UNH feminists don't want GLO help

[hoosier]

(From Fraternal News)

Feminists feel fraternities took over TBTN
By Andrea Bulfinch - Staff Writer
Published: Friday, April 30, 2004

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo
PHOTO: FAL antif-raternity members carried a banner “We don’t negotiate with terrorists” during the Take Back The Night march protesting greek participation in the event.


Marching with the group of survivors and allies who made their way through campus to protest sexual violence and to "Take Back the Night" (TBTN) was another group of protestors. They were fighting not only against sexual violence but also against participation by the Greek community, namely, fraternities.
According to two Feminist Action League (FAL) members, Susan* and Olivia,* having fraternities invited to the event and allowing them to participate was a "slap in the face" and the night turned into a selling out of feminism that actually catered to fraternities.
The two FAL members feel strongly about the night belonging to survivors of sexual violence, a population which they note is largely female. Their argument against fraternities and males participating is that TBTN was originally part of the feminist movement and was designed for women and survivors to literally "take back the night."
"The fact that they're there, they're not letting us take back the night," Susan said. "You couldn't even hear women's voices."
The FAL members believed the participating fraternities and sororities were not there out of sincere support for the cause. They said they saw people from the Greek community leave the speak-out portion of the evening just 20 minutes after it began.
AmeriCorp worker and Chair of the TBTN committee Jess Harrigan did not return messages left for her in the SHARPP office on Monday and Tuesday. Co-chair Sarah McKay did not respond to an email sent to her by TNH.
Normally, a big part of the theme for the evening, according to the two members of FAL, is thanking the Greek community for being a part of the night. But they see this as a contradiction to the cause. In their opinion, fraternities create an environment that fosters the kind of behavior leading to sexual violence.
"We need to stop coddling the perpetrators," Olivia said, adding that rape has become part of what our culture allows to happen. The members said it doesn't seem like the campus wants to take the step of focusing on the well-being of survivors; they believe fraternities, and the Greek community in general, is fed ideas from the administration that they are the leaders of the University.
"How can they fight sexual violence when they have an oppositional stance?" Susan questioned.
But according to Steve Pappajohn, program adviser for Greek Affairs, the Greek community was indeed in attendance with sincere intentions.
"Anyone who was at this year's event could easily see the strong attendance and genuine intentions behind those involved, Greek or non-Greek," Pappajohn wrote in an email. He said that he was proud of the Greek community for supporting survivors and allies and being part of the fight against sexual violence in the community.
He thought it was the protestors who took away from the significance of TBTN.
"As for the anti-fraternity banner, the only thing I would say is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and my opinion is that those protesting against fraternity involvement that evening were more of a distraction and nuisance to survivors and the true meaning that is behind an event like TBTN," he said in the email.
The two FAL members compared inviting fraternities to participate at TBTN to sweatshop employees who are protesting against their employer.
"Picture this: A large corporation employs sweatshop labor," Olivia said. "The workers want to hold a march protesting the corporation's misuse of them. The people working at the corporation want to gain some benefit, like rights, higher wages and fair working conditions. And then the corporation leaders are invited to speak and be a part of the event and they are thanked for coming."
By stating their argument this way, they said, the focus is taken off of the uncomfortable issue of feminism.
If the members of fraternities truly were allies, said the FAL members, they would be more supportive in the kind of life they lead. Instead, they said fraternities continue to use degrading language and support things like pornography.
"It was obvious they were lost," said Olivia of the fraternities' participation during TBTN.
Chris Hall, president of the Interfraternity Council and member of Sigma Nu, said fraternities should be allowed to go to the event and show their support. He also thought the protestors wanted to provoke the fraternities and get them to retaliate.
"I think their main focus was to get us riled up to say something back, which we were not at all about to do," he said.
But the two members of FAL said they received threats during the march and were not made to feel welcome, especially by sororities.
"Women themselves hurt other women," Susan said. "And there's a desire, need, misunderstanding, that they have to please men."
"It makes us aware that we're needed," Olivia said. "You know you're telling the truth when people get upset."
The larger issue behind the protestors' actions at TBTN is the fact that the FAL would also like to see fraternities abolished altogether. They said the FAL is "targeting groups, not individuals, who help this culture," adding that "this culture" is one now accepting forms of sexual violence.
"I think to generalize frats in general is a bad assumption," Hall said.
Scott Hampton, who was the keynote speaker at TBTN, said the concept of fraternity could be built on by creating a men's group that is focused specifically against violence against women.
"There's no reason it should be contradictory to the goals of a fraternity," he said.
Hampton said he considers himself a feminist because he believes both men and women should be equals. The members of FAL said that men and women simply being equal is the most basic definition of feminism.
FAL also commented on having a male speaker at TBTN. The issue of consent, they said, which is what Hampton spoke of that evening, is only a certain kind of sexual violence.
"It doesn't address the larger picture," Susan said.
To them, the larger picture included questioning why men have a sense of entitlement when it comes to anything that is positive, including sex, as well as leading the march during TBTN.
The members of FAL believe fraternities only encourage a male-dominated society, something they feel UNH is right now.
"This campus is not conducive to a feminist environment," Susan said. They said there has been a history of harassment at UNH toward feminists and they have learned to be careful in terms of protecting themselves.
However, the FAL wants people to know that they are here to stay.
"We're not going away if anyone was wondering," Olivia said. "We're here for the long haul. We see what they're doing. We're going to tell everyone."
Editor's note: After serious consideration by TNH, the two members of the Feminist Action League were granted anonymity because they expressed concern for their safety after being taunted while protesting during TBTN.