In the wake of proposed changes to the University's alcohol policy, the Greek leaders praised the changes, but the general Greek population seemed to be less informed about and invested in them.
Numerous amendments to the policy were recently proposed by the Alcohol Response Team, a group composed of Penn students, faculty and administrators and charged with re-examining the University's alcohol policy. University officials are currently awaiting reactions to the proposed changes from the Penn community.
Director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Scott Reikofski said he views ART's suggestions as simply a step in a continuous process.
"I don't think it will be a major overhaul," Reikofski said, adding, "I think clearly [the policies] will make some difference."
Reikofski said he thinks the biggest change to the policy will be the increase in the number of sober hosts required to monitor party guests -- from one for every 50 guests to one for every 30.
"I think that's a really good idea," Reikofski said. "One to 50 people is a really difficult ratio."
Conor O'Callaghan, the current president of the InterFraternity Council and a member of the Alcohol Response Team -- said he believes the changes will be well-received by his Greek peers.
"ART had a significant amount of Greek representation," the Engineering and Wharton senior said. "Therefore, the Greek community is very much behind these changes."
However, while the changes have the vocal support of leaders in the Greek community, many fraternity members across campus said they were unaware of the revisions and the current policy itself.
O'Callaghan, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said that the revisions were formulated with the interests of students in mind.
"I just hope that the policy will continued to be reviewed as the campus environment changes," O'Callaghan said.
Reikofski said although the changes are a step in the right direction, they should not be viewed as an instant solution to the problem.
"Cultural change is not easy and it's not quick," Reikofski said. "I think that this is the natural next step."
O'Callaghan agreed with Reikofski regarding the evolving nature of the alcohol policy.
"As I've said in the past, I don't think that any policy is going to be perfect and prevent bad things from happening," O'Callaghan said. "That comes down to the individual accountability and responsibility of each Penn student, Greek or not."
College junior Spencer Scharff, the current Judicial Inquiry Board manager and incoming president of the InterFraternity Council, agrees.
"The message that [the IFC] is trying to portray is that the new policy highlights the need to focus on individual accountability and individual organizations," Scharff said.
"All we can do is try to create an environment that fosters safer and healthier drinking habits in the broader University community."
Scharff will be working more closely on these issues when he takes over the presidency at the end of the month. He plans on encouraging chapters to register parties and create an incentive in the form of increased funding for Risk Reduction Awards for fraternities to implement these policies.
