IFC ups penalty for charging at frat parties

Fraternities will now pay much larger fines and face a longer probation for breaking the rule. After realizing that its enforcement was insufficient, the InterFraternity Council announced yesterday that it would stiffen penalties for violating a state law against charging door fees at fraternity house parties. Members of the IFC board said earlier in the semester that they thought charging was no longer an issue. But in light of a Daily Pennsylvanian article last Thursday which revealed alleged incidents to the contrary -- and of sanctions recently levied against Delta Psi, or St. Anthony's -- several members of the board decided the penalties were not preventing all houses from breaking the law. The penalties were formerly a $10 fine per brother and four weeks social probation for the first offense and eight weeks for the second offense. "Clearly, it was time to increase the sanctions," said IFC President Josh Belinfante. The College junior explained that while most houses abided by the law, the board is aware that a few have been charging. In order to prevent further incidents of what Belinfante called "the flouting of IFC guidelines," the IFC's Judicial Inquiry Board will now levy fines of $30 per brother and an automatic 10-week social probation. Additionally, the new guidelines eliminate the distinction between first and second offenses. Greek officials expressed confidence that the stiffer penalties would finally prevent all fraternities from charging door fees. "This should eliminate the impetus to charge, in that social probation and the costs of charging are significantly higher for each house," said Jeffrey Snyder, IFC vice president of rush and membership education. Snyder, a DP columnist, explained that it will no longer be financially beneficial to charge. Zeta Beta Tau President and College senior David Greenspan told the DP last week that the old penalties did not prevent smaller fraternities from charging because because the revenues often outweighed the fines. But Snyder added that there are no guarantees the penalties will be successful. "If it doesn't work, I suppose we'd be forced to do something else," said Snyder, a Wharton junior. Members of the IFC stressed that better enforcement of the charging law will be accompanied by a change in the nature of Penn's social life. "Honestly, I think it's a shame," Belinfante said. "I'd prefer it if we could all charge." He pointed out that there will likely be less large "blowouts" and more smaller parties and mixers, and that houses will hold less events overall. Snyder explained that fraternity members must realize the IFC cannot get around the law. "I understand what the law is," Snyder said. "Fraternities can't charge because they don't have a liquor license." Although most houses want to charge fees, the IFC needs "to come up with alternatives" in order to comply with Pennsylvania law, he said. One of those alternatives may be for individual houses to increase their membership dues to allow for party funding. Even though brothers pay dues to their houses for social events, Belinfante said that "when you throw in entertainment costs, food, non-alcoholic beverages, [parties] get really expensive." Most fraternities have fixed costs -- such as house repairs -- beyond their social functions, Belinfante added. Additionally, since many chapters spend money on internal house activities, their budgets may be more restricted. But while some houses may choose to increase dues to help contribute to parties, many fraternity members said they would not be willing to do so. "I like to benefit personally from my dues, not subsidize other people's drinking," Snyder said. Snyder did not expect a significant drop in the number of parties as a result of the new penalties. The few houses that were charging, he said, do not typically hold many events. Other fraternity members applauded the IFC's decision to increase the charging penalties. "If there are houses that charge, [the penalties] will make them think twice," said Joseph Beiting, president of Delta Kappa Epsilon. A 10-week social probation would probably hurt activities such as rush and pledging, he said. Students who attended the March 21 DKE party said they were charged $5 to enter. "I completely trust [the IFC's] decision-making," added Beiting, a College junior. "We have to take it upon ourselves to police ourselves so that people in the future have the same opportunities to enjoy Greek life that I had."