frat loses its house after a trove of Facebook comments become public, including one that suggests, “Just cunt punt her.” 2015, Stanford University, Kappa Alpha: Brock Turner sexually assaults Chanel Miller behind a dumpster after meeting her and her sister at a Kappa Alpha frat party. 2018, Cornell University, Zeta Beta Tau: Frat holds a “pig roast” to see who can have sex with the most women. 2021, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Phi Gamma Delta: Massive protests follow allegations of a 17-year-old girl being raped at the frat house. 2022, University of Washington, Pi Kappa Phi: A woman alleges in a lawsuit that a frat brother raped her while “completely unconscious, immobile, and intoxicated.” 2024, Cornell University, Chi Phi: Jane Doe charges that she was drugged with ketamine and gang-raped for hours. Her lawsuit is pending. Is there a clear pattern? Absolutely. And while abolishing frats might not be a silver feminist bullet (it would not, alas, end misogyny), this tip-of-the-iceberg list shows it’s not a fringe or ridiculous idea, either. AND:
ONE MORE THING: JOIN US IN NYC ON OCTOBER 27! Furious? We feel you. Bring your righteous rage—at the world and the people who claim to run it—to Joe’s Pub in New York City on October 27 at 9:30 PM for SAY THE WORD! We’ve got an allstar lineup of fantastically furious artists and visionaries—like actor Ashley Judd, poet Patricia Smith, writer Bess Kalb, scholar Dr. Brittney Cooper, comedian Phoebe Robinson, performer Peppermint and many more—for a night of music, monologues and action to make our world better. Proceeds to benefit Survivor Justice Network, a coalition of organizations centering survivor voices and building survivor power. Get tickets here.  FOLLOW THE METEOR     Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? |
