Stereotypes are hard to break, but the U’s fraternities are trying to do just that by pledging to be alcohol free. The decision has been a couple months in the making, but will come into play at the start of the school year next fall, said Arash Bakhshandehpour, a junior in business administration and Interfraternity Council president. The decision was started by previous president Jackson Chambers and Panhellenic Council president for sororities Erica Hansen in 2012.
Bakhshandehpour said there was a recent incident at Utah State University where a student was hospitalized because of alcohol poisoning. This got the conversation going, but it has become a national trend, said Arlyn Bradshaw, assistant dean of students. Schools with major Greek presence have made the change, including Oregon State University.
The decision was officially made in December, and it essentially sets up a default for fraternities to be alcohol free.
“It’s similar to the residence halls,” Bradshaw said. “In practicality, the main goal is to limit liability by not having alcohol in the house and assuring there is no underage drinking.”
This rule will be regulated by the Greek Council’s Conduct Board and the Dean of Students Office.
If certain chapters meet criteria, they are allowed to apply for an exception. This criterion includes a house GPA greater than the average all-men’s GPA of the university and a record clean of misdemeanors.
“I feel like this can only put Greek Row in a better light,” Bakhshandehpour said. “It’s not just a party group to get away and go crazy. We are academically and service focused.”
He is hopeful that fraternities will follow the new law because the decision was student driven rather than forced by administration. He said all eight fraternities are on board, although there were some amendments that had to be made. One of which addressed the issue of tracking if people drink at the actual house or are consuming alcohol before going to house parties — a decision that is often hard to call.
Bradshaw said three of the eight chapters are already alcohol free, but he anticipates any that meet the requirements will apply to have alcohol again. Besides the requirements, the houses must vote and meet with their alumni and adults who manage the property. This will spark conversation and hopefully get members to really think about the decision, Bradshaw said.
The decision was almost unanimous for the Greek Council officers representing each chapter. These leaders bear a lot of responsibility for what happens to their members, so their perspective changes, Bradshaw said.
Although there has been some opposition, Bakhshandehpour is hopeful this law can do nothing but improve recruitment.
“The biggest obstacle for recruitment is parents, because we have to convince them that we are a lot more than a big party,” he said.
Bradshaw said the numbers have already been increasing the past couple of years, and he hopes this will detract people from joining just for alcohol and parties.
This new legislation applies to both sororities and fraternities, though sororities have already pledged to be alcohol free.