Alcohol policy fosters fraternity alumni donations

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Alcohol policy fosters fraternity alumni donations
Greek graduates are eager to give money for house improvements.

by Julianna Parker
October 23, 2005


____Fraternity alumni are donating more money for house improvements since the implementation of the student alcohol policy in January, according to Jeremy Black, Oklahoma Univ. Interfraternity Council adviser.

____Alumni are more eager to donate because improvements will no longer be endangered by alcohol-filled parties, he said.

____“I think alumni overall are more likely to give money for beautification projects,” he said.

____Before the new alcohol policy was created, fraternities sometimes had raucous parties that could damage the houses. Alumni were often reluctant to donate money to improve their house because the improvements might not last, Black said.

____However, some alumni said the new alcohol policy could have a negative effect on fundraising efforts.

____Sigma Alpha Epsilon alumni involvement is decreasing this semester as a result of the alcohol policy, said Eddie Edwards, chairman of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon board of trustees.

____Alumni do not return to the house for game days. This depletes the feeling of community and makes it more difficult to raise money, he said.

____At least half of the fraternities have improved their houses since the student alcohol policy was instated last spring, he said.

____Some fraternities renovated their houses last semester and over the summer. dollars, said Jeremy Spearing, Delta Tau Delta president and criminology senior.

____Alumni have primarily invested money in the areas of houses where parties used to be held, Black said.

____“We had parties that were out of control,” Spearing said.

____He said people who didn’t live at the fraternity house would come to the house for parties, but would not take care of it.

____“With the new dry campus, that doesn’t happen,” Spearing said.

____Improvements are being made to the basement of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house, which used to be damaged at parties, said Lambda Chi Alpha President Daniel Fleischer.

____The state of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house also has improved since it went dry, Spearing said.

____Fleischer said the alcohol policy has benefited his fraternity’s house too.

____“It’s definitely reduced the amount of damage to the house,” he said. “The house is in much better shape than it’s ever been.”

____Before the alcohol policy was established, alumni were reluctant to come back because they didn’t like the state of the house, Spearing said.

____Now alumni are more willing to come back to visit. They are also more willing to donate for the house, Spearing said.

____Delta Tau Delta alumni improved the house last summer to the tune of about half a million.