GUEST COLUMNIST: IFC will provide campus social life within the rules

Unfortunately, the board members' arguments against co-sponsored Greek funds by the UA ("Last and only bang for UA," DP, 3/3/98) contains numerous flaws . They failed to move beyond stereotypes to understand the larger picture, and rather have simply manufactured a controversy to fill pages. First, they suggested that fraternities will work around the non-alcoholic requirement of events co-sponsored with the UA. The IFC's Judicial Inquiry Board, however, provides chapters with a means of policing their own events. Consequently, since JIB's inception, "non-alcoholic events" have remained alcohol free. And even if the IFC proved unable to live up to the dry requirement, the UA could quite easily refuse to co-sponsor other events. The board members further expressed a lack of faith in the "dry block party" concept and the Greeks' ability to host such functions. Their skepticism fails to understand underlying changes within the Greek system. When charging provided a means of subsidizing parties, there was no need for dry programming; thus dry block parties did not exist. Without charging, fraternities are forced to look for ways to still provide the majority of Penn's social life while remaining fiscally viable. The newly allocated funds provide such an opportunity. The editorial board considers the UA a failure because of its heavy Greek presence. Its members view themselves as new McCarthy's, constantly searching for Communist conspiracies behind every decision of the UA (of course, these directives were ordered by the IFC's central offices in the Kremlin of High Rise North). Well, there are no Reds here. The UA has acted independently of the IFC, as proven by their rejection of our initial proposal for $40,000. Additionally, given that the Special Programs and Events Committee's budget was $374,000, and the Student Activities Council's well over $400,000, the allocated $30,000 for co-sponsorship is hardly the work of a massive "coup" and result of a secret IFC plot. The funding represents the long-overdue recognition of Greeks as promoters and leaders of Penn's social life. Greeks are prepared to open our doors to the Penn community with dry block parties, open workshops and community service events such as blood drives. Clearly the UA realized such events would benefit all University students. Given the recent violence on campus, decreased student morale and overall malaise affecting the student body, one wonders why the editorial board has spoken out against an initiative with the sole purpose of providing entertaining and community service events to the entire campus. Now more than ever, students should be supporting each other. The UA and IFC are working to promote such unity.