Palm - Fall 2008 - (Page 7)

FE ATU R E establishing who you are as an individual and a man.” As Dr. Frederick points out, college students are capable of holding their brothers to a higher standard. The problem, not just for fraternities, but for boys and young men in general, is when “Guy Code” becomes the standard. TROUBLE IN GUYLAND Hazing and sexual assault are the most glaring offenders of inappropriate ways that young men attempt to prove their masculinity adhering to “Guy Code.” According to the most recent study on hazing by University of Maine professors Elizabeth Allan and Mary Madden, nearly half of the students surveyed experienced some form of hazing in their campus organizations. Hazing was most prevalent in varsity athletics (74 percent) and fraternities and sororities (73 percent) but was also prevalent in performing arts organizations, academic clubs, and honor societies. More troubling is the fact that nearly 25 percent believed that their coach or advisor knew about it. Kimmel says that while groups proclaim that hazing tests the commitment of prospective members, it is actually a way for the members themselves to conﬁrm their authority and legitimacy. “Things like elephant walks, egg races, and tea-bagging are about the sexual humiliation of presumed heterosexual males,” said Kimmel. “It’s about the sense of entitlement that the older males have to exact violent and degrading behaviors from those more vulnerable than they.” To make matters worse, “Guy Code” dictates that you stay silent in order to keep in good graces. Even when you are against what is going on, you’re not supposed to take a stand. Sex is its own mineﬁeld to be cleared, so acute that all ATO undergraduates are routinely educated about appropriate behavior and how to avoid stepping into harm’s way. Nevertheless, some college men, according to Kimmel, subscribe to what sexual assault counselors call “date rape myths.” Myths like “women want sex as much as men but are socialized to say no when they mean yes” or “women like to be forced to have sex” or that “drunk women are fair game.” According to Kimmel, this belief in date rape myths, coupled with women becoming more aware of what constitutes sexual assault, has increased the number of sexual assaults on college campuses. “These distortions can lead men to think that sexual assault is simply an after-the-fact change of mind,” said Kimmel. FIXING THE PROBLEM Quite obviously, not all men must succumb to the negative side of Guyland. It exists as both a social space and a stage of development and it can be navigated in a healthy manner. The challenge, according to Kimmel, is to create a new deﬁnition of masculinity, one that creates cultures of integrity, honor, and genuine brotherhood. A culture where men encourage one another to stand up for what they believe in in the face of the “Guy Code.” A positive fraternity experience can create that new deﬁnition. Kent State Chapter President Anthony Casillo’s ATO experience has helped him cement his idea of what it means to be a man. “A real man is someone who steps up and speaks his mind when he sees someone is doing something wrong, especially if the person he is stepping up to is a close friend, the chapter president, or some other higher ﬁgure,” he said. A strong – or even average – ATO chapter is based on ideals and principles that are timeless and set the bar for a positive transition through college. The ATO Ritual is a potent force for communicating principled standards and laying the foundation for what true manhood is - an affront to the “Guy Code.” “The principles and values that our fraternity is based upon and what we learn as we go through our Ritual set a high ethical code for us,” said National President Walter J. Hughes. “Chapters that utilize those lessons taught in the Ritual are just one of the things that makes me proud to say that I am an ATO.” Guyland exists partially because males are looking for a place to be men. Fraternities can be that place while providing an appropriate deﬁnition of what being a man is. “Fraternities can give a safe place for men to come and live together and bond and do all the things young people like to do,” said Greif. “There’s a cooperative spirit in social and community activities and allows for time for guys to spend with other guys.” Every day on campuses throughout the country, chapters of ATO are providing the kind of necessary positive environment to help navigate Guyland. “ATO has given me the opportunity to experience true friendship,” said Hodges. “In ATO you establish deep, personal relationships that go far beyond others you’ve established in the past and because of this it enables you to repeat this process with others in the future.” 7 AT O . O RG http://www.ato.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Palm - Fall 2008

Palm - Fall 2008 Contents Navigating Guyland The Next Star 78th ATO Congress NHQ: Headquarters News SIR: Success in Review TAU: Alumni News ITS: In the Spotlight

Palm - Fall 2008

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