I’d like to chime in quickly, since I’m a former “frat bro” at the UofC in one of the more prominent houses on campus. I graduated in 2012, so my experience might be both somewhat outdated but also somewhat representative of the current greek climate.
The truth is, frats are ultimately friendship clubs where drinking is a primary method of socializing. This article describes a situation that seems out of control, and to some degree it is. But it’s not really a departure from what frats at of UofC and elsewhere have always practiced. In my frat’s initiation ceremony, there was also a ton of drinking involved, though always voluntary and in a supportive way, where folks did not feel pressure to continue if they felt overwhelmed. But other frats have, and always have had, reputations for more intense initiation processes where things can get out of hand. “Hazing” and “illicit frat behavior” is nothing new at the UofC, but what’s certainly true is that frats are under more of a microscope than they were back when I was on campus. Sexual assault allegations and other incidents have made sure of that. One specific episode comes to mind, sometime in 2010-11, when a member of a different frat knifed another member during an argument behind clothes doors. You’ll find it in the maroon if you look hard enough. The University should do everything in its power to make sure that students are safe everywhere on campus, including inside of fraternities, and I think the administration is finally starting to realize that.
I’d like to push back on the undercurrent of this discussion, which seems to be that fraternity members are in some way “non-traditional Chicago students” or detrimental to campus life. Chicago is an intense school, and everyone is pushed to their academic limits. Fraternity member or not, you won’t last very long if you don’t put academics way above all else. My fraternity brothers are now doctors, lawyers, bankers, graduate students, prominent postdocs, etc. Sounds a lot like the rest of campus, doesn’t it? The difference is we’ve made a conscious choice to socialize in a certain way, and most of us understand the terms of the agreement when we sign up to be pledges. Chicago has always taken a hands-off approach to regulating how it’s students have fun, and greek life is an extension of that. For example, students are allowed to form lines outside frat parties, with UC police acting more like chaperones than blood-thirsty law enforcement looking to lock everyone up, which is probably not the case at a lot of state schools. There’s a point to that approach, which is that students should be allowed an outlet in what is otherwise a pressure-cooker environment.
I’m obviously biased, but I think this entire discussion has an undeniable point of departure, which is that we’re talking about UChicago and everything that entails. It’s basically the most intense school in the country, and 6 months out of the 10-month academic year are gray, windy, and cold as all hell. U of C alumni, especially recent ones, can relate when I say that those factors create a recipe for anxiety and depression if not addressed in the right way. I think the administration understands that, and is trying to preserve the right ingredients in order to create balance. Absolutely true that each and every student has the right to feel safe on campus in whatever circumstances they may find themselves. But it’s also prudent not to be trigger happy when addressing specific incidents.