COLUMN: Party-financing plan hurts tradition

Administrators last fall took a sudden interest in an age-old law forbidding fraternity brothers from charging admission to their parties. When former IFC President Josh Gottheimer, a 1997 College graduate, said the IFC would need $180,000 in order to throw a year's worth of parties, most people were confident that even if a lack of funds slightly hampered the spring festivities, the Greeks would figure out a plan to secure enough cash for this year's drink-up-and-hook-up weekend events. So what lies ahead for the post-adolescents anxious to drop all signs of seriousness as soon as Friday night rolls around? Together with administrators, Gottheimer's crew proposed the idea of having students purchase so-called "GreekCards" at the beginning of the semester to cover all party costs. Students bitched and moaned over sketchy logistics such as how they could party with non-Penn friends, or what the IFC would do if not nearly enough parents were keen on the idea of paying for nine months' worth of alcohol for their little darlings. But basically students figured they could manage this extra expense. Now, however, current IFC President and Alpha Chi Rho brother Matt Baker's executive board seems less psyched to go ahead with the GreekCard plans. The boys aren't worried, though -- they are fairly confident that a solution to the dire financial straits will arise. Even so, Greek leaders are quick to point out that fraternity and sorority membership is just like American Express card ownership -- it is not without its privileges. Unless someone thinks of a miracle plan, those who have yet to claim the proud right to brotherhood or sisterhood may not have to bother packing party clothes this year. While it is by no means the IFC's technical responsibility to provide social outlets for 10,000 undergraduate students -- only 30 percent of whom are Greek -- fraternity brothers have an actual and traditional responsibility to their alma mater. [We can throw toast until we're blue in the face, but Penn's campus would be, well, even further from ideal.] For all the blame they take every time anyone on campus drinks enough to land himself or herself over in the hospital, the Greeks have provided University students with on-campus entertainment which is relatively safer, cheaper and closer than that which one can find in other Philadelphia spots of interest. And although upperclassmen are quick to laugh at the lonely freshman who, eager to make new friends to replace high school pals spread out across the nation, flock in herds of 20 to four parties a week, they will also grudgingly admit that on-campus bashes provide an environment conducive to meeting lots of people. Fraternity parties are also criticized because they can start to smell sketchy -- perhaps due to all the free alcohol circulating in cups and bellies all over the house at every party? However, people who throw up, drink up, hook up and smoke up are at bars and clubs too, even if they're less obvious because there's more than an inch between each sweaty body. Even if they don't quite happen every weekend, fraternity parties are a tradition and even a necessity for a balanced campus life. If the Greeks, who claim to include members involved in every other campus organization, want to exclude themselves and close their doors to those who haven't screamed, "Thank you sir, may I have another?" while getting their rear ends paddled, the Greeks are not only reducing their customer base by as much as 70 percent. They're also destroying Penn traditions five times older than them.