OK, let's stop begging the question here.
A. As I said above, higher than 90% of fraternity liability insurance claims involve alcohol. That's a fact and the insurance companies are finished dealing with that kind of problem. They simply won't insure us anymore.
B. The "driving to the third party vendor" issue is only valid if you make it so. I'm sure there are exceptions, but most campuses I've visited have bars, restaurants, hotels, etc. within walking distance of campus. And I've visited a lot of campuses.
C. We live in a society where people sue over most anything. Not much we can do about that.
D. Many Nationals DO have educational programs teaching the potential risks of alcohol abuse. Some people (and chapters) take them to heart -- some ignore them.
E. Much of the drinking at Greek houses is by underaged people and thus, not only a problem from a liability standpoint, but just plain flat out illegal.
F. Much of the physical damage to fraternity houses is caused during alcohol related parties -- often by guests. The chapter gets stuck with the repairs.
E. If your national sets rules that you ignore because you disagree -- or whatever -- you risk losing your charter.
F. Finally, and most important, people die from alcohol poisoning, falls, fights etc. It's not all traffic accidents.
Bottom line? I think it's really too bad we have this issue at all. I wish we could have good parties at our houses where alcohol could be used legally and in moderation. I wish that none of our brother and sister Greeks died because of accidents or stupidity.
But it's just not the case.
And as long as it isn't, we're going to have dry housing sooner or later, and we're going to be harassed by university administrations, and our chapters are going to be closed down.
And people are going to die.
It just doesn't make any difference that this isn't a Greek only problem.
It's a problem that has to be fixed. I don't like the fix personally. I was never in favor of "dry" housing. But I know it's going to happen. I'm really sorry, but there is simply no other solution I can see.
DeltAlum
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