America’s College Culture At A Crossroads

Hot on campus. Binge drinking. Sexual assault. Greek life trouble. And a lot of youthful courage. We’re checking in with college newspaper editors.

Rough headlines, headlines of change, off American college campuses lately.  Convicted athletes facing decades in jail for sexual assault.  Hard liquor bans.  Sorority girls ordered to stay out of fraternities.  New York’s governor calling for “affirmative consent” before sex on campus.  And missteps, too. Rolling Stone fumbling its sex assault reporting.  Standing corrected.  We wanted to hear straight from campus about what’s going on.  We’ve got three top student editors in to share.  From Vanderbilt, the University of Virginia, Dartmouth.  This hour On Point:  College now, right from the source.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Tyler Bishop, editor in chief of the Vanderbilt Hustler, the student newspaper at Vanderbilt University. College senior. (@tbishup)

Julia Horowitz, editor in chief of the Cavalier Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Virginia. College junior. (@juliakhorowitz)

Katie McKay, editor in chief of The Dartmouth, the student newspaper at Dartmouth College. College junior. (@katiermckay)

Vanderbilt Hustler: Focusing the blurred lines — "We are continually reminded that sexual misconduct is wrong (and illegal). Students are encouraged to understand and articulate why perpetrators of sexual violence are harmful. Even further, we are warned of behavior to watch out for and signs that situations are going downhill. It goes without saying that all of these approaches are warranted, justified and absolutely necessary."

POLITICO Magazine: Why We Believed Jackie's Rape Story --"I am drained. I am confused. But I keep returning to one question. If everyone here believed Jackie’s story until yesterday — a story in which she is violently raped by seven men at a fraternity house as part of a planned initiation ritual — should we not still be concerned? There was something in that story which stuck. And that means something."

Washington Post: How sorority culture contributes to the campus rape problem -- "Sexual violence, hazing, drugs, recruitment, racism, bullying: Many sisters told me that their sororities have swept these issues under the rug, insisting that the public – and, in some cases, the university – shouldn’t know about them. Sorority leaders declare they can deal with their issues internally. But they’ve had decades to try, and the same issues recur year after year."