Phi Delt imposed alcohol free housing, and a lot of people had a lot of concerns...I've underlined several points which have been discussed in this forum on numerous occassions.
"Five years later: Phi Delta Theta's Alcohol-free Housing Policy
nets better grades, lower insurance costs and more members
New research indicates policy is improving fraternity life
OXFORD, OH - Phi Delta Theta's move to alcohol-free housing in
2000 has been a positive move for the Fraternity, according to a
white paper published by Edward G. Whipple, Ph.D., vice president
for student affairs at Bowling Green State University. Whipple's
research shows removing alcohol from the chapter facilities has:
- Helped Phi Delta Theta to focus on its founding principles of
friendship, sound learning, and rectitude;
- Improved the organization's overall academic performance;
- Helped fight the alcohol-dominated culture prevalent on campus;
- Better responded to the needs of today's college man;
- Stopped the deterioration of facilities;
- Kept insurance rates low;
- Helped recruit more members than peer organizations;
- Re-involved alumni members.
"These were the Fraternity's goals going into this, and when you
take a look at the data, it's obvious that we've been
successful on many levels," said Michael Scarlatelli, president of
Phi Delta Theta's General Council. "The fact that several large
universities are following suit supports our policy moves." Those
schools – Western Kentucky University, Cal-Berkley, California State
University-Chico, University of New Mexico, and University of
Oklahoma – announced various alcohol-free housing policies this
past semester.
While most members of Phi Delta Theta acknowledge
this was a challenging culture shift initially, many feel it has
given them an advantage on their campus.
"While all the other fraternities on our campus struggle to redefine
their purpose under alcohol-free housing, Phi Delta Theta has made
great strides to achieve our true purpose as an organization and is
excelling in nearly every area of chapter and campus life as a
direct result," said Donald Bowers, chapter president, University of
Oklahoma chapter.
Founding values and better scholarship
Although difficult to measure statistically, alcohol-free housing
has helped Phi Delta Theta focus on its core values. From an
external perspective, being a member of the organization is
beginning to mean more than being part of a drinking club.
Internally, members who joined under the new program are men more
focused on academic achievement, and healthier social interaction.
"Each year at our leadership conferences, I'm finding more
serious, focused students. We also are seeing more focus on
community service and philanthropy. I think our founders would be
proud," Scarlatelli said.
Phi Delta Theta's overall grade point average for reporting
chapters has increased since the implementation of The Alcohol-free
Housing Policy to almost a 3.0 average compared to 2.77 in 2000,
when the policy began.
"More and more each day, I realize that alcohol-free housing is not
an alternative but rather a necessity for chapters that want to
experience 'fraternity' in the true sense of the word," said Stephen
Glass, chapter president of the University of Virginia chapter. "I
see this in our active, engaged brothers and our recruitment of high
quality men who look for more than what a 'frat' can offer."
Beating the binge culture
Studies have shown that college campuses are places where students
often engage in binge drinking activities (consuming more than five
drinks in one sitting). The Alcohol-free Housing Policy helped take
that culture and mindset out of Phi Delta Theta's facilities.
The
Fraternity's facilities are in better shape today as well, since
large-scale social gatherings involving alcohol no longer occur
there.
"We now have many chapter homes where the guys can walk in and not
have to smell stale beer and see garbage all over the floor,"
Scarlatelli said. "Our members can invite their moms in without
being embarrassed."
These facilities—and the groups that live in them—are more
attractive to the "Millennial" generation on college campuses now.
These young men and women are more academically optimistic, service-
oriented, and politically engaged. They also have less experience
with alcohol than their recent counterparts, according to research
cited in the white paper.
Insurance decrease
Alcohol-free housing provides a safer environment for members and
has reduced incidents of injury, fire, property damage, and other
insurance claims. As a result, Phi Delta Theta's rates have
remained steady while other organizations' have increased.
"From an insurance perspective, underwriters support alcohol-free
housing because it limits the accessibility to alcoholic beverages,"
said James R. Favor, owner, James R. Favor & Company, Phi Delta
Theta's insurance broker. "This has resulted in fewer claims and
lawsuits, and helps to reduce the cost of liability insurance."
Insurance claims have dropped steadily since the Alcohol-free
Housing Policy was implemented. During the most recent academic
year, one insurance claim was filed, compared to 12 during 1997, the
year alcohol-free housing was announced.
Alumni and new members
Alcohol-free housing helped re-engage fraternity alumni who had been
disappointed in the direction the organization was going. Those
alumni not only return to rekindle friendships and memories, they
stay to help chapters prosper and guide the young men in their
efforts.
In addition, membership numbers have grown since the Alcohol-free
Housing Policy was implemented. While Phi Delta Theta has
consistently enjoyed a higher average number of new members each
year, the gap between the other men's fraternities has widened
since 2000. Phi Delta Theta had 3,102 new members in 2004 while
other groups averaged 2,415.
The margin between the average chapter size of all other
fraternities has grown substantially. In 1990, Phi Delta Theta
chapters were 18% larger than the average fraternity chapter, and in
2004 they were 30% larger.
In 2004, Phi Delta Theta was one of only 13 national and
international fraternities to show an increase in total
undergraduates from the previous year with a 4.2% increase. From a
competitive standpoint, Phi Delta Theta's stance within the top
ten of all fraternities in new members has held steadfast, as it
ranked ninth in 1990, eighth in 2000, and ninth in 2004.
Conclusions and more information
It's clear that alcohol-free housing has been beneficial to Phi
Delta Theta and its members.
Improvement with respect to academic
performance, membership recruitment, alumni volunteer involvement,
and facility maintenance all point to a positive future.
"We hope we've been able to show the benefits of this policy and
encourage other men's fraternities to consider joining the
alcohol-free housing movement," said Scarlatelli."
The white paper summarized in this press release can be read or
downloaded here (
http://phideltatheta.org/pdf/White%20Paper%
20AFH.pdf).
For more information contact Robert A. Biggs, Executive Vice
President,
ghq@phideltatheta.org
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