Some students suggest that parties at sorority houses (which are currently prohibited by the National Panhellenic Council) might change the culture of alcohol-fueled sexual assaults at fraternity houses. The young women, they posit, would have more control over the atmosphere - the mix of spirits in the alcohol available; which spaces are off-limits to guests; how raucous the party gets. Others say that adding more alcohol into the current party/Greek scene on campus will only make things worse.
There is no way the NPC would ever approve this. Nor is it likely that any sorority’s national headquarters would approve such conduct by its member chapters. The primary reason sororities prohibit alcohol in their houses is to protect the chapter (and more importantly, the national organization) from liability.
Alcohol related injuries and deaths represent the greatest threat of liability to greek organizations (with hazing related injuries and deaths being a close second). There is no way any sorority would willingly expose itself to such risk.
@AlexanderIII How can this risk be fine for the boys organization, but not for the girls? How can they explain that without blatant sexism? Please educate me.
"How can this risk be fine for the boys organization, but not for the girls? How can they explain that without blatant sexism? Please educate me. "
For the same reason night clubs get away with charging cover to men and not women. The young men in the fraternities want to party with the sorority women more than the sorority women want to party with them. Sororities pretty much get to have their cake and eat it, too (at least in this area).
No, they don’t have to explain it. It’s the rule, no alcohol at parties in the sorority house. Usually no men on the bedroom floors except at certain times.
It’s really no different than why there are different rules at the Jones house versus the Smith house. The owners set different rules, buy different insurance coverages, agree to different things. Homeowners do that all the time by setting rules or living in covenant controlled neighborhoods.
Females are generally more risk averse than males. So it is not surprising that fraternities are more willing to take risks with alcohol parties than sororities are. After all, it is completely voluntary on the part of the fraternities and sororities to make the decision whether to have alcohol parties in their houses.
I imagine that parties at a Sorority would be safer and more under control. It seems like an idea worth considering.
I understand that different houses have different rules. That would explain why more Fraternities have parties. However, it would not explain why none of the Sororities do it. It sounds like a relic of sexism from a by gone era. Perhaps it needs to be updated. The times have changed.
“However, it would not explain why none of the Sororities do it.”
It’s all about liability. Insurance companies consider Greek organizations to be too big of a risk to ensure. For that reason, the IFC fraternities and NPC sororities collectively self-insure through something the Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group. FIPG imposes strict rules concerning alcohol and hazing (i.e. no common sources of alcohol, no purchasing alcohol with fraternity funds, etc…) Essentially, all Greek organizations are supposed to have BYO parties. It’s easier for sororities to comply with these rules, because they know at least some of the fraternities will break the rules.
“How can this risk be fine for the boys organization, but not for the girls? How can they explain that without blatant sexism?”
Because they are different organizations that have nothing to do with one another. It’s not “sexism” that Boys’ Organization A permits X and Girls’ Organization B doesn’t permit X. I cannot imagine that any sorority chapter’s national headquarters will waive the rule against alcohol and permit alcohol to be served (which is not to say that it doesn’t go on, of course, but it’s not in the context of hosting parties). It’s just too big of a liability issue. Not to mention, sorority houses are often nicely decorated, kept up, etc and hosting parties would ruin the furnishings.
“I understand that different houses have different rules. That would explain why more Fraternities have parties. However, it would not explain why none of the Sororities do it. It sounds like a relic of sexism from a by gone era.”
It’s not sexism. Sexism is when the same organization applies different rules to men than to women. These are entirely separate organizations who each “rule” their members as they see fit.
It is true in one sense that sororities are “free loaders” off the booze and party scene that the fraternities provide, but sororities have what fraternities want more than vice versa, or so it goes.
@Pizzagirl “Sororities have what fraternities want more than vice versa”
LOL. I guess all roads really do lead to Rome.
It just seems like part of the sexual assault problem on campuses relates to the fact that the frats seem to have a monopoly on the black market for alcohol. It seems like by breaking that monopoly girls would be less pressured to go places where they are not as comfortable and sometimes not as safe.
Then they just have to convince their national organizations to allow it for liability purposes. I’m sorry, I just cannot see any national panhellenic group officially allowing / sanctioning parties with alcohol and hence incurring the legal liability.
It’s rather like asking - do you as a private individual want to take on the legal liability of having a party at your house where you know underage kids will be attending / drinking? Not me - no siree.
“It just seems like part of the sexual assault problem on campuses relates to the fact that the frats seem to have a monopoly on the black market for alcohol. It seems like by breaking that monopoly girls would be less pressured to go places where they are not as comfortable and sometimes not as safe.”
Twenty-plus years ago when I was in UG, the sororities would hold “Grab A Dates” on Monday nights, which is when most Greek organizations held their meetings. The sorority would host the even at a local restaurant or pub, and each of the sorority’s members could invite as many guests as they wanted. Basically, a representative from the sorority would show up at your fraternity chapter meeting with a list of guys that had been invited. There were no liability issues because the event was BYO (“buy your own” in this case). Most guys considered it an honor to be invited.
I’m not sure if any schools do this today, but it seems like it would offer sororities more control over the party environment without subjecting them to potential liability.
True. Part of the solution is to end this 2nd failed Prohibition and lower the drinking age so that drinking is done socially and in public, reducing binge drinking and surreptitious venues that lead to assault. 136 college presidents would like this discussed because the current drinking age is not working. http://theamethystinitiative.org/
That was one of the issues in the article, too. Off-campus events seem like the better shot, because they are done at places with well-trained bartenders and their own liability insurance, and the sorority doesn’t have to take responsibility for the well-being of dozens or maybe hundreds of people who come in and out of their sorority house.
That was the one thing I was thinking as I read the article. But it’s so weird to me, because I feel like wherever the fraternity members get the alcohol, the sorority members can get it too. I mean, obvious there’s either a local store that’s not carding or they have alumni or 21+ members who purchase it for the house, but sororities have senior members and alumnae too. And non-Greek students also can engineer this kind of access if they really want to. I’m thinking it’s about something more than the availability of the alcohol - and more about the atmosphere at the parties.
I also wonder how things would change if no one were allowed to have alcohol at parties in their spaces?
The other unrelated thing I noticed from doing fraternity party walkthroughs when I worked for res life is that parties can leave fraternity houses disgusting! Sticky floors, beer cans everywhere, ruined walls and artwork…yuck. Not to stereotype men vs. women because I know a lot of men who wouldn’t want to live in that kind of environment, either, but I don’t think that sororities would want to invite that kind of property damage into their living spaces.
I really hated that NYT article. It made me cringe because it reeks of female victimhood. As though women have no other choice but to go get drunk at fraternities and be assaulted. Someone needs to change the system to stop them so they will be saved!! Ugh. Sorry.
It is not a holdover from the 50’s that sororities don’t allow alcohol. When I was in a house in the late 70’s, we had parties with alcohol. We allowed frats to host parties at our house and they’d have kegs. The drinking age was lower and most members of legal age to drink, so it was allowed. Then the national rules changed and all national panhel members agreed to abide by the no alcohol in sorority houses rule, and most did not allow it at any officially sponsored event, even at a restaurant or hotel.
Smoking in the house was allowed also, but now it is not only not allowed by the local house board, the national organization, it is also not allowed by law. Things change, sometimes for the better. Since the NPC members all agree to those rules, there aren’t some houses that follow the rules and others that don’t. No alcohol in sorority houses (officially). Don’t like that rule? don’t join an NPC sorority.
My daughters’ sorority has date nights and formals, but they are all held outside of sorority. They also have pre-games at the house or annex. I think they have just as many events. They are not supposed to have boys over, but when I was there one Sun morning to pick up D1, I saw few boys in the dining room.
Back in the day, alcohol was allowed in the sorority house as long as it stayed in the girls rooms, not in any public areas. We were not allowed to serve alcohol to any non members,ever. We asked to serve wine on parents weekend and were told no.I was fine with those rules.