COLUMN: Bring back the golden age

From Steve Schorr's, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later," Fall '98 From Steve Schorr's, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later," Fall '98When I first visited the University six years ago as a high school sophomore, Penn truly lived up to its reputation as "the social Ivy." I remember being amazed by the sheer number of weekend parties. The fraternity houses lining Locust Walk overflowed with people, so that crowds of students gathered outside, merging into a near campus-wide event. The downfall of Penn's social scene began about five years ago, according to former Interfraternity Council President and 1997 graduate Josh Gottheimer. That year, the Greek Alumni Council passed the Greek Alcohol Management Policy and then pressured the IFC into supporting it. Among other things, the policy was intended to eliminate kegs, charging and underage drinking, and to institute a BYOB system. Liability concerns were the dominant impetus for the revisions, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. If a student suffers alcohol poisoning or dies as a direct result of a fraternity party, his or her family can sue the national fraternity for millions of dollars. Many of those suits have been successful and various fraternities across the country have had to raise their dues to compensate for the losses. Upperclassmen will recall that real changes were slow to take place. Cans of beer -- courtesy of the house -- were used in place of kegs, frats still charged at the door and underage students still drank their nights away. It took a tremendous amount of press focusing on post-fraternity party alcohol-related injuries and deaths throught the country to prompt University officials to clamp down on enforcement. Health Educator Kate Ward-Gaus, co-chairperson of Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, said irresponsible behavior within the Greek System -- illustrated in games such as "golf," which requires players to drink 18 shots in a sitting -- made further monitoring necessary. The death-knell for Penn fraternity parties came last February when the University began paying graduate students to monitor events. If chapters are found in violation of any facets of the alcohol policy, the graduate monitors can report them to OFSA, according to Reikofski. OFSA can, in turn, report violations to national fraternities, who can put chapters on probation or shut them down permanently. The monitors have made charging at the door more difficult. And without this added revenue, fraternities are unable to afford throwing many open parties. Wharton junior Jeff Snyder, president of Phi Kappa Sigma and a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said most fraternities feel they need to throw a big party in the fall in order to attract potential rushees. After that, budget constraints make elaborate events difficult to fund. Although these policies have seriously damaged the University's social scene, they have not done anything to make students safer. According to Ward-Gaus, there were 13 alcohol-related hospitalizations last fall -- a statistic no better than average. If anything, these new policies may actually put students at greater risk. Former IFC co-chairperson Matt Baker said that traditionally, if a student became sick at a party, fraternity brothers would take him or her to the hospital. But fear of being reported has made brothers wary of publicizing such incidents. Last fall, brothers took only two people to the hospital, Baker said. Snyder added that since all fraternity parties end at 2 a.m., there are crowds on the streets at that time as everyone walks home, and thus people are safer. Now, however, different off-campus parties end at staggered times, and it's much riskier to walk home. Is there any hope of reviving the heyday of Penn's social scene? Unfortunately, everyone I spoke with predicts that the continual decrease of open fraternity parties is inevitable. Baker called the outlook "dismal." Four national fraternities have already announced their houses will be "dry" by the year 2000. And Reikofski said he expects that eight or nine more houses will soon announce they're going dry. Fraternities will thus have no option other than to hold small, invite-only off-campus parties. Ward-Gaus said such events will significantly alter the Greek system's image. Houses will no longer be viewed as "drinking clubs." Instead, they will follow their traditional values of academics, athletics and community service. Reikofski added that rushes will look at other aspects of fraternities besides what kind of parties they throw. He added that a fraternity with a reputation for being a "drinking club" will face hard times. In the long run, Gottheimer said, fraternities may actually benefit. With fewer on-campus parties, freshmen and sophomores may feel more pressure to become a part of the Greek System. While the future effect strictly-enforced alcohol policies will have on fraternities are debatable, the effect on Penn's social life is painfully clear. Administrators should not stand by and watch the death of the University's social scene. Although they can't condone any activity in violation of Pennsylvania law, they do have other options. As part of the current effort to recruit new restaurants and businesses for the area, they should actively seek bars and clubs that could fill the void left by fraternity parties. Ideally, University officials should recruit businesses that have an over-21 section where alcohol can be served, along with an alcohol-free section open to everyone. Most importantly, underclassmen must become involved in this issue. Unfortunately as each year passes fewer people remember the way things used to be. But, despite the bleak outlook, they must not give up the goal of numerous, weekly, open Fraternity parties. Without a revived social life, Penn will most certainly suffer.