While the idea of brotherhood and lifelong friendships is often the ideal presented by fraternities, the reality can be starkly different. These residential houses have, too often, become sites of excessive and risky behaviors, including underage drinking and unreported incidents of hazing and sexual assault.

Fraternities were initially founded to foster community and academic excellence among students, but current statistics paint a different picture. Studies reveal that members of fraternities are three times more likely to engage in binge drinking than non-members (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Moreover, a report by the Culture of Respect initiative notes that fraternity members are also four times more prone to commit sexual assault than their fellow students.

These houses also pose financial burdens on universities and cities, often requiring increased policing and emergency services, straining public resources meant for the community as a whole. Take, for instance, the $3 million spent by Indiana University in 2018 to address fraternity-related activities on and off-campus.

This petition seeks to eliminate only the residential aspect of social fraternities while retaining their ability to contribute to academic and service activities. Without the housing component, fraternities could still function within campus guidelines, with more oversight and accountability. Such a change would not only enhance student safety but also align fraternity operations with the core educational mission of our institutions.

I urge the United States Congress to introduce legislation that ends residential social fraternity houses, thereby prioritizing student safety and the educational environment over unnecessary risks and distractions. By implementing this change, we can transform campus culture for the better, ensuring that all students feel secure and valued in their academic communities.

Please lend your voice to this cause by signing and sharing this petition. Together, we can make American college campuses safer and more inclusive for everyone.