Life of the Party

Next Monday, the Interfraternity Council is expected to vote on a proposal to change the regulations affecting fraternity and sorority parties on campus. Part of the proposal, created in consultation with Assistant Director of Greek Life Victoria Lopez-Herrera, would allow fraternities and sororities to replace paid monitors with trained student volunteers. The University should implement this proposed measure as a practical means of ensuring responsible behavior at Greek parties.

The current policies, however well-intentioned, fail to keep students safe because they are widely ignored. Fraternities and sororities are required to register their parties 10 days in advance and to hire University-trained proctors to monitor alcohol consumption. Greek organizations cannot draw from the Interfraternity Council to pay for these monitors and must instead pay out of their own funds. At $20 per hour, this is hardly a trivial expense, especially for parties that might last for much of the night. The costs and paperwork involved encourage Greek groups to forgo registration, notwithstanding the risk of administrative discipline. Almost all Greek parties go both unregistered and unregulated, with no one in attendance taking responsibility for partygoers’ safety. The resulting cycle of violations and minor penalties does little to ensure that Greek groups follow the rules, thus failing to promote responsible partying and drinking.

Replacing paid proctors with trained student volunteers would likely bring about increased compliance with what is, at present, a broken system. Greek groups have expressed a willingness to take turns proctoring each other’s parties in lieu of outside monitoring. While such mutual policing is not without its potential problems, imperfect compliance is surely better than none at all. That said, it is imperative that the student monitors undergo rigorous training and act as impartial observers at the parties. Not only must they be taught about alcohol consumption and crowd control, they must be given the power and the incentive to regulate parties. Monitors must be held accountable for public-safety violations that occur on their watch, since the success of the proposed system hinges on their competence and independence. Greek groups, too, should do their part by taking the regulations seriously—especially if the administration meets them halfway.

It is in the interest of both Greek groups and the administration to have less burdensome regulations in place. Fraternities and sororities could more easily obey the rules and avoid disciplinary action, and the University would benefit from a party policy that is readily enforceable—and not just after the fact. The Interfraternity Council and Assistant Director Lopez-Herrera have drafted a sensible proposal to promote safer parties on Frat Row. The administration should put that proposal into effect.