TO THE EDITOR:
Yesterday the National Pan-Hellenic Council took issue with the Daily Tar Heel’s pressure to require One Act training. Their list of programs was long, but the fact remains that hosting non-mandatory events and leading by example are two different things. Furthermore, glaringly absent are events sponsored solely by fraternities; even the UNC Men’s Project paired with a sorority. While NPHC organizations do host events “on the very subject” of sexual assault, not all are preventative.
A student’s first encounter with the NPHC is usually at a party. Unbeknownst to them, many parties are notorious for raunchiness. A notable example is the Pretty Nasty party hosted in the Union when I was an undergrad. Womyn were groped, bitten and licked and those who complained were told they were asking for it by attending.
Speaking for myself as a student, alumna, former Graduate and Professional Student Federation president, member of the Gender-Based Violence Prevention Task Force and a Black female survivor whose assailant is an NPHC member, I implore upon those who claim to have walked a mile in survivors’ shoes to step up and end rape culture within their own organizations. One Act is not an event. It specifically promotes bystander intervention in settings like NPHC parties. An event cannot replace training individuals to stop rape before it happens.
As we again mourn Faith Hedgepeth, a Greek Alliance Council womyn of color, it is imperative that people of color on this campus critically examine how our culture promotes rape culture and excuses gender-based violence.
