Here's what happened at my school when ID cards started being required for access to dorms and academic buildings:

http://www-tech.mit.edu/V114/N57/reader.57.gif

Anyway, I don't know how much of that information really needs to be printed on the card. If you're using them to keep non-greeks out of greek-only events, all you really need is the affiliation. You don't need initiation date, and you don't really need DOB except possibly to determine if someone is of legal drinking age (and even then you can ask for a driver's license).

What are they going to do about new members/pledges? It sounds like the greek ID cards wouldn't be issued until initiation, so do new members just get excluded, or do they have to bring someone along to vouch for them, or what?

What sort of greek-only events are we talking about, anyway?

So the fraternity can't check IDs at the door to see if the guests are students?

And if they are doing an all-Greek event or an event with just one sorority, why can't a guestlist be provided by the visiting chapter?

-Rudey

At my undergrad, because the Greek houses were university owned and required card access, our ID cards definitely contained our house information. I don't see Greek life disintegrating because of it. If the cards are so necessary--integrating it into the regular ID system shouldn't be a problem.

It's really not that deep, kids.

From what I understand from Penn State, they're pretty open and free with their parties. Hell, they'll let random guys into fraternity parties up there. At Pitt, a guy who wanted to go to a fraternity party would have to know a brother and bring a case of beer.
While i've never been to a party at Penn State, many of my sisters and friends have. What Sheila said is very true- so many people will go there just to party. To me it's a wonder that the Penn State fraternities haven't had more risk management problems come up... guess they've been lucky.
I think anything to cover the fraternity's asses is a good thing. Though they wouldn't need this if they enforced policies to begin with....

So do the fraternities want to no longer have open parties or is it the administration?

-Rudey

some of you guys are going waaayyyy tooo far into this. its not a big deal. why would it be such a problem? i honestly thing that they should issue id cards for everything including sprots teams, marching band, greeks, all the major organizations..

the way the parties work
 

here's the way the socials work at Penn State at least up until may 2004 when i graduated.

thursday-saturday various fraternties would have parties. since we have so many fraternities only a few, say 10 or 12? would have parties a given night.

a fraternity and sorority would pair up to have a social from 9-11 with only those 2 organizations. there wasn't a need for a guest list because it was a completely closed party to the 2 orgs. no non org. friends and no guests (unless there were extenuating circumstances) until 11pm.

at 11pm one of 3 things would happen.

1) XYZ fraternity would open up to anyone who wanted to come to the party. ie. other greeks, independents whomever.

2) XYZ fraternity and ABC sorority would have a combine at XYZ's house, greeks only with 2 or 4 other orgs. we called it a 4 way 6 way etc. only the members of those orgs would be allowed into the party. there would be a list at the door of which organizations were at the combine and the members of those orgs would say "I'm with/in PDQ" and they would be let in.

3)XYZ & ABC would go PDQ's house for a combine following the above "procedure."


the fraternities would check student id's and have you sign a sheet of paper with the following info: name, student id, yes or no: 21, police/collegian (our newspaper). unless you were a first week freshman and didn't know any better, you just write down fake info and go into the parties.


what 33girl said is absolutely valid.

one of the main problems is properly identifying members of the organizations who were supposed to be at the greek only combines. it gets around who is partying at what house, so people can just say oh i'm in xyz we're here tonite, and be let in. i've stood behind girls who said they were sigma kappas just to get into a party we were at and i would let the guys at the door know the girls were NOT my sisters.

yes there could be a list with all of the members of the organization at the door for the guys to checks, but it isn't generally done. i'm not sure why, though i can bet it has to due with how long it would take to check the list against an id and how long the lines get to get into the houses for the party.


i hope this answered some questions and if anyone has anymore questions feel free to pm me. :)