A University of Southern California student is urging colleges nationwide to shut down every fraternity, arguing that the “Cornell 7” case is more than a warning—it demonstrates that the fraternity system is beyond repair.
“Fraternity members engaging in sexual violence is nothing new,” political science student Charlotte Dekle wrote in an opinion column published by USC’s student newspaper, the Daily Trojan.
Dekle, who serves as the newspaper’s opinion editor, argues that fraternities have moved far beyond their original role as spaces for young men to form communities. Instead, she says, they often enable sexual violence and other serious abuses. “Thus, disaffiliation is not enough; they must be abolished,” she wrote.
To support her argument, Dekle cited a 2007 study by John Foubert, a researcher at the College of William and Mary, which found that fraternity members were three times more likely to commit sexual violence.
Her column followed a lawsuit filed by a former Cornell University student identified as Jane Doe. In the 101-page complaint, she accused seven Chi Phi fraternity members of participating in a drug-fueled gang rape at the fraternity house.
According to the lawsuit, filed in September 2026, Jane Doe arrived at the Chi Phi house intoxicated and was allegedly pressured into taking ketamine. She claims she was sexually assaulted repeatedly over several hours while moving in and out of consciousness.
Dekle contends that Cornell is not an isolated example and points to several alleged cases of drug use and sexual assault at USC. In 2021, a person was allegedly drugged and raped at the university’s Sigma Nu fraternity.
“Sigma Nu, along with five other fraternities, disaffiliated from USC after the University dared to monitor their behavior after sexual assault allegations,” Dekle wrote.
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She argues that the move had the opposite of its intended effect. Following the 2021 incidents, USC introduced sexual violence prevention workshops and placed security guards at fraternity gatherings, but chapters that disaffiliated were no longer required to follow those measures.
Under Title IX, Dekle wrote, the university would be responsible only for assaults connected to school-sanctioned events, meaning so-called “rogue fraternities” would fall outside that oversight.
The column also links fraternities to alcohol abuse, racism, hate crimes and homophobia. Dekle argues that the organizations continue to receive support largely because of their financial and networking benefits, including higher alumni incomes, greater donations to universities and career pipelines for members.
“Frats can not only act as incubators of power differentials, but also a runway to future power,” Dekle wrote. “The power differential that is required for fraternities to exist is the same one that leads to the sexual assault of women.”
Dekle also argues that fraternity culture can harm men, citing a September case in which leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi were arrested after dozens of members were reportedly found chained in a basement and covered in condiments.
That same month, a University of Arizona fraternity was suspended after pledges were allegedly forced to swallow live goldfish.
According to Dekle, sororities can also face pressure to remain silent because they often rely on fraternities for social events. She cited research published in St. John’s University’s Journal of Vincentian Social Action that found women in sororities were 74% more likely to be raped than women who were not members.
“They need to be abolished so we can finally begin to rectify and confront the pain of the generations of survivors who have been subjected to others’ abuses of power,” Dekle wrote.
