In an effort to curtail alcohol and substance use during rush and new member events, the University imposed a dry weekend on fraternities and sororities from Feb. 8 to Feb. 10.
“In the context of any recruitment activities or new member activities that weekend, all of those activities should have been alcohol-free,” Greek Life and Orientation Coordinator Rachel Drennen said. “We also have in the past had some risk-management issues following sorority recruitment, and a proactive way to address those problems was to institute no social programming for that weekend.”
The University and the national umbrella Greek-letter organizations already maintain policies that prohibit alcohol and substance use during new member recruitment and education activities.
“The dry weekend wasn’t so much a new policy as a reframing of what was already in place,” Drennen said.
Sorority and fraternity officers held that the dry weekend had few if any negative effects on Greek activities during the recruitment and new member period.
“I don’t think the dry weekend had a big impact on our new member activities. We were still able to have a lot of fun with our new pledge class through sister dinners, a movie night and a ton of junk food,” Phi Mu Head of Risk Management Nicole Aronson wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “I think the policy was sensible in light of recruitment ending that week because we were actually able to get to know our new pledge class even better through various bonding activities.”
What did make the policy unique was that it prohibited members of Greek organizations over the legal age of 21 from imbibing alcohol that weekend, in an attempt to force all chapter members to participate together in alcohol-free events.
“I think the university could have made the policy even more effective if students over 21 were allowed to drink that weekend but not at an organized event with your fraternity/sorority. I think this would have made students more compliant with this policy,” Aronson wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
The policy was also changed this year because last year saw an uptick in risky behavior by students after the end of sorority recruitment.
“[The dry weekend] didn’t have anything specifically to do with one chapter over any of the other chapters, it was just that there is, for whatever reason, a tendency after new members join the organizations for there to be celebratory activities that follow. And so we just wanted to ensure that those celebratory activities kept everyone safe and sober for the weekend to get to know each other that way,” Drennen said.
There was one Greek organization on campus known to the University that did not comply with the dry weekend policy. That organization has appeared before the Student Conduct Board in accordance with University rules, regulations and policies that stipulate strict confidentiality.
Spring semester is notable for being a high-risk period for the University, with Greek recruitment and new member events, the lacrosse season and spring break contributing to increased alcohol and substance use. Nevertheless, regular University and Greek-letter organization policies will be in place for the rest of the semester.
“It tends to be the culture here for whatever reason that sororities go to the fraternities for social functions. And as is related to everybody’s policies and rules, that was not an appropriate behavior for that weekend. It’s perfectly acceptable for the rest of the semester for fraternities and sororities to have social functions together that follow their international policies and our University policies,” Drennen said.
