EDITORIAL: Alcohol ban: a misguided effort

The Greek Alumni Council should be concerned about more than chapter liability. The obvious result of such a move would be a shift to more off-campus parties. Health risks would only increase as drunk students are forced to make their way home from various West Philadelphia neighborhoods or from downtown. Granted, the GAC resolution is not an attempt to curb drinking. Rather, it is concerned with risk management, or how houses handle any liability for injuries, deaths and property damage resulting from drinking. As a way to prevent lawsuits, the resolution might be successful. But given the number of recent alcohol-related deaths nationally, in addition to the statistics of alcohol-induced hospitalization and altercations on our own campus, GAC and the campus Greek system should take a more proactive approach toward reducing student alcohol consumption. Whether by educating students about the dangers of excessive drinking or by more strictly enforcing current policies -- such as over-21 ID bracelets and the "bring your own beer" system -- they should help get to the root of the problem, not exacerbate it.