USC opinion editor Charlotte Dekle is demanding the abolition of every fraternity nationwide, declaring the system “beyond repair” after a former Cornell student filed a 101-page lawsuit against seven Chi Phi brothers.
Dekle, a political science student at the University of Southern California, published her call in the Daily Trojan last week. She argues that disaffiliation is insufficient and that the entire Greek system must be dismantled.
“Fraternity members engaging in sexual violence is nothing new,” Dekle wrote in the opinion piece. “What might have once been an outlet for young men to build community has become a system that often enables sexual violence and other unspeakable horrors. Thus, disaffiliation is not enough; they must be abolished.”
The article centers on the case of Jane Doe, a former Cornell University student who filed suit in September 2026 accusing seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers of drug-fueled gang rape at the fraternity house. According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe arrived at the Chi Phi house intoxicated and was allegedly coerced into taking ketamine before being repeatedly sexually assaulted over several hours while drifting in and out of consciousness.
Dekle, 21, ties the Cornell case to broader patterns she says extend well beyond Ithaca. She points to USC’s own Sigma Nu fraternity, where someone was allegedly drugged and raped in 2021.
“Sigma Nu, along with five other fraternities, disaffiliated from USC after the University dared to monitor their behavior after sexual assault allegations,” Dekle wrote in her Daily Trojan piece.
She contends this exodus made conditions more dangerous. After the 2021 incidents, USC introduced sexual violence prevention workshops and security guards at gatherings, but disaffiliated chapters no longer face those requirements. Under Title IX, the university bears responsibility only for assaults at school-sanctioned events, and “rogue fraternities would not apply,” Dekle noted.
The opinion editor bolstered her argument with a 2007 study by College of William and Mary researcher John Foubert finding that men in fraternities are three times more likely to commit sexual violence. She also cited research published in St. John University’s Journal of Vincentian Social Action stating that women in sororities are 74% more likely to be raped than nonmembers.
Dekle’s critique ranges wider than sexual assault alone. She links fraternities to alcohol abuse, racism, hate crimes and homophobia, arguing the groups persist primarily because they deliver financial and networking advantages: higher alumni incomes, increased donations to schools and job pipelines connecting members.
“Frats can not only act as incubators of power differentials, but also a runway to future power. The power differential that is required for fraternities to exist is the same one that leads to the sexual assault of women,” she wrote.
The article also highlights alleged abuses against male pledges. Dekle referenced a September case where leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi were arrested after dozens of members were found chained in a basement covered in condiments. That same month, a University of Arizona fraternity drew suspension after pledges were allegedly forced to swallow live goldfish.
Dekle argues sororities remain constrained by their dependence on fraternities for social events, creating pressure to stay silent about abuses.
“They need to be abolished so we can finally begin to rectify and confront the pain of the generations of survivors who have been subjected to others’ abuses of power,” she wrote.
The Cornell lawsuit landed in September 2026, with Jane Doe’s 101-page complaint detailing allegations of ketamine coercion and hours of assault at the Chi Phi house. The case has intensified scrutiny of Greek life nationwide, with Dekle’s intervention representing one of the most sweeping institutional condemnations to emerge from a campus newspaper.
Dekle’s article does not specify next steps for advocacy or indicate whether student organizations plan formal action against USC’s remaining affiliated Greek chapters.