One year after implementing a fraternity party regulation, the new policy has some Syracuse University students questioning its effectiveness.

 

Under the year-old enforcement policy, fraternities must compile a guest list and submit the list for approval to the director or assistant director of fraternity and sorority affairs eight days in advance for events involving alcohol, according to SU’s Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Event Guidelines and Community Expectations. Party attendees 21 and older who plan on drinking are required to wear wristbands.

Eddie Banks-Crosson, director of fraternity and sorority affairs, said in an email that the document containing the revised party enforcement policy also includes guidelines on social responsibility, community living and the student code of conduct, among other items.

‘As fraternity and sorority members, we take oaths to be held to a higher standard and to be better,’ he said.

All of SU’s greek councils, the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council have been subject to the enforcement policy.

If a violation is found, the offending fraternity is referred to each council’s specific judicial board for review, Banks-Crosson said.

The number of attendees must not exceed fire capacity, though it is recommended that guest lists do not exceed 150 people. If the number of attendees does exceed 150, Chestnut Security, a private security company, is hired to sweep through the event one to three times a night and assure rules are being followed, said David Lurie, president of IFC.

However, Elizabeth Webster, a freshman fashion design major, said based on what she’s observed in her first three weeks at SU, fraternity parties do not have guest lists.

‘They let people in based on what you’re wearing and your sex,’ she said. ‘If you’re a girl you can basically go in.’

Lurie said that if a violation is found at a party, security personnel will issue a write-up and will likely shut down the party. The fraternity will then face a peer review and be issued a punishment. Punishments are as varied as being issued a warning to being put on social probation, depending on the severity of the violation, Lurie said.

Chestnut Security is the only university-approved security company allowed to sweep through houses and check for violations, Lurie said.

Lurie said he feels the high level of regulation at fraternity parties helps make for safer party environments.

‘We’re the most regulated party system on the entire campus,’ Lurie said. ‘You can have a party, essentially next door to me, if you’re not greek-affiliated you can do whatever the hell you want.’

Among other things, Chestnut Security checks to see that wristbands for drinking guests are worn, no hard alcohol or kegs are in the vicinity and food is readily available. Names and phone numbers of sober monitors, the Department of Public Safety and taxi companies must also be on display, said Alex Klaris, president of Delta Kappa Epsilon and a junior public relations major.

Klaris said the peer reviews have been an effective means of helping police fraternity parties. On Fridays, the vice president of each IFC fraternity chapter meets with Gabe Lister, IFC’s vice president of internal affairs, to review any violations from the previous weekend, Klaris said. Lister could not be reached for comment.

The fraternity charged with the violation will petition its case and be punished as its peers see fit, Klaris said.

Though Klaris said he cannot speak on behalf of the other councils, he feels the greek system, and IFC in particular, is looked upon unfavorably for ‘facilitating a culture that is not exclusive to greek life.’

‘It’s easy to target greek life. And sometimes, I feel we’re made a target of — when I think we’re doing the best job out of anyone on campus of regulating and maintaining a culture of discipline and responsible partying,’ Klaris said.

Joshua Barrow, a senior music education major, however, said based on what he’s observed as a resident adviser in Lyons Hall, little has changed since his freshman year.

Barrow, who does not frequent fraternity parties, said that based on the partying he’s observed while walking along frat row, he would have never known a rule suggesting parties cannot exceed 150 people was in place.

‘I would have never known that based on the way the partying has going this year,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen a change in anything, so I would’ve never had known that, that rule was implemented.’

Brian Kang, a sophomore international relations major, said underage drinking is still prevalent at parties. Kang said while there are slight differences between fraternity parties, the end result is similar.

‘They all have the same outcome. People get messed up, they get trashed,’ Kang said.

Aimee Mercure, a freshman fashion design major, offered a similar take. Based on first impressions, Mercure said policing underage drinking at fraternity parties has not been effective. She said she has seen underage drinking at fraternity parties she has attended.

Azhar Ali, a junior health and science major, offered a different perspective. Ali, a resident adviser in Shaw Hall, said he has noticed significantly less noise coming from fraternity houses than in previous years.

‘I remember freshman year, opening weekend, loud music and all that. But that wasn’t really here. That didn’t really exist this year,’ he said.

Though Ali said he cannot speak from firsthand experience, he said that — if the noise level is any indication — fewer people have been attending fraternity parties.

‘If I were to make that association between the noise level and the amount of people that are actually present at a party,’ Ali said, ‘I’d say there are less people there now than in years past.’

dbtruong@syr.edu

Published on September 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong