American justice has opened an investigation into the gang rape of a student at the private Cornell University. The events allegedly happened during a student evening organized by a university fraternity.
Cornell University (New York state) is rocked by a major controversy. An investigation was opened following a complaint filed for a rape case in 2024. The complainant nicknamed “ Jane Doe“, his identity has not been revealed. She said she was drugged and then raped by seven fraternity students. Chi Phi » during a student evening in 2024.
The complaint filed is the second in this case. An initial internal report to the university did not result in any prosecution. The student group has since been disbanded by the university which regularly features in the top 15 best universities of the world.
Fraternities and sororities, also called Greek Lifeaim to bring together students from a university to participate in campus life through academic support, evenings, charitable works, etc. Becoming a member also allows you to create a network for the future. If the phenomenon is much more important in the United States than in France it is because Greek Life is more structured and older, the first was created in 1776. Even if there is no official census, there are around a hundred fraternities and sororities across the Atlantic.
Discretion is essential
If a lot of rumors circulate about the internal workings of universities it is because there is a certain culture of silence around fraternities and sororities. Whether associations of debauchery or real antechambers of powerGreek Life prefer to keep their traditions and rituals private. This ” law of silence » can lead to pressure not to denounce one of the members, during hazing for example. This problem seems to be as present in fraternities as it is in sororities.
To counter this, there are Interfraternity Conferences. The latter bring together all the fraternities on a campus around a council to supervise and provide a sort of procedure to follow and a limit not to be exceeded. The code of conduct of the North American Interfraternity Conference asks members to confront behavior that violates the rules in order to break the silence.
Behind the traditions that the members of Greek Life highlight, some denounce thebetween yourself and the power ofmoney. Note that a year in a fraternity or sorority can cost several thousand euros in addition to tuition. The various discriminations during recruitment are also singled out.
