Greek Alumni Council rejects alcohol ban in IFC frat houses

Allaying the fears of many members of Penn's Greek system, the Greek Alumni Council unanimously voted Wednesday not to pass a resolution that would have banned alcohol from all fraternity houses for the remainder of the semester. The resolution, which was proposed several weeks ago, grew out of the Alumni Council's skepticism about the effectiveness of the InterFraternity Council's alcohol management policy, which dictates how the IFC handles legal liability arising from underage drinking and injuries relating to alcohol. But according to Alumni Council Chairperson Bill Staples, the skeptics were reassured Wednesday. During the Alumni Council's weekly meeting, the IFC executive board made a one-hour presentation during which IFC President Josh Belinfante "compared where the Greek system was last year to where it is today." The IFC board also submitted a four-page report to update the Alumni Council -- which has the power to determine policies for Penn's Greek houses -- on its alcohol management policies. Lastly, the board gave the alumni progress reports from the Judicial Inquiry Board, a peer committee that polices the system. Afterward, the Alumni Council -- which represents most of Penn's 32 IFC fraternities -- took about two minutes to vote down the resolution, according to Belinfante. Another proposed resolution, to ban kegs in all houses, was tabled by a 10-10 vote. Staples, a 1985 University graduate and Phi Kappa Psi alumnus, praised Belinfante's presentation of what the IFC has done in the past and what it is doing now to manage alcohol. "If the IFC had not given such a presentation, the results might have been different," Staples said. In his presentation, Belinfante, an Alpha Chi Rho brother and College junior, highlighted the effectiveness of the recently-established graduate observer system in monitoring parties, the compliance of most fraternities with a law prohibiting charging at parties and the fact that parties have been safe and responsible in the past year. "Hill House sent more people to the hospital than the Greek system did last semester," Belinfante noted. Staples said the resolution was based not on past IFC misconduct but on an issue that "needed to be discussed." He also noted the Greek system's effective alcohol policies, a point he said is rarely brought up by the University. "The Greeks are doing a better job of managing alcohol than the University," Staples said. "If what happened at Hill House had happened at a Greek house, the house would be on probation." Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski attributed the Alumni Council's decision to more open dialogue between the IFC executive board and the Alumni Council. "Once the IFC came in and actually communicated with [the Alumni Council] for the first time, the GAC felt better about the system," Reikofski said. Belinfante agreed, noting that "their resolutions were a way to get our attention, and they succeeded." While a better understanding of IFC alcohol management policies was a major factor in the decision, other Alumni Council members said they voted against the resolution for different reasons. "I didn't see the purpose in the resolution," said Bart Barre, an alumnus of Phi Kappa Sigma. He added that some members of the Alumni Council expressed uncertainty as to whether or not enforcing alcohol policy was a function of the council. Other Alumni Council members said the IFC is still not handling alcohol as well as they would like. Robert Drake, a Sigma Nu alumnus and a member of the Alumni Council executive board, said he doesn't think the IFC is improving its alcohol policy as quickly as OFSA or the Alumni Council would like.