Sigma Nu, Phi Delt will go dry by 2000

But Penn Greeks said they doubt the rest of the IFC will follow suit. and Randi Rothberg The national governing boards of the Sigma Nu and Phi Delta Theta fraternities agreed to ban all alcoholic beverages from their chapters by the year 2000, the organizations announced last week. But while Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski speculated that other Penn chapters may follow this precedent, several members of the two fraternities questioned the benefits of making chapters alcohol-free. Sigma Nu brother Andrew Barkan said banning alcohol might harm his fraternity's ability to attract new members in the future. "I can't see it helping," the Wharton senior said, adding that during rush freshmen are "going to want the chance to throw parties [which] involves serving alcohol." The national governing bodies of both fraternities approved the alcohol-free policy at meetings this winter. Phi Delt, which has 180 chapters and 7,500 members at colleges throughout the United States and Canada, will implement the policy by July 1, 2000. Phi Delt General Council President Robert Deloian explained that alcohol abuse among undergraduates violates the principles of the fraternity. "Phi Delta Theta exists to provide a setting for developing lifetime friendships, encouraging scholarship and building leadership skills and commitment to community service," he said. "Too often, the fraternity experience today is defined by alcohol. We risk losing our purpose." He noted that 11 chapters -- including those at Michigan, Indiana and Arizona State universities -- are already alcohol-free. "We have found that academic achievement is improving in these chapters and that they are attracting young men with excellent leadership qualities," Deloian said. Sigma Nu's national leadership began encouraging chapters to make their properties substance-free in the fall of 1994. The following spring, the fraternity's chapter at the University of Tennessee became the first to make its house alcohol-free. Currently, 36 of Sigma Nu's 230 chapters are in the process of becoming alcohol-free. The fraternity's High Council voted for chapter property to become substance-free by January 1, 2000. "We have found that the primary obstacle in achieving our mission is alcohol abuse," Sigma Nu Executive Director Mo Littlefield said. "In order to achieve our mission and uphold the values of the fraternity, we must remove this obstacle." He explained that alcohol contributes to most incidents resulting in student injuries or damaged property, and contributes to lower grades among those who abuse alcohol at fraternity events. Littlefield said he believes the policy will increase interest in Sigma Nu. He explained that surveys show fewer undergraduates are rushing Greek organizations, noting that alcohol abuse contributes to their negative perception of fraternities. He added that alcohol-free chapter houses will encourage academic excellence and decrease membership costs because liability insurance premiums and social dues will decrease when houses are alcohol-free. Reikofski explained that "rising costs of liability coupled with chapters and Greek systems engaging in more and more risky behavior is really pushing [other fraternities at Penn]" to become alcohol-free. But he added that it would take many years for the InterFraternity Council to become a dry organization if other chapters decide to implement such policies. And IFC President Matt Baker, an Alpha Chi Rho brother, said a substance-free umbrella organization would pose security problems for Penn students. "Making chapters substance-free will merely move parties west of 40th Street," the Engineering and College junior said. Baker added that eliminating alcohol from a house wouldn't prevent their brothers from drinking, noting that -- like members of Panhellenic Council chapters -- brothers in substance-free houses are still able to drink alcohol at other locations. He explained that Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group, the Greeks' insurance company, precipitated the move to limit fraternity liability in alcohol-related lawsuits. "The University, our nationals [and] our insurance company are all the same [because] they couldn't care less whether or not kids go to the hospital," he said. "I bet if one of them stopped worrying about liability for five seconds we could probably make some real headway on the real issue [of] drinking irresponsibility," Baker added. "[But] they would rather cover it up, forget about it and pray that no one dies while they are still working here." Reikofski explained that the IFC as a whole is working to combat alcohol abuse through programs addressing the stresses which lead students -- especially freshmen -- toward binge drinking.