Pennsylvania college's fraternities disband amid protests

Two fraternities at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania have disbanded amid protests over leaked documents featuring racist, homophobic and misogynist language, including talks of a “rape tunnel” and “rape attic.”

Phi Psi and Delta Upsilon both announced the decisions via Facebook Tuesday. Phi Psi was embroiled in controversy after leaked minutes recapping meetings from 2010 to 2016 were obtained by the student-run news outlets The Phoenix and Voices.

In one of the recaps, Delta Upsilon is referenced as to having “both a rape tunnel AND a rape attic (gotta choose one or the other).”

Another document made light of sexual assault, noting an encounter between a man and a woman at the fraternity house.

“Up to this point, I honestly thought that a male getting sexually assaulted was a hoax. A myth. A masquerade fashioned by elitist feminists to legitimize their own troubles. I just could not comprehend how a man could allow a woman to sexually conquer him without putting up a fight. This view, however, completely changed after this past Thursday. [NAME] was legitimately assaulted. Deflowered, if you will. Some broad rolled into Phi Psi and was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer,” the minutes read.

“I know exactly what you are thinking. Ahhh [NAME] that hilarious! It’s just too bad no one has video or photo evidence to back up your claims! Bam. False. Not only do I have a nice 26 second video of the molestation, but there are some glorious screen shots as well.”

Phi Psi called the documents “unacceptable” and said they were “appalled and disgusted by the content of these minutes.”

“We cannot in good conscience be members of an organization with such a painful history,” the greek organization wrote on Facebook.

Delta Upsilon also addressed the controversy, noting they “unanimously decided that disbanding our fraternity is in the best interest of the Swarthmore community.”

Dozens of students had been protesting Phi Psi since Saturday.

In one social media post by Voices, the newspaper said that nearly 100 students attended a sit-in, which lasted four days, at the house leased to the fraternity. They were demanding the school terminate the leases and disband the Greek organizations.

In a letter to students Monday, Swarthmore President Valerie Smith said that all fraternity activity had been suspended pending the outcome of the school’s investigation into the matter.

Smith also noted that the task force created last year to inspect social life on campus, including Greek life, will release its recommendations by Friday.

“What is contained within those pages is vulgar and deeply offensive to all of us,” she wrote. “The racism, misogyny, and homophobia described within them is antithetical to the values of the College and violates the student code of conduct as well as basic decency.”