Friday August 24, 2001 |

IFC passes new ruling as a safety, expense measure

As part of a plan to enhance safety and reduce spending, the IFC handed down a resolution Tuesday night limiting alcohol-related greek events to just four per year.

The ruling is a small change from last year's policy, which allowed chapter houses to hold five on-campus parties per academic year.

However, in previous years, chapter houses have been allotted anywhere from five to eight on-campus parties sponsored by Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol. This year's ruling is a significantly lower number.

The new resolution limits events to a maximum of four dates per year, including Fall Fraternity Bid Night, Homecoming Weekend and the last weekend of spring semester before finals week. The fourth and final event has been given a floating date.

"We decided to change it after discussing it with UAPD and other organizations," said Kenneth Tierney, Interfraternity Council vice president of public relations. "For the system to run smoothly, we wanted to set dates. That's why we picked the biggest dates."

Tierney pointed out that chapters are more than welcome to conduct multiple parties on one night, once they've secured a date for the final party. He added that all policies and codes are still in effect if houses choose to host joint parties.

Chapters may also seek alternative off-campus venues for other greek events such as date dashes. However, budget conflicts may prevent houses from doing so.

"There's the additional expense of the room which is anywhere from $1,800 to $3,500 alone," Tierney said. "There is a huge financial burden, so chapters aren't going to be going out every weekend and adding date dashes."

He added that the IFC's regulation of on-campus parties is easier and more inexpensive than dealing with third-party vendors or off-campus venues.

"It's safer that way," he said. "We're closer in proximity to campus, and if something were to go wrong, we would like to handle it here."

Sgt. Brian Seastone of the University of Arizona Police Department said police task forces will continue monitoring the parties as they have in the past.

"We added officers (last August) that patrol the area of the parties," he said. "We're looking specifically that partygoers get there safely - that's why officers are mobile."

"I think we'll find that there will still be some parties on campus," Seastone added. "But they will be non-alcoholic because that's ultimately what we're pushing for - bringing things to campus that don't emphasize alcohol."

The IFC worked with UAPD and several other organizations to come up with a resolution that would allow for optimal safety.

"There are a couple of benefits," Seastone said. "We're not going to see the amount of noise complaints and aftermath such as litter and that type of thing."

In order for houses to host on-campus parties, a house representative must file a request through Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol, a student-created self-governing system for fraternities and sororities.

"The (GAMMA) policy mandates everything from security to guest lists to number of drinks that can be given to an individual," said Kim Tobiason, coordinator for Greek Life Programs. "Chapters must fill out paperwork that explains when and where (the party is) and who is expected to attend. GAMMA is charged with checking to make sure these parties fall under policy."

Though the resolution is rigid, Tierney said it has received a good response from most chapters.

"It looks very encouraging," he said. "There was a highly weighted vote in favor of the policy - a lot of support."