Dear Sigma Chi, Interfraternity Council, and the Panhellenic Council,

We, the undersigned, are submitting this letter as concerned members of the Bucknell community, respectfully asking Sigma Chi to reconsider the theme of their register on Saturday, September 13th.

We find the current theme, A Night at the [Playboy] Mansion, to be extremely degrading to women. Playboy is a pornographic magazine that commodifies women’s bodies. We believe that this theme fuels the atmosphere of sexual assault that is already a severe problem on this campus. This degrading theme is not consistent with the values of respect that lie at the heart of a healthy campus community.

We would like to point to the description of the event on Facebook to support our argument:

“You’re in your robe, puffing elegantly out of your wooden pipe made from recycled 100 dollar bills…you look around, you’re surrounded by a bunch of bunnies, and no, [fraternity member], you’re not at a petting zoo, you’re in the Sigma Chi Mansion. We’re cranking up the thermostat to get [fraternity member] and [fraternity member] all nice sweaty and were gonna make sure [fraternity member] shirt doesn’t stay on too long…gotta let the carpet breathe. Ladies, dust off those bunny ears and black yoga pants…gentleman, bring your carrots. Everyone come to the Sigma Chi Mansion for a night of heavy petting and friendly conversation. We’ll see you there. costume is required for entrance.”

Requiring women to wear black tights and bunny ears in order to imitate porn stars simply goes too far. It is time for us to begin considering what message we are sending to students on campus. Furthermore, we must begin to question party themes that are centered on heteronormative assumptions of sexuality and gender identity. These assumptions ostracize a significant portion of the Bucknell community, many of whom already feel marginalized and excluded from campus social life.

We would also like to point to an agreement that was made by Bucknell’s Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council, through which fraternities agreed not to host parties with degrading themes. We think that this event is in clear violation of that agreement. To quote from 2011 Interfraternity Council minutes:

“Members of the IFC signed a petition proposed by Panhellenic Sorority Presidents representing all sororities to express discontent with offensive social event themes. With the recent sexual assault cases that have surfaced on Bucknell’s campus, the women of the sororities on campus requested that themes no longer objectify women. Members of the IFC and the Fraternal community abroad have signed and pledged to honor these requests in an effort to help eliminate further links to sexual assault on Bucknell’s campus.”

The full minutes which describe this agreement can be found at: http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/GreekLife/Minutes/2011Minutes/IFC%20Newsletters/MARCH%20NEWSLETTER.pdf

As concerned members of our beloved and shared campus, we ask that you lead with your letters and honor your oaths to enrich and better our community. Please change this event.

Sincerely,

Justin Eyster, student

Juliana Del Pozo, student

Mohammed Elnaiem, student

Jessica Slagle, student

Deirdre O’Connor, staff member

Michelle Gallagher, student

Kate DeWeese, student

Bill Flack, faculty member

Marissa Moosic, student

Marisa Little, student

Victoria Frazier, student

Charlotte Kress, student

Peter Unrein, student

Ellie Perry, student

Lara Murray, student

Ana Duque-Chilin, student

Katherine Harris, student

Aleksandar Antonov, student

Miles E. Silva, student, SpeakUP Bucknell Peer Educator

Alec Pflaster, student, SpeakUP Bucknell Peer Educator

Catherine Peebles, student

Kathryn Lee, student

Dejda Collins, student

David Kristjanson-Gural, faculty member

Greta Savickaite, student

Sam Jacobson, student

Ayesha Lilaoonwala, student

Christine King, student

Nicole Srbin, student

Jesse Klug, student

Turner Stulting, student

Dominique Ruszala, student

Catherine Bianco, student

Nicole Kleponis, student

Nicole Adams, student

Sarah Holler, student

Maggie Kelso, student

Annie Dempsey, student

Abu E Chowdhury, student

Cherra Mathis, alumni

Christopher Serfass, student

Cristal Hermosillo, student

Jordi Comas, faculty member

Jamie Cavrak, student

Gregory Wolf, student

William Peterson, student

Timothy Woodford, student

Meghan Balot, student

Erica Miller, student

Devon Hellman, student

Evan Turissini, student

Elaine Lac, student

Yash Bhutwala, student

Ellie Tupper, student

Henry Stann, student

Erik Giesen Loo, student

Nicole Bakeman, student

Zoe Russell, student

Sarah Dickert, student

Utsav Agarwal, alumni

Sydney Schiffman, student

Stacey Carpency, student

Roger Rothman, faculty member

Sue Ellen Henry, faculty member

Sarah Shochat, student

Jennifer Thomson, faculty member

Jamie Piperberg, staff member, alumni

Carmen Henne-Ochoa, faculty member

Emily Cottle, student

Vicente Prieto, student

Clare Sammells, faculty member

Serena Fujita, Jewish Chaplain

Amanda Wooden, faculty member

Tricia Collins, graduate student

Phebe Alley, student

Bud Hiller, staff

Richard Henne-Ochoa, faculty member

Linda Smolka, faculty member

Julia Bresticker, student

Kasey Bailey, student

Tammy Bunn Hiller, faculty member

Cassandra Ricci, student

Jon Hunsberger, student

Neil Boyd, faculty member

Michelle Greenberg, student

Jon Hagofsky, staff member, alumni

Loren Gustafson, staff member

Margaret Cronin, staff member

Emily Sprague, student, SpeakUP Bucknell Peer Educator

Sarah Bell, staff member

Rileigh Casebolt, student

Genna Hartnett, student

Elyse Pfleger, student

Laura Poulton, student

Mahder Etuma, Student

Mehmet Dosemeci, faculty member

Taylor Lyles, student

Carolyn DeFalco, student

Chandler Huggins, student

Evan Sloan, student

Brittley Hardrick, student

Katie Edwards, faculty member

Taylor Schumann, student

Max Ferrer, student

Max Ororbia, student

William Eichhorn, student

Amanda Hart, student, SpeakUP Bucknell Peer Educator

Beth Duckles, faculty member

Sonam Dolker, Student

Polly Englot, student

Karen Altendorf

Daisy Bourne, student

Mona Mohammed, student

Jared Fallt, student

Kathleen McQuiston, staff

Erin Frey, student

Elizabeth Semeraro, student

Elizabeth Capaldi, faculty member

Claire Campbell, faculty member

Jackson Pierce-Felker, student

Shaneka Dixon, student

Sabrina Kirby, staff member

Duane Griffin, faculty

Adrian Mulligan, faculty member

Anne Scott, student

Nicolle Herzog, alumni

Joanna Malaszczyk, Student

Meghan Toft, student

Jasmine Joyner, student

Arielle Caplin, student

Nghia Doan (TN), student

Allen Tran, faculty member

Andrew Stuhl, faculty member

Vicki Caudullo, student

Caleb Darkes-Burkey, student

Taryn Urban, student

Megan Ganning, student

Madeline Dressen, Student

Morgan Greenly, student

Tara Panzarino, student

Carrie Pirmann, staff

Mala Sharma, faculty member

Gwenn Gideon, student

Lauren Feldman, alumni

Jean Lamont, faculty member

Jamie Hendry, faculty member

Hanna Pedersen, student

Christine Cremonni, student

Julia Bonnell, alumni

Allison Friedlander, student

Cara Henning, student