To the National Panhellenic Conference International and National Presidents, We, the members of you

To the National Panhellenic Conference International and National Presidents, We, the members of your organizations and students at the University of Virginia, are deeply troubled by the handling of the recent mandate surrounding Boys’ Bid Night. While we understand the necessity to be safe during this high-risk night, the situation was, and continues to be, mishandled.Our concern is not the prohibition to attend fraternity parties on the night in question, but the lack of transparency in coming to this decision and its implications for women at the University. Given the current climate surrounding Greek life at the University of Virginia, it is appropriate and necessary to question the occurrence of Boys’ Bid Night and its value to our community. What is inappropriate and concerning to us is the compulsory nature of this mandate. Not only were none of the chapter leaders consulted, but some two thousand members of the national sorority chapters at UVa are expected to comply with this decision. Our concerns lie in the way sorority women are being used as leverage to change the actions and behaviors of fraternity men. This resolution has misconstrued us as a passive aggregate rather than active agents for change. It has also had the unintended consequence of subjugating women. Moreover, the climate and culture of UVa, especially in the wake of the alleged culture of sexual assault, was not sufficiently taken into account. Women have historically been the targets of sexual violence, and forbidding us to exercise our agency plays dangerously into gender stereotypes surrounding the issue. Sororities are organizations founded to empower women. They are, by their very nature, organizations meant to foster strength among their members. They are organizations that inherently promote gender equality. This mandate is diametrically opposed to the values on which our organizations were founded and is contrary to the principals we continue to uphold.This solution is not long-term, realistic, or sustainable. The mandate suggests, inadvertently perhaps, that women should not and cannot exist in certain spaces. It undermines extensive work already done to rewrite the Fraternal Organization Agreements of chapters and the work of student advocacy groups. Going forward, we expect our national sororities to engage in meaningful dialogue with their members to create real and lasting policies. Going forward, we expect our national sororities to be allies and partners striving to combat issues including gender equality and sexual assault while also creating empowered women proud to take part in their organizations. ‘Punishing Us For Being Women’: UVA Sorority Members Protest Frat Party Ban  -- source link

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