Greeks Respond to New Social Policy

By Samantha Criswell
scriswel@smu.edu

Parties and paperwork become synonymous this year as SMU implements a new social policy.

SMU administrators implemented a new social event registration policy requiring Greek and other organization leaders to discourage organized parties on school nights and register all off-campus events with the administration.

This comes as a result of one of the Task Force on Substance Abuse recommendations made last Spring. The regulation was implemented at the beginning of the fall semester as one of the 36 partially- or fully-accepted recommendations. It was revised in late September to include changes that will help facilitate the registration process.

The new rule requires student organizations hosting off-campus events or events held at Greek houses or university-owned residences to register their events with the Dean of Student Life Office.

According to the regulation, events where alcohol is purchased or consumed can only be scheduled
between 3 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. These time constraints prohibit Thursday night bus parties.

The committee requires the student group to provide a guest list of students attending the event.
The group must also submit a list of trained student event monitors who wear a name tag signifying their position during the event.

These monitors are members of the host student group and must agree to abstain from drinking. The monitors take a few hours to complete TIPS (Training for Interventions Procedures) training at SMU’s health center to learn how to watch for signs that other group members and guests have had too much to drink.

The policy does not require that an event be registered if it is held on campus or if a student affairs advisor attends.

Dr. Dee Siscoe, Associate Professor for Student Affairs, said she understands the strain this policy puts on organizations that follow proper procedures.

“In six months from now, everything will be great,” Siscoe said.

But some students say these measures will not be effective in changing the party culture at SMU. Senior Shardé Thomas, a sorority member, is one of them.

“I don’t think telling the administration that an event has alcohol will make a difference,” Thomas, an executive board member of her sorority, said.

Siscoe said that the policy is meant to increase communication between the students and the organization. It also will educate groups about safe risk management procedures.

She said it’s important students know that the committee is eager to hear suggestions and feedback about the new policy.

The policy has already been adjusted to help streamline the process. The changes eliminate the need for representatives of a student organization to meet with the Social Event Registration Committee if the event has less than 100 people or does not include alcohol or use busses.

The policy mainly affects parties hosted by sororities and fraternities, but Panhellenic President Sierra Sleeper does not believe the new policy is specifically targeting Greek life.

“The university is targeting specific behaviors that can be associated with the [Greek community],” Sleeper said.

Junior Sarah Treis, an advertising major and member of the Greek community, believes this policy will not be affective in alleviating student drinking on school nights.

“The lack of bus parties deters the cautious partier from going out on Thursday nights, but doesn’t stop those just going out to get drunk,” Treis said

Although the administration does not attend off-campus parties, Agent Mercerson, from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said that TABC is connected with all of the colleges in the area.

“We have a relationship with campus police and the administration,” Mercerson said.

Anyone can call TABC to to report a party he or she suspects of fostering underage drinking, and TABC will investigate the party or try to prevent it from happening.

Siscoe said the Social Event Registration Committee has never given the location of events to TABC.

The only connection SMU has to TABC is through the Center for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, which has no connection with the Social Event Registration Committee.

While the committee meets with students to discuss events where alcohol will be consumed, it also requires events that are held off campus or in Greek houses that do not involve alcohol to be registered with the administration.

Activities like informal recruitment events, family weekend events, off-campus philanthropy events, and sisterhood or brotherhood activities that do not involve alcohol but have over 100 people attending still have to follow the Social Event Registration Policy.

“I’m not sure how effective the policy is in regards to non-alcoholic events. It would make more sense to only target events in which alcohol would be present,” Thomas said.

Sleeper is hopeful that the administration will adjust its policy in time.

“The policy is mainly attempting to create a safe procedure for students traveling off campus or involving alcohol for its members,” Sleeper said. “There are some events where the process may just be excess paperwork but will be part of the growing pains associated with implementing a new policy and will be worked out.”

Students Feel Effects of Thursday Night Party Ban

By Natalie Stephens
nstephen@smu.edu

Last year, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity member and sophomore Rafael Acosta often hopped a bus on Thursday nights for Greek parties at nearby clubs. He remembers Thursday nights as a popular and safe night. But this year, it’s different because of a controversial new rule. Acosta still goes out, but doesn’t have that secure feeling of safe transportation.

“A lot of people are mad. Now, we [fraternity members] have to provide sober drivers,” Acosta said.

SMU recently adopted 36 of 38 recommendations made last spring by the University’s Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention. One of those new rules eliminates organized parties on school nights, including the use of buses, and requires parties to be registered by the Dean of Student Life Office.

The new rule eliminates Thursday night parties, which were popular social events. The Task Force hopes to reduce class absences on Thursdays and Fridays and the risk of substance abuse.

“It’s not safe to party three nights in a row,” junior Ruthie Keister, Alpha Chi Omega Student Social Chair, said.

But she said she sees why the new rule is controversial.

Without Thursday parties, there are only two party nights available for event planning– Friday and Saturday. Keister said that renting venues is more expensive on weekends, and they are more crowded.

“A lot of people are upset because fraternity parties have been on the same night and because there are only two days to choose from,” Keister said.

Thursday night bus parties were often a highlight of the many students’ week. The parties usually incorporated a theme like “80s” or “islanders”. Around 10:30 p.m., students would head to the intramural field to board the buses. These buses safely transported hundreds of students to local bars and clubs.

Under the newly-implemented recommendations, police reports show that the August 2008 number of alcohol violations has decreased significantly since last year. Violations that referred students to the SMU judicial office last August totaled to 107. This August, the number was 30.

Even with the new rule and the drop in number of violations, some students say they still party on Thursday nights. The major difference now is that there is no bus to take them there and bring them back. Some students think it’s an opportunity for dangerous behavior.

“It encourages drinking and driving, unless sober drivers are provided,” Keister said.

Student Body President and junior Rob Hayden said he knows that drinking and driving is a potential problem.

“Of course, there’s concern with DUI’s,” he said.

The alternative for some students is SMU Rides, which provides free taxi rides to campus. Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, runs the program that operates from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The service is confidential, free with an SMU ID and will stop on campus or at local residences.

Hayden said that the Student Senate is working on the budget for SMU Rides to increase advertising and provide more rides.

“I have never heard of it, but I would use it,” sophomore Kaitlyn Hall said.

Hall said that SMU Rides needs more publicity.

“I know that the police will give rides. Giddy-Up does on campus, but they don’t even go to the sorority houses,” Hall said.

Giddy-Up provides rides, using golf carts, across campus from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., Monday through Sunday.

Hall still goes out on Thursday nights, and she does not think Thursday night partying will stop.

Hayden said that the Task Force made general recommendations to reduce alcohol violations and risks.

“The event registration document is what made the rule function,” Hayden said.

This registration form is a new requirement for all Greek events on campus. It must be turned in and approved by the Social Event Registration Committee.

There have been a few Thursday night bus parties this semester, officials said.

“Those bus parties were only approved because they were prior financial commitments made by organizations in the month of August or before,” Emily Lauren Epstein, Social Event Registration Committee member, said.