Word to the wise, if you send an email to 100 people, and one of the questions within is "If you could rape someone, who would it be?" that email -- even if the rape question is intended as a joke -- is going to spread faster than the varicose veins on your mother's thighs. Sigma Phi Epsilon at University of Vermont learned that lesson the hard way. Now the fraternity has been suspended.
According to BFP:
A survey that asked fraternity members at the University of Vermont about their preferred rape victim, allegedly circulated by members of Sigma Phi Epsilon, has resulted in the fraternity’s suspension and a visit from its national headquarters, according to university officials.
The matter has been forwarded to campus police to determine if there is a criminal aspect to the incident, Thomas J. Gustafson, vice president for student and campus life, said Tuesday.
“We don’t know what we’ve got right now; we don’t know which individual or individuals are involved,” Gustafson said.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon survey question was: “If you could rape someone, who would it be?” according to an email from the organization FedUp Vermont and several online blogs. Other blogs listed slightly different wording.
Members of the Burlington fraternity, often called Sig Ep, would not comment. A woman inside the fraternity house was overheard several times telling members, “Don’t answer the door.” Members looked outside at a reporter but did not respond Tuesday night.
The national chapter of the fraternity, headquartered in Virginia, released a statement late Tuesday saying an investigation was under way.
“The national Fraternity is aware of a situation at the University of Vermont Chapter related to a doc*ment that included several inappropriate questions,” the organization stated in a one-paragraph release on its website. “The Fraternity has instructed the chapter to cease all operations, pending further investigation. Sigma Phi Epsilon and its leadership programs are built on the concept of respect for both self and others. Any behavior that demeans women is not tolerated by the Fraternity. National Fraternity representatives, volunteers and university officials are investigating this situation and will take appropriate action to uphold the Fraternity’s values.
We're posting this because, well, we don't want it to happen to you. A lot of people have a sick sense of humor and even comedians like Louis C.K. tell rape jokes, but when you blast something like that out in written form and you're not a stand-up comedian or saying something so off-the-wall that it can only be construed as a joke, you're going to catch f*cking heat for it. So remember that for the next time you send an email to a hundred of your closest friends.
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