A Forbes contributor wrote an offensive column Tuesday — which was quickly removed from the website — blaming intoxicated female students for many of the problems currently attributed to college fraternities.
Titled “Drunk Female Guests Are The Gravest Threat To Fraternities,” Bill Frezza’s column lays out the many perceived risks that women pose to the typically do-gooding fraternity men he advises. According to Gawker, where we first saw this story, Frezza is an MIT alumnus and serves as the president of the alumni house corporation for the school’s Chi Phi chapter.
MIT has recently become a part of the ongoing debate about the role of Greek life on college campuses. The university recently suspended large parties on campus after an intoxicated college-age female fell from a third-floor window of an MIT fraternity house.
Additionally, as the issue of college sexual assault continues to emerge as a national discussion, student drinking has become a key aspect of the debate, with some people controversially suggesting that young women are almost allowing unwanted action by consuming large amounts of alcohol.
In his column, Frezza works to shift the blame of the many issues surrounding Greek life and student safety from rowdy frat boys to drunk college girls:
“We take the rules very seriously, so much so that brothers who flout these policies can, and will, be asked to move out. But we have very little control over women who walk in the door carrying enough pre-gaming booze in their bellies to render them unconscious before the night is through …
In our age of sexual equality, why drunk female students are almost never characterized as irresponsible jerks is a question I leave to the feminists. But it is precisely those irresponsible women that the brothers must be trained to identify and protect against, because all it takes is one to bring an entire fraternity system down.”
Some of his advice is, surprisingly, helpful (when slightly modified). For example, he writes, “In addition to the usual bouncers, assign several brothers to monitor female party guests. If any appear out of control, walk them to the door and put them in a cab heading back to their dorm.”
The correct way to write this, of course, is “In addition to the usual bouncers, assign several brothers to monitor party guests.”
Another paragraph, as noted by Jezebel’s Erin Gloria Ryan, also highlights some solid advice for fraternity members:
“And please, look out for each other. Do not let a drunk brother take a drunk female to his bedroom. During parties wet or dry, let the water flow – proper hydration and dilution is the best remedy for over consumption. Make sure there are filled water pitchers everywhere. Press them on intoxicated guests even if they resist.”
It’s a shame then, when this kind of guidance is obscured by outdated and offensive thinking about female students.
SEE ALSO: Clemson Suspends 24 Fraternities Following The Death Of Student
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Forbes Contributor Writes Offensive Column Blaming 'Drunk Female Guests' For Fraternity Problems
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