Navigating the Risks of Party Rape in Historically White Greek Life at an Elite College: Women's Accounts.

This article examines how women in historically White sororities (HWGL) at a selective U.S. university understand, assign responsibility for, and seek to prevent party rape within the context of Greek life, updating prior research in light of post-2011 Title IX policy changes and anti-sexual violence campaigns. Based on 121 interviews with 68 sorority women and risk managers conducted between 2017 and 2019, the study finds that women are deeply invested in the Greek party scene but critique institutional policies—particularly those of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and the university—that restrict sorority control over party spaces and inadequately support survivors. Women take on significant labor to prevent sexual violence through strategies like sober sister monitoring and blocklisting individual men deemed risky, yet they rarely endorse boycotting entire fraternities, reflecting a desire to maintain the social benefits of Greek life. The findings highlight how racial, gender, and class privileges shape both the risks women face and their prevention strategies, emphasizing institutional reform proposals such as allowing sororities to host parties, while also revealing the limitations imposed by women's alignment with fraternity men and the broader Greek system.