Amid the beginning of a semester that has been the deadliest at Texas Tech University, Tech has announced the creation of a task force to address recent concerns within the university’s greek system including a sign from Tech’s Phi Delta Theta chapter blatantly condoning rape.

The inception of Tech’s Fall 2014 semester is the deadliest in memory with five students losing their lives including incoming freshman Dalton Debrick. Debrick, 18, died at a party one week before the semester started from acute alcohol poisoning. Debrick had announced his intention to pledge to Alpha Sigma Phi and died at one of their events.

The fraternity’s headquarters later released a statement concerning Debrick’s death.

As a result of their investigation, we determined there were violations of our Risk Management policies which prompted us to cease operations and close the Colony.

This was especially disappointing since the Colony and members received training and education on Fraternity Risk Management policies.”

However, the event that really sparked controversy this semester was a picture posted to a fraternity lifestyle website TotalFratMove.com. The sign which read, “No means yes, yes means anal” was seen at the Lubbock chapter of Phi Delta Theta’s Hurricane Party. The sign was seen along with a crude cardboard effigy of a woman with a sprinkler replacing her genitalia. A quick search on the site revealed another article discussing the suspension of Tech's Phi Gamma Delta chapter after a pledge took an unsolicited nude picture of a college age female and circulated it.

The sign is endemic of a culture that exists on college campuses which does not believe that non-consensual sex is the same as rape.

Rob Snyder, KFYO.com
Rob Snyder, KFYO.com
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According the most recent Clery Campus Security Alert report released by the Texas Tech University Police department in accordance with federal law, between 2010 and 2012 13 forcible sex offenses took place on the Lubbock campus. The National Institute of Justice believes those figures to be higher as they estimateless than 5 percent of campus rape incidents are reported to authorities

Although Phi Delta Theta has suspended the chapter and released a distancing statement, the damage has been done and Texas Tech University System Chancellor Robert Duncan and Texas Tech President M. Duane Nellis have announced the creation of a task force to address these issues. Chancellor Duncan released this statement -

Our goal of this task force is to strengthen the culture and standards of conduct in the Greek community at Texas Tech University. As not only chancellor, but also a former fraternity member, I know the recent incidents involving some of our Greek students and organizations do not reflect the values and overall environment at this university. In addition to the current programs and policies in place, it is clear that we need to do more for the well-being of all of our students.”

The task force, headed by Senior Vice President and Vice Provost Juan Munoz, will meet throughout the fall and make recommendations for the spring semester.

Although Texas Tech University and national chapters of fraternities have done work to distance themselves from the rhetoric so brazenly displayed by the boys of Phi Delta Theta, many are left with the question – how can a culture that tolerates and even jokes about rape begin to go about deconstructing those very notions?

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