Dry Campus

I really don't understand the media and everyone else who are against drinking in the greek realm. They always say that fraternities and sororities are all about drinking and encourage drinking. Why don't they bring to the attention all the people with drinking related accidents that AREN'T greek??? I guarantee you that there is a hell of a lot more drinking problems with independants than with greek members. I believe that the people trying to knock the greek system are those people that were in college who hated greeks. I have one thing to tell them....we as greeks have lived on both sides. What do GDI's have to compare to? I would NEVER take back my decision to go greek!

[Manders]

so does anyone have suggestions for anything that could be done? Our campus is trying to fight this movement by NPC and IFC and it seems like we're losing the fight. From their persepctive (one that hasn't been in college in about 20-30 years!) the greek system will go downhill if kept the way it is. However, we know that if these chages are implemented, there will be too many drawbacks stopping potential new members from joining. what can we do?

[DeltAlum]

I started this reply once and good old AOL bumped me offline, so here I go again.

This subject has been discussed at length on another Greek Bulletin Board (GreekCentral.com) and I have made a number of comments.

Bottom line? Survival of the Greek System as we know it.

Is that too dramatic? I don't think so.

Do you realize that a number (eighteen was the last number I heard) national fraternities and sororities have been unable to purchase liability insurance from ANY carrier? They have gone together to "self insure" themselves as a group. The problem is that they don't have nearly the financial resources as an insurance company, so a very few (maybe as few as two or three) major lawsuits could bankrupt the entire group.

Consider that. Eighteen national GLO's go down the tubes at the same time. It's not a pretty picture to contemplate.

And guess why they can't get insurance? Over 95% of all Greek insurance claims are alcohol related.

No Greek organization (or any other organization) can survive without insurance. Period.

Yep, I drank as an undergraduate, and still drink socially (so you can pull out the hypocracy charges if you care to), but I would argue that things have changed a bit over the years. The spotlight on the problem is a lot brighter now.

Numerous surveys by several nationally recognized pollsters agree that alcohol is an education system wide problem -- BUT that it is bigger within Greek Letter Organizations. When so many different surveys by so many different companies come to the same conclusion, there must be some validity to the results.

So, would you rather deal with third party vendors (who must provide their own insurance coverage) or other creative solutions, or keep houses "wet" and deal with the potential of destroying the entire Greek System somewhere down the road?

Finally, whether it's good or right or just or whatever, the law is the law. If you drink underage, you're breaking the law. If you do it in a fraternity or sorority house, there is probably legal liability on the part of the house.

It's a scary proposition. Think about it. And, most important, think moderation. Even one alcohol related death or injury is too many.

Fraternally,
DeltAlum

[mwedzi]

Okay, had to say something. I'm in Korea right now which has a slightly lower drinking age than America. Anyway drinking here is not as looked down upon as in America and does that make people here more responsible and have a more mature attitude towards drinking? No! and I do mean a big, emphatic no! I teach university English here, so I should know. I can't even tell you how many students showed up to my class with hangovers in the middle of the week. So the idea that not looking harshly at drinking will make people want to do it less does not work.

Actually, it's the lack of overall freedom from their parents and sudden freedom when they get to college that causes them to drink so much (and I mean a lot), not Korean society telling them alcohol is bad (korea, while having big taboos on sex, is really open about alcohol).

Anyway, I do believe in America's freedom and don't think sororities and frats should be made completely dry. I understand that young people like to drink and party (seems those two words are almost synonymous these days, huh?) But I do think each chapter should take the responsibility on itself to simply conduct themselves with behavior that doesn't disgrace their national sorority or fraternity.

Right now I'm in the process of writing an opinion article about this Korean book called "The Most Common Things Americans in Their 20s Say." Among the many things I find wrong with this book, in describing American sororities and fraternities, he tells all his Korean readers that they party not only on the weekend, but every night of the week, getting drunk several times a week and in their drunken state, having sex with different people all the time and usually receiving Fs. Sorry for the run-on sentence, but I was really angry when I heard this because my GPA never dropped below a 3.5 and I didn't drink until I was 21. Some of my sisters did, but that certainly wasn't "all" that they did. I'm just saying we shouldn't (and fortunately, most of us don't) put the top priority on drinking. I hate to even think now what my Korean students are thinking about me when I tell them I was in a sorority, especially when I am so proud of it.

Don't make this man's book a true story!

[Eli]

Speaking lawyerly...
(My campus is not dry)... but if it was...

"If I were to buy a house, and have a drinking party there, the fact that I am in a fraternity is irrelevant." Noone can touch you.


Just purchase a house off campus.

Easy E www.angelfire.com/va2/gammachi

[AlphaChiGirl]

Okay, my campus isn't dry either, so I'm pretty ignorant as to what the difference is...I guess I've kind of taken for granted being able to drink at the on-campus bar, at fraternity houses, and in dorms. I had always heard that there weren't too many campuses that weren't dry, but now I'm not sure.

[Manders]

Well the thing is, I go to Penn State and sororities don't have houses there...we live on dorm floors. so we Don't need insurance. I understand that frats do and we have socials in their houses but the insurance isn't really an issue with us. It wasn't even brought up by NPC.

[Yasij]

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