Read the Rapey Emails of American University's 'Secret Fraternity'

By Erin Gloria Ryan | April 21, 2014 | 10:00pm

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“Get the bitches in the right state of intoxication so the plows will be raining all over the place,” read one of the fraternity-wide emails. “She had a friend who got raped in our house?” read another. “I would like to meet this lying cunt and show her how African men tread their women.” In an unrelated email chain, another Epsilon Iota fraternity member lamented, “Something needs to be done so bitches will still go to our parties.”

Last week, 70 pages of leaked emails and texts from Epsilon Iota’s listserv were sent anonymously to several students at American University. The trove and accompanying anonymous blog about the fraternity’s overall bastardry quickly went viral among students, faculty, and administration at the school, and by Friday had prompted a petition, a Facebook group, and an administration-launched inquiry.

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The emails were gathered and leaked by an anonymous source. Another anonymous individual close to the leak is currently curating the blog The Fratergate AU, which aims to force the school’s administration to address the abusive behavior implied in the group’s emails.

I’ve read all 70 pages, and it’s about as predictably awful as one might imagine. Plenty of rape jokes that aren’t really jokes as much as they’re illiterate rape word salad.

Lots of references to bitches of all kinds. Fat bitches, mean bitches, opinionated bitches, freshman bitches, senior bitches. Bitches getting finger banged in cabs and bitches getting fucked in libraries. Bitches who need to come to parties. Lazy bitches.

The leaked emails contained discussions about how to sell or obtain drugs, well-laid plans to get women drunk so they’re more likely to sleep with the brothers, and plenty of disparaging comments about women who one or more of the brothers had “plowed.”

There were also allusions to a “rape incident” and a desire to salvage their reputation for future pledges. Said allusion referred to a 2010 letter to the editor written by an ~~EI member~~ under the headline “Dealing With AU’s Anti-Sex Brigade.” Here’s part of it:

Let’s get this straight: any woman who heads to an EI party as an anonymous onlooker, drinks five cups of the jungle juice, and walks back to a boy’s room with him is indicating that she wants sex, OK?

To cry ‘date rape’ after you sober up the next morning and regret the incident is the equivalent of pulling a gun to someone’s head and then later claiming that you didn’t ever actually intend to pull the trigger.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, man.

If the emails exchanged among the brothers are to be believed, nothing has changed in EI since the 2010. In fact, one particular thread of emails implicated two of the frat’s members in the assault of a woman.

“Never hit a woman ever…. That being said, let’s formulate an excuse.” Lol. Classic, guys.

EI’s collective pants-shitting would be hilarious if it hadn’t been in response to an actual assault for which the brothers involved got off scot free. Or if something were done about the organization.

Problem is, something has already been done about EI; they were kicked off campus. More than a decade ago. Here’s the University’s official line on EI:

Epsilon Iota – Also referred to as EI is the former Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) chapter that was closed both by the University and Alpha Tau Omega headquarters in March 2001.The fraternity lost university and national fraternity recognition for serious policy violations which involved hazing and alcohol abuse. Upon loss of recognition, members of this group formed this unrecognized organization. Involvement in this unrecognized organization could pose risks to students, and the university highly discourages individuals from joining them. The university encouraged you to join only recognized fraternities if you choose to pursue fraternity and sorority life.

Further, on Friday, the university President sent an email to the entire university community that contained this bit:

What AU is doing
I assure you that the university is taking the information contained in the emails very seriously. We are taking swift and deliberate action to investigate every one of the alleged behaviors and will apply our student conduct code to its fullest extent.

In addition, we are working closely with appropriate law enforcement agencies on any potential criminal activities that are found.

We will communicate as circumstances warrant, and we will continue to promote the highest level of awareness on our campus about student conduct, the behaviors identified in the emails, and the role and responsibilities of fraternities and sororities in our community.

What AU cannot do
Many in our campus community are also outraged by the alleged behaviors and are calling for specific actions and a high level of transparency by the university. However, the university is bound by regulations and statutes regarding the disclosure of names and disciplinary and other actions taken with students and with law enforcement.

We will be as transparent as we can be, but we will not jeopardize due process and the rights of individual privacy. We ask you to understand and respect the university’s governance and legal responsibilities.

At least one official AU fraternity has released a statement denouncing EI and posted it to Facebook.

So, to review: EI is not actually a “fraternity” in any sense of the word. They’re just a “freelance club of douchebags pretending to be a fraternity that has operated unchecked like a raging herpes outbreak on AU’s upper lip for more than a decade.”

All this would be very sad if it didn’t seem, by all accounts, that their fuckery has gone unchecked and unpunished for as long as it has, how many real people have been hurt by a merry band of little shits who think date rape is hilarious and sometimes bitches just want to get smacked.