[DeltAlum]

Here is a most interesting story from the Rocky Mountain News where the CU Greek Liason actually takes the side of the fraternities. His comments sound a tad on the sexist side, but that's another story. I have read in Risk Management mailings that much of the damage to fraternity houses (which raise insurance rates to almost unworkable levels) is attributed to visiting sorority women and other non chapter members. I don't have much experience in that, so I don't know.

Frats on hot seat after hazings
CU Greek liaison says guys should beware of women who want to come
over and party

By Owen S. Good, News Staff Writer

BOULDER - The University of Colorado's Greek liaison on Monday
defended the school's fraternities, downplaying their role in hazing
incidents such as the binge-drinking initiation rite that left two
sorority pledges hospitalized last week.

"The poor guys. I mean, the girls go over there and use their powers
over men, so to speak, to let them use their location, because
(sororities) absolutely cannot have (alcohol) at their location,"
Thomas Lorz of CU's Greek Activities Office said.

The Oct. 29 incident remains under investigation by school officials.

Lorz did not identify the specific fraternity house where the Kappa
Alpha Theta pledges were required to consume 14 drinks to satisfy a
pledge assignment. But he said the investigation is "looking at all
destinations" involved in the incident.

Lorz said sororities unofficially ask to use fraternity houses
because alcohol is strictly forbidden at all sorority events.

CU Panhellenic Association President CJ Orr disputed that fraternity
men are somehow charmed into lending their chapter houses, but
acknowledged that sororities do ask to come over to conduct pledge
activities.

"They want sorority girls over there to interact," Orr said, but "in
most cases the men invite the women over. It's not as popular for
sorority women to ask, 'Can we come over to your house?' "

Her association "drills into" its members that fraternities are not
de facto bars for their social functions, Orr said.

"They still do that, they go over where they don't think they have
any rules, and that causes problems - especially with hazing, because
they feel it's 'no holds barred' at the fraternity," she said.

Lorz said the alcohol ban is almost nationwide for sororities and
accounts for insurance rates almost half of what fraternities pay.
Some sororities' insurance policies specify that, for example, no
benefits would be paid for a fire at which liquor bottles are
discovered, Orr said.

"The fraternity houses bear the brunt of the social needs for
fraternities and sororities," Lorz said. "It's not widespread, but
it's not unheard of for the sororities to use the fraternities in
this way.

"We will also make a general announcement to the fraternities: 'Don't
let the women use your property for these things,' " Lorz said.

Copyright 2001, Rocky Mountain News.
(Article also distributed via Scripps Howard News Service)