January 29, 1997. UF/SFCC Campus NOW Demands that UF:

January 29, 1997. UF/SFCC Campus NOW Demands that UF:
March 1997

1. Remove CARE from the mental health department in the Infirmary.
Rape is not a mental health issue and keeping CARE under this department suggests many things. It presupposes that women are mentally and emotionally unstable, and therefore needing psychiatric help. Women do not become mental health patients when they are raped.

2. Address the issue of rape as the result of male supremacy and the power imbalances between men and women.
University of Florida and University Police Department currently address the issue of rape as a problem of safety, miscommunication, and education. Increasing safety conditions on campus, telling women to "communicate" themselves, and educating the public WILL NOT STOP RAPE! However, taking political action against male supremacy will.

3. Sanction the individuals accused of rape in addition to the entire fraternity if the rape occurred in a fraternity house. This is regardless of how many were directly involved.
A fraternity is not looked upon nor treated like a group of distinct individuals, but instead as a unified whole. Therefore, when a crime such as rape is committed in a fraternity house, the entire fraternity should be sanctioned.

4. Demonstrate zero tolerance for rape by immediately expelling the rapist(s) and absolutely no dealmaking (i.e., rapist agrees to leave quietly and the school won't put the incident of rape on his record).
A person who has been found guilty of rape should get the most severe sanctions possible. This would show men on campus the severe punishments to look forward to if they rape. It would also encourage women to report and prosecute their rapist(s) because they know swift action will be taken.

5. To make public what action was taken against the rapist(s) in addition to the rapist's name.
In a serious criminal offense such as rape, the rapist(s) name and punishment should be made public for two reasons: 1) the safety of the women on campus 2) to serve as a check and balance that UF is doing exactly what it should be doing.

6. Not allow for the Interfraternity Council's Formal Committee to make any "recommendation" or have any bearing or say in any judgment that is made against a fraternity with reference to rape.
This committee has a vested interest in fraternities and sororities, therefore making them unable to make an objective "recommendation."