Last year, fraternities at USC faced allegations of sexual abuse and non-consensual drugging, as people came forward to say that they were drugged and assaulted at fraternity events. In response, USC has issued new rules governing fraternity parties this spring, including requiring that fraternities post security guards on stairwells and hallways leading to bedrooms.
Hazing Attorney David Bianchi was invited to NewsNation Prime to share his thoughts on the new rules, and he said in no uncertain terms that they would not be enough. "The only way you're going to stop this is for the university gets tough on the people who are offending," he said, "and they don't get tough."
Bianchi has not only handled fraternity hazing cases but has also advocated for victims of sexual assault. He knows more than most that individual wrongdoing often goes hand-in-hand with institutional failure. "I could cite you all sorts of examples where fraternity members break the law, people get seriously injured, assaulted, or die, and the universities refuse to expel them from the school," he told NewsNation host Marni Hughes.
In the end, David understands that more rules are not a realistic way of fixing fraternity behavior. Many of the measures USC is implementing—additional trainings, more security—already exist. Adding more of what wasn't working before is not a solution. Instead, holding fraternity members and officers responsible with real stakes is the only way to force fraternities to police themselves.
"The only way you're going to rein this in is not with another seven-page document. You're going to have to immediately expel everybody involved, including the officers at each chapter when it happens," Bianchi added. "Because I believe that the officers of the chapter are in the best position to control the conduct."