The Interfraternity Council (IFC) at the University of California, Berkeley banned Greek life from having parties because of two reports of sexual assault Saturday.

The ban was lifted following revisions to safety plans. The IFC decided that strangers would no longer be allowed into parties.

The subject of sexual assault has appeared in the media more and more frequently following the prosecution of Brock Turner, an ex-Stanford swimmer charged with raping an unconscious girl outside a fraternity house on June 2, 2016.

The conversation continues to unfold at the University of California. College students who participate in Greek life are more prone to attend and throw parties, where drinking and drug abuse are often prevalent. The presence of these substances can lead to an unsafe environment where many reported sexual assaults have occured on campuses across the United States.

Revisions and precautions are key. For this reason, I’m grateful to see students themselves acknowledging a need for reformation. We can no longer turn a blind eye to these atrocities. We need to talk about them, take the stigma away, and encourage victims to step forward so perpetrators can be punished.

Be safe. Don’t stay silent.

Much love and coffee,

Brooke