Quote:
Originally posted by ktsnake
That's a very unrealistic view. First off, not EVERYONE is interested in the greek system. Otherwise you'd have a much higher membership level.
I'm a believer in the free market system. It would dictate that if there was a demand for fraternities that really cracked down on underage drinking -- explelling underage drinkers for example -- then someone would have success with that idea. There would be a fraternity out there that found a niche and succeeded.
Has that really happened? Have the nationally dry fraternities outpaced the wet ones? Will they ever?
The answer -- not unless the courts intervene. And what's to say that if they put all national fraternities out of business that we'll still not have a successful wet house at the local level? It is my constitutional right after all to associate with anyone that I want to.
If you ignore it and say it's prohibited, sure you'll catch some chapters violating the rules. Maybe you'll even get to yank a few charters. However, nearly every single one of your other chapters that doesn't get caught will still be practicing it. What national GLO wants to commit suicide like that?
The answer is education, good risk reduction practices and strong leadership. New rules would have a very low impact on changing people's behavior.
LHT
Kevin
MT 5
University of Central Oklahoma
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Kevin, what do you base your assertion that it is unrealisitic on?
Beyond experience, one expert I found in my archives, Dr. Henry Wecler, of the Harvard School of Public health recently asserted the following:
"Abstract. Underage drinking is a major problem at American colleges, but little is known about the extent of alcohol use in different student groups, in different colleges, and in states with different control policies. We used data from the 2001 and 3 previous Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Studies that compared responses of underage students with those of their 21–23-year-old peers. Underage students drank alcohol less frequently but were more likely to drink to excess when they drank. College educational efforts and deterrent policies were limited in their outreach, and half of underage students obtained alcohol very easily. Underage students in states with extensive laws restricting underage and high-volume drinking were less likely to drink and to binge drink. A majority of underage students supported increasing efforts to control underage drinking.
The results suggest that additional policy efforts to control underage drinking may be effective and feasible."
Dry housing does NOTHING to to the underage drinker beyond not allowing him to drink at the house.
Again, if we keep "doing business" as we have been, we will all be gone, it's a matter of time. Please don't attempt to bring associational rights into this - I am perhaps the strongest supporter of those rights you will ever come accross on these boards - BUT, we our associational rights STOP the minute we break statute.....i.e. the drinking age law.
Withg repsect to "organizational suicide," we're already committing it! Were just doing it slowly, if we do nothing we will surely die.
What do you mean by "strong leadership"? We have been educating ourselves for over 10 years with no decrease in behavior. If you've got a solution in "strong leadership" then let's hear it. Personally I agree, strong leadership cannot sit by and watch the self destructive abuse of our policies that are in place to ensure our healthy existence. But, I'm interested in what you mean?
Brad