The U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa’s chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon, a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, which said it would ban hard liquor from chapter houses and events.Raymond Boyd, Getty Images
A large swath of fraternities will no longer allow hard liquor in chapter houses or at parties in most circumstances, according to a new policy approved by the major national association for fraternities.
The North-American Interfraternity Conference’s resolution is another sign that national fraternity leaders are phasing out their traditional hands-off approach, amid a wave of recent hazing deaths that have provoked widespread outrage.
The resolution, approved last week at the group’s annual meeting, states that its 66 member fraternities must “adopt and implement a policy by September 1, 2019, that prohibits the presence of alcohol products above 15% ABV in any chapter facility or at any chapter event, except when served by a licensed third-party vendor.” The alcohol content of beer, wine, and malt beverages is typically below 15 percent.
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The U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa’s chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon, a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, which said it would ban hard liquor from chapter houses and events.Raymond Boyd, Getty Images
A large swath of fraternities will no longer allow hard liquor in chapter houses or at parties in most circumstances, according to a new policy approved by the major national association for fraternities.
The North-American Interfraternity Conference’s resolution is another sign that national fraternity leaders are phasing out their traditional hands-off approach, amid a wave of recent hazing deaths that have provoked widespread outrage.
The resolution, approved last week at the group’s annual meeting, states that its 66 member fraternities must “adopt and implement a policy by September 1, 2019, that prohibits the presence of alcohol products above 15% ABV in any chapter facility or at any chapter event, except when served by a licensed third-party vendor.” The alcohol content of beer, wine, and malt beverages is typically below 15 percent.
The ban will apply to common areas in fraternity houses as well as students’ private living spaces, whether or not the students are over the legal drinking age of 21. The vast majority of students who live in fraternity houses are underage, according to the interfraternity conference.
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A spokeswoman for the organization didn’t immediately respond when asked to clarify whether hard liquor would be allowed at fraternity parties as long as an outside vendor was serving the drinks.
The vote at the annual meeting was nearly unanimous. Over the years, reform-minded fraternities in the organization have clashed with fraternities that see problems in Greek life as merely a few bad apples.
Fraternity chapters largely govern themselves, but the national organization has a broad oversight role, setting standards for individual members’ conduct and requiring local chapters to abide by various risk-management policies, such as not serving alcohol to underage students.
As fraternities have drawn greater scrutiny for hazing and alcohol abuse, many have called on the interfraternity conference to take a more active role in policing the chapters.
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In a sign of his frustration with the status quo, Jud Horras, chief executive officer of the interfraternity conference, toldThe Atlantic last year: “Am I just fighting for a bunch of idiots?”
A number of fraternities within the conference have also banned pledging, the weekslong process that new fraternity recruits go through before officially becoming members. The pledging period has become synonymous with dangerous hazing rituals.
Sarah Brown writes about a range of higher-education topics, including sexual assault, race on campus, and Greek life. Follow her on Twitter @Brown_e_Points, or email her at sarah.brown@chronicle.com.
