Fraternities resist going dry at Oregon university
By The Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. — When incoming freshman Jacob Daniels went shopping for a fraternity last spring, finding one where there's still beer in the cooler wasn't a problem.
It was harder to find one that obeys the new rule banning alcohol from all fraternities affiliated with the University of Oregon (UO). "They'd be like, 'On paper we're dry,' and they'd give me the wink," said Daniels.
This will be the first full year under the rule, which went into effect last January, and it's shaping up as a major test of the UO's effort to change the "Animal House" culture that still clings to some fraternities 25 years after the movie was filmed on campus.
The party image is a relatively recent one for most fraternities, which were known for brotherhood, service and leadership as much as good times up until the 1960s. The university hopes that closing the in-house bars will help push fraternities back toward their roots and once again make them attractive to a broader group of young men.
"The 'bad boy' image has and still does hurt them. It's always hurt them," said Gregg Lobisser, director of student activities at the UO. "Recruiting is down instead of up. To break that, we felt we had to address the alcohol issue."
Membership, however, skyrocketed in the 1970s, fueled in part by the scenes of nonstop partying in movies and television. Membership went from 230,000 to 400,000. In Eugene, fraternities counted about 1,200 members, although accurate numbers are hard to come by because membership reports are voluntary.
But the bubble burst in the 1990s, partly because the years of Bacchanalia trashed houses and alienated men interested in the traditional aspects of fraternity life. It also had to do with changes in youth culture coupled with the rising cost of higher education.
Nationwide, membership dropped to 300,000 but has seen some rebound and is currently about 350,000, said Pete Smithhisler, executive vice president of the National Interfraternity Conference.
But at the UO the trend has been straight down, with current membership estimated at about 500.
"Animal House" never was the norm at all fraternities, and those that stayed true to their values deeply resent the stereotype foisted on them by the movie.
Those times are going fast.
The university banned alcohol from the frat houses (sororities always have been dry) and is imposing new grade-point standards. Also, all houses will be required to have fire sprinklers by next year and have live-in adult house managers the year after that.
Compliance with the rules varies. Lobisser said it appears that all of the chapters will meet the sprinkler requirement by next year. Most houses seem to be taking the grade standards seriously.
But the alcohol rule is the one that's creating the most friction. Two fraternities — Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Nu — either did not comply or missed the deadline for signing the no-booze pledge and lost their university affiliation.
Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company
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