Regulating Parties

Dons · #1 02-01-2005, 07:43 PM

Hey i was just wondering if anyone can give me some feedback as to how they regulate their parties..Im up at the Gamma Kappa Chapter at UND. We are a wet house..and we can have parties here but we have come under some fire and there is a little pressure to move parties to a third party location.

Right now we hand out invites for parties but we have not been real effective at enforcing the MUST have invitiation policy. we are thinking about going to "the list" but there is concern over people submitting them in time..and remembering everyone that each member wants to invite..

any input would be helpful..thanks alot guys..im a new initiate..

-1152-

Mike Donnelly

ZZ-kai- · #2 02-01-2005, 08:08 PM

Welcome to GC Dons....stick around!

Anyway, my chapter has such a small house, its really not realistic to compare our parties with yours - but, here goes. We are 'supposed' to have 6 sober monitors, including one Exec. Board member. There are to be no open parties, invite only mixers or sorority functions. But, with most of the sororities now requiring third party vendors, we are out of house most of the time anyway.

I think most trouble comes from the last minute get togethers, where there is no control over alcohol, no sober monitors, and its just random people in the house....

Good luck, hope all is well.

-kai-

Coramoor · #3 02-01-2005, 09:09 PM

What exactly do you mean by regulating a party?

What we do here is give wristbands out to those we invite. However we also make sure that we have them marked in invisible ink so when they walk in we flash the band with a blacklight to make sure it's legit. A lot of people will just find out what type of band it is and then scan it and make tons of copies.

Also have a few sober brother's walking around, watching things, and keeping an eye out for any trouble or drunkasses.

Dons · #4 02-01-2005, 09:15 PM

Well we always have 5-7 sober bros tending the door..and walking around..but the wristband idea isnt bad at all...we have a problem with giving out invites because they just get passed around after we let people in teh door. How much do these wristbands end up costing?? we were nearly cited for a noise violation that would have cost us $300.00 so they could be a worthwhile investment..

Another thing..do you just give these wristbands to guys..or to guys and girls. We seem to let all girls in..which im not objecting, but just wondering how others do it. Also does this prove to be much more effective than a list?

thanks again guys

-kai-

Coramoor · #5 02-02-2005, 02:15 AM

The wrist bands were usually given to us by a distributor. That's the cheapest way to get beer-plus they give us banners, fencing, wristbands, and other stuff.

Noise violations can be taken care of by getting everyone within a certain radius of your house to sign a noise waiver.

Who to give the wristbands I guess depends on the party. We charge guys more to come to a party than girls, so you have to be careful not to let girls just buy a bunch of bands for cheap and then give them to guys...

Are you trying to keep the party under a certain amount of people?

ZZ-kai- · #6 02-02-2005, 12:58 PM

Whatever you guys do, if you're charging anyone for admittance to the house where alcohol is distributed, I suggest hiring bartenders and security....because, if you are running an illegal tavern and are busted by the cops, not only will you be in a lot of legal trouble, but chances are the HQ will not be very happy either.

Just make sure you cover your ass.

-kai-

Coramoor · #7 02-02-2005, 01:51 PM

You can charge people to get in, but as long as the alcohol is free you are ok.

ZZ-kai- · #8 02-02-2005, 02:35 PM

I would verify that with the police. I know in WI, if you charge any money for anything (entrance, entertainment, scenery...etc.) and you alcohol is being served and you don't have a liquor license -you're going to jail if the nail you.

It is probably different state to state, but it wouldn't hurt to look into it.

Dons · #9 02-02-2005, 02:41 PM

Well i think our risk management policy at the school and with the IFC doesnt allow it. Also the IFC (inter fraternity council) President is a member of our house, so it makes finding any way to possibly have a loophole impossibe..the wristband idea is not bad..

Coramoor · #10 02-02-2005, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ZZ-kai-
I would verify that with the police. I know in WI, if you charge any money for anything (entrance, entertainment, scenery...etc.) and you alcohol is being served and you don't have a liquor license -you're going to jail if the nail you.

It is probably different state to state, but it wouldn't hurt to look into it.

So when you have a party the person that bought it just takes a hit?

ECUJacob · #11 02-02-2005, 07:19 PM

Aren't all Men of Principle chapters houses supposed to be dry? I'm not totally sure, but if/when we get a house, I was told it would be alcohol-free. So I guess I'm kinda glad I won't have to deal with this.

Dons · #12 02-02-2005, 09:50 PM

All Men of Principle houses are not dry, i believe its up to each individual house to make that decision..although usually its the national that will decide?? Regardless it really isnt That big of a problem, and i think that parties at our own house are great...Also I would rather be an admittedly wet house and abide by it, than be a "dry" house but then not following our own claim.

I think its a sad day when the fraternity party is outlawed.. anyways our risk manager and I have kind of been clashing on how we should manage our house parties and so i wanted to see how others handled this situation.

ZZ-kai- · #13 02-03-2005, 01:56 PM

Unfortunately, there are a ton of rules, by a ton of governing bodies that can hurt the chapter. IE, local/state/federal law won't let you sell alcohol without a liquor license and selling/serving a minor is illegal. Our risk management policy states pretty much the same thing. The University probably states something similar.

If we got nailed with serving underagers, the people who purchased it get fined/go to jail. AND, if it is in the Beta house, you can rest assure that the cops will go to the Univ., who will go to our HQ, and then all three governing bodies are not happy, and that usually ends up in some type of probation/suspension.

Anyway, MOP houses are not required to be dry. HOWEVER, if a chapter has been closed and has re-orged as MOP, it may be one of the agreements they have to abide by (dry housing....IE, Nebraska).

Keep it real fellas, we rule.

-kai-

Coramoor · #14 02-03-2005, 07:11 PM

Usually it depends on who owns the house.

If it's university own, often times it will have to go dry. In our case it's owned by a housing corp. that is controled by alumni, so it would be their decision.

Betarulz! · #15 02-03-2005, 10:19 PM

I do believe that going dry was part of the provisions for our reorganization but that was not from the GF but from the Alumni.

However it was still about three years in the making before our house was completely dry. The first year it was on the books, the second there was some enforcement, the third they really said they were going to buckle down and do it, and the fourth year there were only one or two infractions. I entered the house in what would have been the fifth year.

I will say that I really enjoy having a dry house as it is just a lot cleaner, and a lot more conducive to studying. The primers we have are now just held off-campus at a senior's house, followed by the official party at a 3rd party vendor. This is how it is for all the chapters at Nebraska. The "moist" houses are the ones that claim they're dry, but things like small afterhours gatherings still occur at. This type of chapter is gradually fading away, particularly from when I was a freshman. The few remaining chapters that have this occuring though are probably going to stop b/c ATO had a member of Delt fall off their fire escape last weekend.