Stanford Greek Life Says NO MORE

Madeleine Lippey, a student at Stanford University and member of Stanford’s chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, has become deeply passionate about broadening the conversation around ending domestic and sexual violence. After interning at one of NO MORE’s partner organizations, the Joyful Heart Foundation, she learned she could use NO MORE as a platform to engage her community and decided to launch a campaign back on campus with members of her sorority.

Lippey’s efforts brought together Stanford’s sororities and fraternities to share why they are saying NO MORE through powerful photos. Her campaign co-organizer, Maneesh, notes: “I care a lot about reclaiming the idea of a fraternity as a safe space and removing the stigma from the typical ‘frat party’ – the majority of men aren’t okay with this either, and I for one want to make that known.”

 Lippey says, “Right now, there is so much activism on campuses surrounding sexual assault, […] Oftentimes, activists are speaking out to other activists – which is necessary, but not always as accessible to people who want to learn more but simply aren’t sure how. Fraternity communities are a great example — a campaign like NO MORE gives men who care about this deeply, but haven’t known how to get involved, the platform for speaking out, for making their voice heard, and their friends feel safe.

I firmly believe that stopping sexual assault is linked to sex education – precise definitions of the word ‘consent,’ a comprehensive breakdown of ‘blurry’ scenarios, a consistent wave of activism united across lots of different communities. This is 100% preventable – but who’s going to prevent it if not us, and together?”

Madeleine and Maneesh were surprised by the positive response their campaign received on campus, as well as its varied participants. She adds, “It wasn’t only what these people were saying NO MORE to that was powerful, but who was saying it. The quarterback of the Stanford football team. The student body Presidents. Friends. Acquaintances. Total strangers. I think that the NO MORE campaign is about taking the first step towards allyship – individually and as a community. It’s a personal experience, but inevitably shared – which to me is a metaphor for being a survivor on a college campus.”