I'll admit it. When I first saw the "rape-free" zone campaign in The Daily Collegian, my first thought was, "Well, that's stupid." I then wondered some of the same questions I've seen in recent Collegian letters: "Were fraternities pro-rape before?" "How on Earth do they think this will help?"

But, I've been thinking about it a while now, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not as insipid as I first thought. In fact, it's not a bad idea. The message is not that "rape is bad." The message is that fraternities are trying to educate themselves about the problem and recognize that it exists. In all fairness, that's a major step in the right direction. Even if the visible aspect of this is rather laughable, what's going on behind the stickers is definitely positive.

It's true, no sticker campaign will stop rape. Nor will anyone "feel safer" because a frat house has a "rape-free" zone sticker. But, if fraternities are willing to acknowledge the issue and educate themselves about it, they should be encouraged, not disparaged.