The Situation
At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta has been no stranger to suspensions, and alleges inappropriate conduct within their group commonly referred to as “ Fiji”. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 24, 2021, in an off-campus housing spot, it is reported that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln police responded to a 17-year-old girl raped by a 19-year-old student who was part of the fraternity. In the report, the girl says she was at the party with an 18-year-old friend of hers, and that the situation happened after her friend had left. The identity of the girl has not been released, and further information has yet to be provided.
Enough is enough
This fraternity on its own has had many past violations including inappropriate sexual conduct, and sexual assaults. After a petition was released, there have been countless more women coming forward and sharing their stories surrounding the men of Fiji and their gross usage of power and manipulation over many, many women. Rape and sexual assault is not a rarity among college campuses; according to RAINN, “13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (among all graduate and undergraduate students),” (rainn.org). The number of assaults happening on college campuses, and the lack of things being done about them is something that drastically needs to change in universities across the U.S. "
Media Outrage
Since the incident, there has been very public outrage over the crime itself, and the lack of administrative action being taken. Social media posts spread like wildfire, and there has been no shortage of posts highlighting the urgency and severity of the sexual assault, and a call to action about them. There have been multiple petitions that have gained attraction as well, which is raising awareness for the type of crimes happening in fraternities across the U.S. There have been large amounts of articles released as well, which has created even more of a frenzy as readers examine the details, and are enraged over the lack of authority and change being pursued.
What has been done
So far the fraternity is under probation, and there are countless articles, petitions, and social media posts circulating. Many are hoping the university abolishes the fraternity as a whole, and sets a precedent for other universities to do the same and take sexual assault cases more seriously, and spread awareness on the widespread issue. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln police is currently working on looking into this case, along with the other cases coming to light since the incident has been publicized. University Chancellor Ronnie Green stated that “The university has a ‘responsibility to follow the legal guidance and process for investigating sexual assault and to ‘protect the rights of all involved,”. (CBS).
Gen Z Impact
Crimes like these really hit home for those born in Generation Z because oftentimes, the main reason crimes as these get publicized is by the pressure of our generation to spark change. Additionally, many of us young people who are either in college or preparing to go to college within the next couple of years are easily disheartened seeing situations like these because of the sheer frequency that these crimes happen. This issue needs to be addressed now; sexual assault and rape are all too prevalent in our society, and collectively as a generation, we need to stand up against any news outlets/ media attempting to silence us and create a movement of change.
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