Greeks consider banning alcohol

The Greek Alumni Council made the proposal to limit risk Seeking to improve the Greek system's alcohol risk-management policy, the Greek Alumni Council recently proposed a resolution to ban alcohol from on-campus Greek events until the end of the semester. Alumni Council Chairperson Bill Staples stressed that the proposal has nothing to do with the current executive board or recent incidents on campus. He added that "we probably won't see" the resolution pass if the IFC takes firm action to further improve its alcohol policy. Staples would not comment on any specific improvements he would like to see in the policy. In 1993, the alumni council -- a group of Greek alumni who can determine policies for Penn's Greek organizations or put individual houses on probation -- led a campaign to enforce the IFC's "bring your own beer" policy. The new resolution is purely concerned with risk management, or how houses handle any liability for injuries, deaths and property damage resulting from drinking, Staples said. It is not an attempt to curb drinking, he added. IFC President and Alpha Chi Rho brother Josh Belinfante said the IFC board received a letter from the Alumni Council November 19 requesting a description of improvements in the body's policies. The executive board did not respond to the letter until January. The IFC currently uses a combination of several policies, including over-21 ID bracelets and the BYOB system, to manage its alcohol risk. The group also uses alumni monitors at parties and the Judicial Inquiry Board to control and punish violators of alcohol policies. Although the Greek system has made progress managing alcohol risk in recent years, the Alumni Council board wanted the organization to improve more, said Staples, a 1985 Penn graduate and Phi Kappa Psi brother. Staples said the council was discouraged by the lack of IFC response and put two new resolutions on the agenda at a recent meeting, one of which would ban alcohol. According to Belinfante, a College junior, the IFC did not respond promptly because "we were under the impression that [the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs] would relay our actions to the GAC." The IFC will present its risk-management plans at the next meeting of the Alumni Council executive board February 18, Belinfante said. The board will then decide whether or not the resolution still needs to be passed. The resolution seemed "damning" to the Greek system at first, Belinfante said. But he explained that at a meeting last Friday, Staples made it clear to him that the Alumni Council only needed to hear that the IFC was interested in improving its alcohol policies. Belinfante attributed the proposal to ban alcohol mainly to miscommunication. "I'm confident [the resolutions] won't need to be passed," said Belinfante, adding that he expects the Alumni Council to realize how far the IFC has come in the prevention of alcohol misuse. The IFC has done a good job enforcing its BYOB policy for the last few years, but more needs to be done to minimize liability for the fraternities, Staples said. But Belinfante said it was clear that Staples wanted a quick response. The IFC, by contrast, views the improvements as a gradual process. And OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said he does not "think [the resolution] will need to be passed." Staples noted that the Greek Judicial Inquiry Board -- created last year and composed of fraternity members -- has made progress in responding quickly to alcohol issues. But the judicial board can also improve the way it operates, he said. While the resolution would technically ban alcohol for all three Greek umbrella organizations -- the IFC, the Panhellenic Council and the BIG-C -- in actuality it would only affect the IFC. Panhel houses are already required to be dry, and the BIG-C has no houses.