A policy is sitting on President Dave Frohnmayer’s desk that, if approved, would wrongfully affect fraternity houses affiliated with the University. The policy, which caught many greek student leaders off-guard when it was announced last week, calls for all fraternity and sorority houses to become dry, or alcohol-free, by next fall. If a greek house fails to comply with the policy, its chapter would not be recognized by the University. Currently, all nine sororities at the University are already dry and five of the 15 fraternities affiliated with the University are as well.
National proponents of policies like the one being discussed here at the University feel it is a way to better the campus community and reduce drinking among college-age students. They are also leaning on a recent study released by the Task Force on College Drinking which concluded that drinking among college students is highest among those living in fraternities and sororities.
What the study fails to recognize is that college students are drinking in many more places than in greek houses. As much as some people don’t want to believe, drinking is part of college. If students can’t drink in a fraternity house, they will do it somewhere else. Many greek houses have members who live in private residences. If this policy goes through, there is nothing that prevents fraternity and sorority members from going over to one of their brothers’ or sisters’ apartments. Isn’t it much safer for someone to walk upstairs after having a few too many drinks than it is to drive a car across town?
As a University and also a society, we too often try to control behavior through ineffective means that attempt to prevent the source of the problem. This is an ideal goal, but a more realistic approach is trying to manage the effects of the problem. Telling students that they can’t drink at a specific location isn’t going to get them to stop drinking. A perfect example is the City of Eugene’s ban on smoking in places of business. People haven’t quit smoking, they are just smoking somewhere else.
The same would happen if President Frohnmayer enacts this policy. Students would just go somewhere else to drink, and when you’re dealing with alcohol, the last thing you want to do is worry about people driving.
The policy is hypocritical. Students living in the residence halls who are over the age of 21 are permitted to drink alcohol in their rooms. Most of these rooms are on campus, and all are owned and operated by the University. If students are permitted to drink in dormitory rooms, how can the University rationalize preventing students from drinking in privately-owned greek houses off campus?
The same goes for all the tailgating that goes on prior to a home football game in the Autzen Stadium parking lot. If greek houses are prevented from becoming affiliated with the University because they have alcohol on the premises, then why shouldn’t the football team be forced to do the same — after all, alcohol is sold in the Moshofsky Center during their games.
The words “greek” and “alcohol” are quickly associated with one another, and that is unfortunate. I would enjoy seeing nothing more than the greek community on this campus take a more active role in helping to erase the “Animal House” stigma. In some ways, the greek students at the University have reversed their negative image on their own. It’s only right they continue erasing the stereotypes without the University acting as their baby sitter.
E-mail columnist Jeff Oliver
at [email protected]. His opinions
do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald.