42 GLO's Form Genesis Group...

[DeltAlum]

From: "Chris Martz" <chris.martz@delts.net>
Subject: 42 fraternities and sororities form coalition to change campus alcohol attitudes

42 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES FORM COALITION
TO CHANGE CAMPUS ALCOHOL ATTITUDES



Forty-two national and international fraternities and sororities -
representing more than 60% of all undergraduates who are members of
Greek organizations - today announced the formation of The Genesis
Group, an historic consortium that will work together to implement a
Program For Change to modify the culture of high-risk alcohol
consumption that has manifested itself on college campuses across
America and within campus Greek organizations.



"The major problem on college campuses is high risk drinking, and we
want to make it clear that the Greek community wants to be part of the
solution," said Norval Stephens, co-chair of The Genesis Group and chair
of the Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation. "While there is a great
deal of work underway now dealing with the relationship of the problem
with Greek letter organizations and their members, this coordinated
effort with the combined wisdom and perspectives of 42 fraternities and
sororities will effect positive change. We believe that the Program For
Change is the broadest program yet proposed, and the first one with
combined Greek participation and support."



The Genesis Group will begin its work by selecting one or two college
campuses as test sites and will actively participate with the
administrations in developing and executing a long-term program to
change student alcohol culture. Research by the Harvard School of
Public Health suggests Greek organizations are the only subset of the
student population in which high-risk drinking has declined in the last
decade.



"Our rate of alcohol consumption is still high, we recognize, but we are
showing progress when no other major student segment showed a similar
decline," notes Nancy Leonard, co-chair of the Genesis Group and interim
executive director of Alpha Chi Omega. "Greek units are making strides
in combating the problem because they are programming against alcohol
abuse. The per capita investment by fraternities and sororities in
alcohol counter-programming is, we believe, higher than that provided by
any college or university, and it has had a measurable effect."



Recent studies show that 44 percent of college students binge drink at
least biweekly and blame drinking by college students for 1,400 deaths,
500,000 injuries, 600,000 assaults and more than 70,000 sexual assaults
among students. The Genesis Group believes the issue of high-risk
drinking on college campuses must be attacked comprehensively,
persuasively and persistently. Its Program For Change is based on the
experience of Greek organizations, recommendations of those institutes
that research the problem, and the advice of experts in alcohol abuse.
The Program For Change is a blueprint to address this cultural problem.




Research conducted by the Newton, MA-based Outside The Classroom, which
involved approximately 15,000 first-year students at American colleges
last fall, found that more than 50% arrived on campus as "abstainers"
from alcohol, but by Christmas break of their first semester the
percentage dropped to 20%, approximately the level of abstainers among
all college students in the Harvard study. Outside The Classroom also
found that, over the same period, the percentage of heavy or binge
drinkers climbed from 24% to 63%. "This demonstrates a cultural problem
- drinking among underage students - one that is exacerbated in the
first months of college, a time when most of these students are in
college dormitories and not members of Greek organizations," Stephens
said. "This is a 100% problem, one not confined to the 10% of college
students who belong to Greek chapters," he added.



Later this year, the Genesis Group will begin the search for one or two
colleges that would want to participate in a five-year program to change
collegiate alcohol attitudes and behavior. "This is a deep and
pervasive societal problem, but based on our experiences in the Greek
system, we are confident that we can be a force for positive cultural
change. Fraternities and sororities are part of the problem, and I
believe we can be a large part of the solution," Stephens said. "This
will be a long haul, but, as the Chinese proverb says: Every journey
begins with the one step."



The Program For Change is comprised of three fundamental elements:
presidential leadership, student involvement and a long-range plan.
Programming elements include a student code of conduct, campus coalition
for change, review of the judicial process, attitude change programming,
a community coalition, increased social options, leadership education,
specific Greek programming, admissions programming, security
enhancements, campus health services, and research feedback. A synopsis
of the Program for Change is attached.



The fraternities and sororities participating in The Genesis Group are :
Acacia, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha
Kappa Lambda, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha
Sigma Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, Alpha Xi Delta, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Omega,
Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Upsilon, Delta
Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta,
Kappa Kappa Gamma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta,
Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Sigma, Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Beta
Phi, Pi Kappa Phi, Psi Upsilon, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma
Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Theta Chi,
Triangle, and Zeta Tau Alpha.



Fraternities and sororities that wish to join the Genesis Group and
colleges and universities interested in more information on the Genesis
Group may contact Jim Russell, executive vice president of Delta Tau
Delta, (317) 284-0210; or Nancy Leonard, interim executive director of
Alpha Chi Omega, (317) 579-5050.







The Genesis Group seeks to bring together the leadership of the Greek
organizations

To create an initiative to change the culture of a high-risk alcohol
environment

That has manifested itself on campuses and within Greek organizations.



_______________________________________

Christopher Martz, Director of Communications

Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity

[James]

Publicity stunt or misguided Zeolots?

[AXWhoah]

I personally think that it's a good thing and way to go Alpha Chi and Delt for stepping up and taking leadership roles.

[GeekyPenguin]

I can't believe there's NPC groups not participating in this - if nothing else, this is great PR for our organizations that we realize that obviously we're doing something right and want to figure out how to improve it even more!

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally posted by James
Publicity stunt or misguided Zeolots?

I cant speak for the other chapters involved, but I can speak for Kappa Alpha Theta. Starting in 2002, Kappa Alpha Theta started a program called AlcoholEDU. It is a computer based tutorial like program that all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors(every year or every semester I forget) must take in their spare time, by a certain time and pass. I was a Senior when it started so I didnt have to do it, but it is designed to educate about all the risks of alcohol, not just health risks,but legal ramifications, date rape drugs that are often slipped into drinks, and some other things as well, so Theta HQ takes this stuff very seriously. I cant speak for the other chapters though.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by James
Publicity stunt or misguided Zeolots?

Another message from the Devil's Advocate?

Even if not, and my friend James is truly misguided in this particular case (one cheap shot deserves another), I don't see anything to indicate "zeolots."

Delt has had a campaign in place for several years called "Delts Talk About Alcohol (DTAA), which is an educational program which sounds much like the one KAT has begun recently.

There is no pressure not to drink, but rather informtion given about both short term and long term effects on the human body. It is informational only. Every Delt must take it. It was the first program of its' kind underwritten by the government, and has been openly shared with other fraternities and sororities. From the sounds of the description, it could very easily be the basis for the Kappa Alpha Theata program.

I think that this is not only important to generations of college students, but also to the long-term survival of the Greek System. As GP pointed out, even if it turns out to only be great PR (and I certainly think it will be much more), it is worthwhile.

[James]

I am not playing Devil's advocate at all.

All of our groups now have comprehensive alcohol awareness programs that get disseminated to one degree or another.

Almost every campus with Greek Organizations have Greeks putting on seminars about it.

Almost every College in the Nation has mandatory alcohol programming now.

Where I differ is in the framing of the situation.

This is a social issue, a social pattern that has been isolated our of normal life and defined as a problem.

Kind of like taking a snap-shot of part of an event and saying that is the problem independant of the rest of the scenario.

Now alcohol has become a buzzword much like Hazing which we discussed earlier. And it becomes very vague what we are actually talking about.

Everyone agrees that binge drinking is wrong, until we start defining binge drinking. At my weight I am barely catching a buzz off 5 drinks in one evening which is the definition of binge drinking.

High Risk drinking can lead to problems. But what is high risk drinking?

The way this issue has been framed is much like the way we were sold a war on Iraq. Its been framed through sets of inferences without clear definition.

For example. If someone just reads through that article it looks like the average college student is engaging in high risking drinking twice a week.

Because the article doesn't define abstainers, it makes it appear lthat 50 percent of students come to school opposed to drinking and then most of them get seduced into a drinking culture.

IT doesn't take into account that alcohol may be more readily available in college than high school.

We can invent new variations of these programs all the time, but until we really agree on the definitions of what we are talking about its going to be really hard to measure any impact these programs might be having or whether they are necessary.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by James
.

This is a social issue, a social pattern that has been isolated our of normal life and defined as a problem.

OK, it's a social issue. So who better to address it than a group of social Greek Letter Organizations.

Before I take issue with the group and the program, I'll wait and see how it's handled and what is discussed.

An aside, one of the things that DTAA does is look at precisely one of the things you talk about -- different affects of amounts of alcohol depending on body size/type.

On the other hand, we can all sit back and keep taking our lumps from the media and the universities.

Or maybe someone -- Greek or independent -- won't get the word that this program might have delivered and end up killing her/himself or someone else.

I just don't see the downside here.

[ThetaPrincess24]

I dont see the downside either.........

[33girl]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
I can't believe there's NPC groups not participating in this - if nothing else, this is great PR for our organizations that we realize that obviously we're doing something right and want to figure out how to improve it even more!

Of the groups that haven't adopted it, many of them have the support policy which does not mandate alcohol-free functions. IMO it would kind of be talking out of both sides of their mouth if they went along with this.

As for the others maybe they want to wait until the group does something concrete until they join in...I think it's perfectly fine to be cautious.

DA, is there an attachment that goes with this or somewhere we can go to read it?

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by 33girl
Of the groups that haven't adopted it, many of them have the support policy which does not mandate alcohol-free functions. IMO it would kind of be talking out of both sides of their mouth if they went along with this.

As for the others maybe they want to wait until the group does something concrete until they join in...I think it's perfectly fine to be cautious.

DA, is there an attachment that goes with this or somewhere we can go to read it?

There was no attachment and I went to the Delt website and found only what is above.

I suspect that the program doesn't really have much form yet -- just a concept.

Bythe way, Delt does not mandate alcohol-free functions, nor do we mandate dry housing unless it is a university regulation. We also don't object to it.

To quote myself from above:

"There is no pressure not to drink, but rather informtion given about both short term and long term effects on the human body. It is informational only."

I don't see any conflict between that and being a part of a project to try to eliminate "problem" drinking. I would go out on a limb and say that most universities would not object to drinking in moderation.

In any event, it will be interesting to see how the program evolves.

[LXAAlum]

So how is this different than what GAMMA and the Greek2000 projects were trying to accomplish?

[DeltAlum]

Not familiar with GAMMA. Was it Greek 2000? I thought it was Campus 2000 or something like that.

Anyway, I don't know the answer, because I haven't yet found any particulars.

[LXAAlum]

Campus 2000 - that's it! Northern Colorado was a participant. GAMMA was formed by Drew Hunter, LXA from University of Denver, in the mid to late 80's - Greeks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol, I believe....

[GeekyPenguin]

I hate to say this, but at least at the campus where I initiated, Gamma is useless. The school forces all the GLOs to belong and half of them probably couldn't even tell you what GAMMA stands for.