Going dry: The wave of the future?

Phi Kappa Sigma is a dry fraternity.

But this past March, Phi Kap hosted a party. A party that filled the Phi Kap house at 3539 Locust Walk with students, loud music -- and alcohol.

In a move that created controversy within the Greek and University communities, Phi Kap decided to violate its national dry policy to host a party with alcohol that was in compliance with the University's alcohol policy.

Phi Kap isn't the only fraternity affected by nationally mandated policies forcing chapter houses to ban booze.

And Phi Kap members aren't the only ones who are questioning the effectiveness of these new and popular policies.

"I don't think having a dry chapter house has any impact on abusive drinking," Alcohol Policy Coordinator Stephanie Ives said.

Penn's alcohol policy mandates that student groups register their parties with the Office of Student Conduct, not serve alcohol to anyone underage and not distribute alcohol in large containers like kegs.

The policy also states that outside alcohol monitors must serve alcohol rather than members of the organization doing so themselves.

Ives noted that dry policies do not stop dangerous drinking, they simply move the drinking to another location -- a location that is often unsupervised.

Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski agreed.

"If a chapter is determined to drink and drink dangerously, they're going to do it somewhere else," he said.

By eliminating all alcohol, critics claim the national policies undermine the alcohol policy the University has been working hard to implement.

"We want there to be a safe environment and we know how to make a safe environment," Ives said. "We know exactly how to do it."

"We would prefer to see people on campus where they're more managed and maintained and monitored," Reikofski added.

InterFraternity Council President Mark Zimring noted that Greeks at Penn will work hard in the near future to gain exemptions from such policies in the hope that they will be able to work in compliance with Penn's policy.

"In the long run, we feel this is a trend we want to work against," Zimring said. "The national policies are untested and really don't address the unique Greek community we have at Penn."

And while a majority of the fraternities at Penn have yet to be affected by dry mandates, Reikofski speculates that this may change soon, estimating that several national organizations may opt to go dry at conventions this summer.

For many, the move to go dry came last summer as several national fraternities culminated their Dry by 2000 campaigns.

While about two-thirds of national fraternities have at least one or more alcohol-free chapters, 11 national organizations are part of the Alcohol-Free Housing Alliance, an organization of fraternities that are moving toward going entirely dry.

Although not all member fraternities have unilaterally outlawed alcohol at their chapter houses, most are moving in that direction, and some set behavior standards in exchange for fraternities to have alcohol in the house.

Sigma Nu -- a member of the Alliance -- has a policy mandating that brothers maintain a minimum GPA, fulfill all financial obligations and participate in national Sigma Nu events in order to be allowed to have booze in the chapter house.

Such a policy, which was created with student input, is designed to increase the vitality of Sigma Nu.

"If there is any single inhibitor that seems to keep us from getting our goals accomplished, alcohol is the number one repeat offender," Sigma Nu's Director of Insurance and Risk Reduction David Glassman said.

But Phi Delta Theta's policy -- along with Phi Kap's --is more strict.

"We're not allowed to have parties where we serve alcohol," Phi Delt president and Engineering junior Kenneth Thomas said. "We're not allowed to have individuals bringing alcohol into the physical structure of our house."

Some feel that instituting these alcohol-free housing policies will help build up a Greek image that has been battered in recent years.

It's about "getting away from being an entertainment center and getting back to being what a fraternity is about, what we were founded for," said Robert Miller, executive vice president of Phi Kappa Sigma International.

But Phi Kap President Michael Aronson said he is upset with the dry policy his national organization has mandated.

The College junior explained that while the policy may improve the image of his chapter, that's not his top priority.

"As president of a fraternity, my primary concern... is the safety of my members," he said. "If you're compromising safety for the sake of image, I don't know if you're being effective."

Not only has the dry policy frustrated Aronson and the rest of the fraternity's leadership --causing morale to drop -- it may have discouraged new members from opting to join the fraternity.

This year, the fraternity received fewer new members than previous years.

But according to Matt Holley, director of alcohol education initiatives for the North American Interfraternity Conference, abolishing alcohol should increase fraternity interest among prospective Greeks.

"Research shows [that] one of the major reasons people don't join fraternities is the presence of alcohol," he said.

And with a string of alcohol-related deaths popping up at universities across the nation, there is a more economical motive for these dry policies as well -- liability.

"These aren't organizations that are necessarily dealing with infinite wealth," Zimring said. "One more lawsuit for some of them will do them in."

"Money is only one thing," Zimring added. "But student lives in the end is what these national fraternities should be looking out for."

While those fraternities who have opted to go dry seem to be making headlines, the fact remains that most fraternities have yet to make that decision.

Pi Lambda Phi, for one, decided not to go alcohol free.

While Alan Wunsch, the fraternity's executive vice president, said his organization "applauds those groups who are choosing to go alcohol free," he questioned whether dry housing initiatives are the most effective means by which to increase alcohol safety.

"It certainly takes alcohol out of chapter houses," he said. "The question is where do the undergraduates and the alcohol go."

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