Sororities seek to change fraternity culture

[Kevin]

I don't think that's a thing. As it stands, you aren't supposed to let underage people drink, period.

[panhelrose]

Speaking from a university standpoint, I was a student orientation leader for my school a few years ago, and part of the program involved teaching the incoming students about drinking, drugs, and what to do if someone needs help. We have protocols in place, for instance, where a student won't get in trouble for drinking underage if they're calling the university EMT service to help out their friend who's too drunk, so that students aren't more worried about their own punishment than the more dire consequences.

However, we did face some pushback from parents during one of the discussion sections we had about that information session, because the parents said the university shouldn't be encouraging students to drink underage. The way our Dean of Students put it, we know many incoming freshman will experiment with alcohol underage, so it's better to teach them how to be safe and how to protect each other from dangerous behavior, than to pretend it doesn't happen at all.

On the fraternity/sorority standpoint, I think acknowledging underage drinking, teaching safe drinking habits, and putting protocols in place to protect students trying to help their friends would definitely curb this issue, but I doubt we'll see many fraternities saying "well we know you're drinking underage, so here's what to do," etc, etc.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I don't think that's a thing. As it stands, you aren't supposed to let underage people drink, period.

Actually, yes, it is a thing. It's hazing.

If a sorority is allowing underage members to drink at sorority events like mixers and formals, they can't say underage pledges aren't allowed to just because they're pledges.

Remember that some of our organizations are international with chapters in Canada where the drinking age is 18-19.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Actually, yes, it is a thing. It's hazing.

If a sorority is allowing underage members to drink at sorority events like mixers and formals, they can't say underage pledges aren't allowed to just because they're pledges.

Remember that some of our organizations are international with chapters in Canada where the drinking age is 18-19.

That wouldn't be hazing as I understand it. The definition of hazing varies from group to group. I recall our Oklahoma State chapter had a write up about their new member program in our national magazine which detailed that among other things, candidates (non-initiates) were not allowed to partake of any alcohol during their new member process.

[ColdInCanada11]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Remember that some of our organizations are international with chapters in Canada where the drinking age is 18-19.

THANK YOU! A lot of orgs don't recognise this. When I was a new member, I was 20 and had to do Greek Life Edu- I was deemed an alcoholic with my one to two drinks a month because I was "underage".

Onto the point, people certainly do pregame/drink, but it doesn't seem to be taken to the same extremes up here. I'd be interested in a comparative study!