The call for change

A University of Southern California student is making waves by calling for the complete abolition of fraternities across the country. Charlotte Dekle, who serves as the opinion editor for the USC student newspaper, the Daily Trojan, argues that recent, disturbing headlines are just the tip of the iceberg in a system she believes is fundamentally broken.

The Cornell 7 context

This push for action follows a massive 101-page lawsuit filed this past September. A former Cornell University student, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was coerced into taking ketamine at a Chi Phi fraternity house. The lawsuit claims she was repeatedly sexually assaulted for hours while in and out of consciousness at the hands of seven fraternity brothers.

More than one campus

Dekle isn’t just looking at Cornell. She points out that USC has faced its own dark history, specifically mentioning a 2021 incident where a person was allegedly drugged and raped at the Sigma Nu fraternity. According to Dekle, after USC attempted to implement safety measures like security guards and prevention workshops, several fraternities chose to "disaffiliate" from the school to avoid oversight. She notes that these "rogue" groups are now even harder for the university to hold accountable under Title IX.

Why it’s more than just a ‘bad apple’ issue

It’s giving systemic issues, according to Dekle. Her argument goes beyond sexual violence to include concerns about racism, homophobia, and alcohol abuse. She suggests that these organizations survive because they function as powerful networking pipelines that promise alumni success and job connections.

She also highlighted that the toxicity hits everyone: from the Wisconsin-Madison chapter where members were allegedly found chained in a basement, to hazing rituals at the University of Arizona where pledges were forced to swallow live goldfish. She even points out that sororities often feel pressured to stay quiet to maintain their social calendars, despite statistics suggesting sorority members face a higher risk of sexual violence.

Why it matters

Dekle’s op-ed hits hard because she’s arguing that the power dynamics required for fraternities to function are the exact same ones enabling abuse. For survivors and students watching these headlines, it feels like the plot thickens every week, and this call to abolish the entire system is a major escalation in the campus safety debate.