parties, alcohol, mixers ...

[FuzzieAlum]

This is sort of a spin-off from Josh's thread. My intention isn't to suggest his chapter was doing anything wrong, just to discuss some of the issues raised in the thread that would seem to belong in their own separate thread.

I remember seeing a chart in The Quill a few years ago showing the different alcohol policies of the 26 NPC sororities. The thing that struck me was that no two had exactly the same rules. (The NPC's "rules" on this are recommendations, not resolutions, and hence not binding.) While I'm sure they've changed a bit, I'm also sure they're still confusing and different.

I would assume each fraternity has its own, different rules, too. More houses are going dry, but their rules still vary about alcohol at off-campus/third-party vendor events. I know one chapter with a dry house but wet off-campus events; another that allows alcohol in the house but not at events.

Then there are campus rules. Can you have kegs or not? Are houses dry? Do you need an invite list?

And then don't forget the law. That's the easiest one - I bet everyone on GC know you're not supposed to consume alcohol unless you're 21 - and it's illegal to serve those under 21. (At least in the US. Canadian mileage may vary.)

I'm sure we all know ways around these rules. Say mixers are dry. So after the mixer, all the girls go home, change, and come back. There just happens to be a spontaneous hang-out where alcohol just happens to be served. What a coincidence!

So I guess my questions are, one, how does an individual chapter deal with the myriad of rules and regulations? Two, is there any chapter that follows not only the letter but also the spirit of all these rules? Three, where is this trend headed? For example, I don't see the drinking age being lowered anytime soon, or dry houses going wet. Fourth, what is our responsibility as Greeks? What is the balance of our obligations between upholding our rules and our country's laws versus participating in traditions (like wet parties) our members or other Greeks may expect us to uphold?