By: Bilge Guven, Staff Writer
Warning: The article uses fictitious names to protect real identities. If any fictitious name coincides with a real name, that is purely coincidental. The article also discusses rape culture and sexual misconduct.
On the Friday of Halloween weekend, many students were drawn to frat parties. Members of the fraternity known as Delta Kappa Epsilon allegedly spiked some alcohol served at their party on October 28th, 2022. The shots were allegedly for “girls only” and boys who tried to drink them were stopped by those serving. Lucy, whose real name will not be revealed due to safety concerns, told the Trinity Times that she overheard two boys at the party discussing how the shots had to be “girls only” because they were drugged. She and her group of friends had already taken some of these shots. Upon hearing this, she gathered everyone and they left the party. The girls reported feeling more drunk than they should have been based on their alcohol intake. They also allegedly became physically ill.
What shocked Lucy and Zoe (whose real name also will not be revealed) the most was how people around them reacted when they recalled this experience of feeling that they had been roofied. Almost everyone took to victim-blaming. They asked the girls why they took shots at a frat party and said that they should have known better.
“We were not the problem, the problem started when someone put something in our drinks. We are not to blame and this victim blaming mindset is what normalizes this culture of disrespect and contributes to rape culture,” Zoe says. College students are no stranger to the dangers associated with frat parties, especially for those female-presenting. However, it is anyone’s right to be able to have fun and still be safe at university.
It is difficult to find people willing to go on record about events as traumatic as this alleged one at DKE. Our sources have informed us that, allegedly, a lot more girls were affected, some more severely, by this roofie incident on October 28th. The Trinity Times asked DKE for a comment and their response is as follows:
“As an organization, we take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously. We expect that all our members, whether at our property or elsewhere, do as well – and we will not tolerate or condone any form of sexual misconduct. Having said that, we are unaware of any wrongdoing at our residence or any accusations by or against anyone who may have been there. While we are shocked to hear the allegations that something like this may have happened on our property, without more information we are not able to comment further at this time. We would certainly comply with any police investigation on the matter.”
While organizations indicating their willingness to take accountability is good, those affected must first and foremost feel safe and supported enough to speak up and report, rather than feeling that they will just be victim-blamed—the real issue unaddressed. The rape culture at fraternities runs deep, and this must not be ignored or dismissed. Campus life must include safe spaces for ALL to have fun in a good-old college manner. Zoe, Lucy, and others hope that mustering the courage to speak up about this will instigate real change—not victim blaming.
