My son just started college at a school in a country with an 18 drinking age. He was not much of a drinker in high school and is definitely drinking more in college. Just the other night he told me how his "crew" is fairly aware of how much they drink....someone is always certain to be sure sober. More importantly, the RAs, per the university, are there to make sure that you are safe in the morning...they are not your parents.
Contrast that with friends at schools in the U.S. He said his high school friends (also mostly not drinkers) all now sneak alcohol into the dorms to binge (quietly) so the RA doesn't hear them and they get in trouble. My son's comment to me: "All that sneak around worries me. What if someone needs help?" For me...that says it all.
2
Good luck with a war on alcohol.
It worked so well in 1920s
Also, the war on drugs is just so successful.
1
The article and most posters seem to totally conflate correlation and causation. Like minded personalities create Greek culture. Greek culture doesn't create the personalities of its members. While the article is fundamentally incorrect in its understanding of Greek life, seeking solutions towards excessive drinking is admirable on its surface. However, in the context of the Times’ anti frat campaign it is just one more slight in a campaign depicting members as sadistic, racist, sexual predators. As far as physical hazing, if pledges find Greek culture appealing (and members think the pledges a good fit) it can be assumed that the “victims” are not as easily traumatized as you’ve implied. Were hazing really so tortuous membership would plummet. In regards to fraternity houses being depicted as rape dens why would any girl enter such an environment? It becomes even more inexplicable when you consider that fraternities generally attract the prettiest most popular girls i.e. those with the option to associate with any men they want. While the radical left has saturated public exposure and cornered virtually every part of campus life, I can’t help but wonder if this anti frat drive is merely a way to force “frat guys” out from their place in the social hierarchy. Frat members, with their relative conservatism, appeal to the prettier more popular girls, and oversized impact on social life present an image that the social justice warriors find irreconcilable with their narrative.
2
These fraternity members are not men, they’re boys, and despite their egos, they need to be supervised as any immature youngsters should be. Nationwide, they have the same inability to make good decisions as do any pack of dogs. Until they’re 21 years old, they are not allowed to buy liquor. When they are 21, they still don’t have the sense to keep liquor from harming boys of 18, who will do whatever they’re told in order to keep from being from tossed out of a group that gives them, they believe, a belonging place. They have no ability to control themselves until their brains are are completely formed and working rationally. That doesn’t happen until they are at least 25 years old. Until then, they need monitoring,
3
Having been a faculty member for many years at a university with a very strong fraternity presence, I learned from my students that one of the ways that fraternities attract less-academically-minded and more peer-compliant students is to tell them that they won't have to rely on academic achievement to get a job because their frat brothers locally and nationally will get them a job. And then they order the guys to abandon their academic work to do frat chores, principally organize alcohol-soaked parties.
My own undergraduate institution closed down fraternities decades ago but now they want back in.
At a minimum, fraternities (and sororities--otherwise they will be under pressure from the guys) should not be allowed to serve alcohol. Human beings at that age seek peer-group affiliation--but it should not be harmful.
5
That is ridiculous - no fraternity tells its members not to worry about grades. We had to keep our fraternity GPA up, to remain an active campus organization. And I can assure you, there's no hidden network of alumni making sure some goofball gets a job, just because they happened to be in the same fraternity, unless it is some sort of teaching position. Modern business just doesn't work that way. Try again.
7
Bring back the House Mothers! In the late 60's House Mothers were quite common. Since fraternities and sororities have demonstrated they can not police themselves, they need some supervision. It can't hurt to have older adults onsite, maybe House Parents. Just their presence acts as a deterrent and gives all members some one to consult with. There have been too many tragic deaths and it needs to stop.
10
This is a sensible idea. For that reason, it is sure to be ignored.
1
I feel I have 3 qualities that permit me to comment on this: I'm 70. I observed fraternities from a distance when I went to college. I'm not a rocket scientist. My memories from college: frat boys were nuts when it came to alcohol. My conclusion after 50 more years of observation from a distance: frat boys are nuts when it comes to alcohol. Is it the college's job to protect boys/young men who are too immature not to get hurt—much less die— from alcohol? Well, they can vote. They can carry a gun in the army and kill people. I say no. Is it the job of colleges to pressure frats to reform? Sure, why not. However, my conclusion after 50 years of watching the "voluntary reform" strategy from a distance is that It ain't working so well. Should frats that have hazing routines, including ones involving alcohol, be strictly and legally accountable? Of course. Am I being cavalier about young people dying from alcohol? Absolutely not. My kids went to college years ago, and we talked extremely seriously about being responsible. It was life and death to get it right. College kids and their parents still need to do the same. Good luck growing up. You're not there yet.
5
Get the beer out of Frat houses?
You do not sound like any fun, at all.
6
Another call to "BAN the FRATS!!" because of drinking. Here's some CDC facts about underage drinking:
(https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm)
Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States. -- ALL fraternity men, of course!
Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010. --
Likely all 4,300 were Fraternity men.
Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. -- All those 12-16 year old Fraternity men
In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol. -- ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY NINE THOUSAND visits -- likely all Fraternity Men
Drinking Levels among Youth
The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey7 found that among HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, during the past 30 days
33% drank some amount of alcohol.
18% binge drank.
8% drove after drinking alcohol.
20% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
The point? When a fraternity brother or pledge dies from drinking (yes, a TERRIBLE thing, I agree) it's news and time to BAN THE FRATS. A regular non-greek dies? Not news.
Similarly, when a white baby or woman is kidnapped, it's news. Minority baby or woman? Not news.
3
Because what? Only frat houses have kegs? Banning kegs won’t keep alcohol away from college students. Nor will it keep out weed, lures, shrooms, or speed. Or unprotected sex. Most of these kids have already had lots of anti drinking and anti drug lectures in high school. College students want to experiment and be stupid. Unfortunately massive hang overs seem to be the only cure for binge drinking.
6
As a columnist, John Hechinger is known only for his war on drinking in the fraternity. But, as with any black and white moralizing, Hechinger impresses only in his lack of nuance. Prohibition and Nancy Reagan's Just Say No campaign offer two almost perfect analogies. It surprises me how difficult it is for some to connect the dots.
6
Hey man join the party
Tax them
1
It is not that fact that these drunk college students are adults, are 18 or may sign contracts to fight in the military. The issue is access to drugs and alcohol and the immense peer pressure to drink so much by unfit teens who never lived in such an unsupervised environment.
As well, it is the unsafe conditions in which the hazing and alcohol consumption takes places. Most of the individuals dying are not supervised by responsible adults that know how to take care of a person vomiting on themselves (so they do not choke on their vomit) or who has fallen and given themselves a concussion. In each circumstance it is the supervisor(s) who forced the drinking that caused the injury. It is these individuals who run away and do not help their friend. It is this abuse of the younger, dumber freshmen by seasoned upper classmates that is the disgrace and negligence.
3
A nationwide drinking age of 18 years old would be a strong start and a real and enforced three strikes you're out policy for the Greeks. Believe me, they will enforce themselves.
1
I disagree with this essay's conclusion. I see no redeeming value in fraternities. I think they should be abolished. Some will say that they offer social benefits, and a network of contacts. Well the same is true of gangs, prison, and the mafia.
8
I don’t understand it. Sitting around drinking with your buddies is what happens when you *didn’t* go to college. I have no idea why college students would squander an opportunity that many consider a privilege.
6
When I was in Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) back in the mid-90s we weren't allowed to have kegs in the house, and I find your title a little obnoxious.
1
It's tragic to see a young life cut short by something like this. Fraternities and sororities (I saw plenty of binge drinking there too) are made up of young adults, but they are naive and may think they are invincible. They may also capitulate to peer pressure to binge drink or mix alcohol and drugs. Yes, the only way to control the risks here is "constant vigilance" by the administration or national fraternity leaders. I wish young people could know that you don't have to get blind drunk to have fun.
4
Personal choice and yes, some of those 'boys' need to grow up!
In our case, life-partener met in our frat house more than 40 years ago. Within months, we swore off EtOH (alcohol) and it has stuck; we do not drink. During school years, one brother died due to an EtOH overdose. A few more became alcoholics and a couple have died; more on the way. We are not aware of any sexual abuse R/T visiting women, but it IS possible.
This school-sponsored EtOH abuse must stop! The common claim that "The Frat houses are not our responsibility," is simply Nuts. They do not govern said houses, but they can and do restrict or even shutter a few when the abuses become blatant. Our house, not named for obvious reasons, was never subject to criticism, but could have...
With our own private , we made our own way among our brothers, and have built personal and professional careers around those years. The very few who 'knew' about us, in the early 70s, had the grace to speak not. These many years later, our bond remains firm, we support our 'frat house,' but demand that not even a dime of our contributions be spent on EtOH.
N-N-N is a wonderful fraternity and a great place to shelter as an undergrad. They still hold 'keggers,' (sp?) but we discourage them when we can. With another , obviously, the best bat of our frat house experience (adjoining rooms and a shared bath) was creating our own partnership, one that has now survived and thrived into retirement. Whee!
1
I thoroughly enjoyed my Fraternity experience.
4
As a graduate of the 1970s fraternity culture at a public university, the author's observations are essentially correct in my time frame. Fraternities promoted then excessive consumption of alcohol; they also attracted students who were seeking an identity and a deeper sense of connection than living in a dormitory or off campus housing. Fraternities also provide valuable lessons in self governance, everything from running a complex enterprise with a six figure budget to handling the issues of housing 30 or more students. However, the implication that alcohol abuse has been largely left unaddressed is flatly incorrect. Despite the headlines of an occasional criminal act, schools and fraternities have successfully reacted to this issue. Because of liability issues as well as the raising of the drinking age to 21, which only covers some seniors and non traditional students, universities as well as many national fraternities and local chapters have addressed alcohol consumption. While it is always difficult to enforce policies banning college students from drinking, the most successful programs involve having adult non student alumni live in the house to proctor and guide students. My observation, based upon an unscientific sample that included my own chapter, is that houses which adopt this approach have few problems.
1
I have a huge problem with the author bringing sexual assault into this. I get that binge drinking plays a role but it's not as cut and dry as you make it seem here. Rape culture and lack of respect for women causes sexual assault, not men drinking too much. It's a ridiculous attitude, a la Brock Turner, to think that not drinking too much will stop rape. As someone who was in a sorority at UC Berkeley for a few years, I witnessed fraternity men's utmost disrespect for women. One of the houses was referred to as the "rape fraternity" for all of the sexual assaults that took place there. When we went on "date parties," men tried to get women to drink as much as possible or to drug them so they could assault them. Until fraternities get serious about cracking down on the utmost lack of respect toward women, the number of rapes is not going to decrease. I would also add that it is a problem that many women in sororities are technically not allowed to drink anything in their own houses or to bring men over to their houses. Consequently, they end up going to fraternities and getting way too intoxicated there. Banning alcohol from fraternities and sororities is not the solution, as clearly girls in sororities where it is banned still manage to get a hold of it. I agree with you that the hazing has to end, as this results in way too many deaths and humiliation. But ultimately, banning something will not help. What needs to happen is a culture shift.
2
College kids are going to drink, so have them do it in the open. And please bring back the kegs. They are an environmentally friendly means to consume beer. As opposed to the cans that create a ton of excess mess and waste. Not to mention that a 12 oz can is easily turned into a projectile.
7
Please. A Big part of College is about growing up and making smart decisions. The reason drinking and fraternity life go hand in hand is there’s nowhere else to learn to drink appropriately until you’re 21. I was in college when the drinking age was raised to 19 and saw an immediate effect of high school kids never being exposed to alcohol. I thought this was a great move since those young adults could now observe adults drinking correctly (we could meet faculty at the college pub and various bars and I can’t remember a time when anyone got out of hand). A year later the age was 21 and quickly went devolved. Why? There were no longer young adult could drink except fraternities and college professors didn’t frequent those places.
Don’t blame fraternal organizations and frankly if the author reco’s we’re adopted kids would find another way. Ever hear of heroin? Raise the age to 19.
4
In Contintental Europe children grow up seeing adults drink much more than in the US, and are much more likely to try alcohol themselves. So its a part of life like any other. As a result, you almost never see Europeans binge drinking. England is another story, because it has a hypocritical Puritan culture with the same hangups as ours. Thats why the British binge drink like the Americans, while the French or Austrians frankly dont see the appeal.
5
"Alcohol is the wellspring of [a good deal of] vice, and evidence shows that reducing drinking...makes [us] safer..."
liquor licenses for vendors and age restrictions for consumers have been put in place by society after learning first hand about the many vices associated with alcohol.
alcohol is a powerful drug: it relaxes us, but it also slows reaction times, deadens responses in our rational or forward-looking brain, and depending on the brain of the individual, can lead to violence or depression during withdrawal.
for society as a whole, tax and regulate and insure, because prohibition is too difficult and leads to even worse vices. for the fraternities, i will trust the opinions of the insurance companies whose money is on the line when situations turn costly and deadly, but even they know that enforcement has its own cost.
2
The presence of fraternities, my son does not want to apply to a college that is in every other way both excellent and perfect for him. Are instances of alcohol abuse and sexual assault higher at this college than at the fraternity-free small liberal arts institutions on his list? It's hard to tell. But quite apart from that, a social system that is structured to exclude people just turns him off. Let's not forget that access to that "stronger sense of community," "better preparation for postcollege life" and "vast alumni networks" is limited. One can "rush" a fraternity and be denied. No wonder kids are willing go to life-threatening lengths to get in.
3
Unfortunate that Hechinger does not actually establish a causal relationship between the need to abolish kegs and fraternity deaths/issues. He seems to avoid the fact that the hard alcohol industry has soared in the past decades and is one of the leading factors (over keg use) in hospital visits from fraternities. Reform is the answer, but an improper understanding of the dynamics in fraternities clouds his argument/misleading title, which can only lead to further issues in addressing problems in chapters.
The demonization of Fraternities by the media is absurd. There is a higher incidence of behavioral issues at fraternity houses because they are social hubs that do not exist outside of the Greek system. I joined a fraternity because I missed the camaraderie I experienced on my baseball team. The fact that these young men are seeking social experiences and are often outgoing and adventurous is the reason they push the boundaries society places around young people. In my experience the students who have issues at Fraternity houses and parties are the non-Greek students who attend but do not have the experience to understand their limits. I have never seen these students pressured to drink more than they desire and are often asked to slow down or leave by members when they seem overly intoxicated. While Greeks like drinking no one wants to have a party ruined by someone throwing up all over your floor. Then when incidents like these are reported the Greek members are blamed for non-Greek students decisions made. Schools and the media need to address the choices non-Greek students make when they attend our events and try to keep up with others who have more experience or higher tolerance. The pledging process can be extremely abused but in my chapter drinking is not a tool that is used anymore. Because I attended a west coast school our traditions may not have tied drinking and pledging as closely. There are challenges but it is a way to measure commitment.
3
I was initiated into my fraternity in the spring of '60. I learned rules establish by our national that alcohol was not permitted in chapter houses--for any occasion. I do recall that the odd member might have a bottle of six-pack stashed away, but for the latter, no one had mini-refrigerators in their rooms then. A couple years later, I visited our chapter house at another university where I was stunned to see a full bar set up and functioning. This chapter house was at a school known as a "party school." Alas, I do not know the current policy from national or if individual chapters may make their own rules.
But alcohol was never a problem at my school. Yes, we had hazing, but it was so mild in comparison to today. Part of that resulted from another university where a pledge died during hazing from being blindfolded and forced to eat raw calves liver being told it was a body part. The lad choked to death. The incident had wide coverage at the time, around 1959.
There have been some tragic drinking incidents among fraternities over the years, but binge drinking occurs widely among the non-greek community at colleges as well. Yet is a convenient to always point the finger to the fraternities because they have a name, they are an identifiable entity. As someone who was in a fraternity, and today helps mentor fraternity members, I think the fraternity system is an incredible experience for young men. There is way too much hand wringing going on. Students simply need to do their due diligence, and trust their eyes and ears before they join any given fraternity. (Interesting that the author of this commentary went to Yale where there is no officially recognized fraternity sytem, just residential colleges. I've found over the years that people who are most critical of fraternities never belonged to one and/or were never exposed to the Greek system first hand.)
3
I think you missed a big part of this issue by not including what Penn State is doing in response to that tragic death of a fraternity pledge last February. A lot of Penn State's action plans were long overdue but at least they are in place now. We'll see if it helps.
1
Just close the frat houses. They serve no useful purpose.
3
It so happened that I was in college when the drinking age was changed from 18 to 21. As such I saw the "before" and "after." When the drinking age was 18, there were numerous keg parties on campus, in dorms and other facilities or on the lawns. Drinking was common, out in the open, freely available, and relatively benign. It's hard to get alcohol poisoning from Bud Lite or wine coolers (yes, it was the 80's). Campus security, Residence Life staff, and other mature adults were around if someone needed help. When the legal age became 21, that all changed. The drinking was still there, but hidden. Alcohol poisoning cases spiked at University Hospital, as students got over-21 friends or strangers to buy them hard liquor and chugged it in their dorm rooms. Problem drinkers were no longer spotted early on, and drunk females no longer had campus security watching out for them. Suddenly frat parties (which had never been allowed on campus, as frat houses were not permitted there) became a lot more popular. I agree with Andrew. Lower the drinking age back to 18. Stiffen the penalties for drunk driving and date rape, but let the young experiment and learn their tolerance in public. Prohibition simply does not work.
16
What a dumb suggestion is being offered. Nothing will put an end to this. Don't be so stupid. Yes some will die regardless. Its about the individual. If I told you what they did in the 60's and 70's your hair would stand on end. Lets these kids have fun. STOP GOVERNMENT dictating everything in our lives. Enough already
4
I highly question any parent today who knowingly allows or encourages their kids to join the so-called 'Greek' system.
I would not give the tuition to mine if they'd signed up for pledging. Don't go there. Just don't.
I don't pity the parents who are always so surprised or shocked when their child dies or are injured when a frat stunt or hazing goes very wrong.
4
How unfeeling. Kids, especially those away at college for the first time, don't always follow their parents' rules. They can tell their kids not to pledge but that doesn't mean they won't. Even with all the publicity about excessive alcohol consumption leading to injury or death, it doesn't stop frats from engaging in hazing with overconsumption of alcohol as the driving force or freshmen pledging these clubs.
When my nephew started going to U of Colorado at Boulder, they discussed the problem of alcohol poisoning at orientation. They told the students what the symptoms of alcohol poisoning are and to call 911 before it is too late. Also, they were told that the caller would not be arrested if he stays with the victim. Frat boys seem to think that calling 911 is for sissies, but maybe a few trials for manslaughter will change that.
1
Publish a list of those schools with death and sex assualt rates posted. Heck with privacy, nothing changes unless people are publically shamed. the schools should be exposed. No one is in charge, anywhere. Not parents, not schools. Don't get me started about Congress. Nothing like front page exposure to get attention.
1
When I was an undergraduate no liquor could be found within a mile of the campus. I don't see why prohibiting alcohol and drugs in frat houses should constitute such a burden for them. Of course, once these students have been implicitly told that college is one big "Animal House" --the time for wild, drunken and promiscuous sexual behavior and that college is for for studying and learning but just to be one big party for four years, after which you are chained to your cubicles to "pay for the party," I guess they would think it a hardship.
1
There is a huge problem with the second paragraph, in implying that alcohol is the driver behind sexual assault. It is rape culture that sustains and propagates sexual assault. Alcohol is a subsidiary component, but by no means the main driver, as this article's suggests.
3
I think ad to it the cocktail that high school students don't grow up like they used to (instead of socializing, they are glued to social media), and then they are thrust into this new world where they do not know how to make friends without the structure of a fraternity.
Kids reading this - don't join. Discover who you are in college on your own, and surround yourself with good people who are doing the same.
2
Lower the drinking age back to 18 years-old. Modern frat houses are the de facto bars and restaurants for the underage (they also serve hot dogs and hamburgers). The obvious difference being that they don't have to abide by local laws nor social customs that give way to the relatively safe drinking environment adults enjoy when they go out.
13
And American parents need to teach their children how to drink at home. My parents served us all alcohol from an early age and none of us has ever had a drinking or substance abuse problem.
3
Congress, embarrassed by sending children to war, decreed that the age of reason now stood at the age of 18, which allowed these youngsters to legitimately buy any liquor. There were so many fatalities that combined alcohol and driving under the influence that Congress was appalled. They reset to 21 the age at which one could buy and drink alcohol. It’s still 21. Whew.
Being from Norway, a school with a greek system was one of my priorities when selecting a college in the early '90s, along with skiing, good academic record and fairly big campus to get that "college experience". I ended up at CU Boulder and joined a fraternity and never regretted any of my choices. Good times, lots of partying, met a lot of quality people inside and away from the greek system, and came away with a decent GPA at the end of it.
Breaking away form parents, finding new friends and ones own identity and getting into trouble by breaking rules is part of growing up, and banning the greek system is not a way to go. It has become a "sickness" in today's society to ban things we don't like, which often does not even address the root problem. We cannot immunize against all the bad stuff around us, I think that just drive problems to a different part of the playing field.
3
If fraternities want to build bonds among pledges and older brothers, why not have them build a house together for Habitat for Humanity or collect food for a food pantry or perform any number of other charitable works. They'd get a lot more out of that than drinking into unconsciousness.
5
I was in college in the early 1960's and I can promise you there was LOTS of drinking at fraternity parties at that time. In some ways, it was far more dangerous than today as there were NO parties and NO liquor allowed in the fraternity houses at my private midwest university. All the fraternity parties were held off-campus, most in a "hall" above a bar or bowling alley or some other such place. It involved driving to an unfamiliar part of the city , and then driving back to campus very drunk. Why we weren't all killed is nothing short of a miracle. We would have been safer drinking on campus and walking (reeling?) back to the dorms. While there was drunkenness, there was no rape or other sexual assaults, probably due to a lack of access to a bed or any privacy (all dorms single sex, and opposite sex not allowed in except under very strict guidelines).
Later when I went to retailing school in NYC, I went to many parties frequented by recent college grads and again, liquor was abundant and there was much drunkenness.
I have no idea how one stops young people of that age from drinking in social situations. They are by nature, insecure socially and booze makes them think they are "cool". They also think they are invincible. My father said this was the case when he was in college right after World War ONE!
Fraternity houses were at least sanitary when there were house mothers living there. No elderly woman on earth today is poor enough to take such a job.
1
Kids use uber now. My kids have their own cars and so do their friends. They are now legal age and go to bars. None of them drive there. Ever.
1
College students are for the most part of legal age, but many aren't mature enough to make their own decisions, including decisions about alcohol and sex. Many have never lived anywhere before but in their parents' house. In an earlier era college students who lived away from home were much more closely supervised by college authorities. Rules about social activities and about contact with the opposite sex were strict and were enforced. That changed in the late 20th century as a result of the emphasis on individualism in every aspect of our society.
The result has been entirely predictable. Stop supervising young people who have little experience managing their own lives and exactly the sort of problems one would expect will arise. Give them unfettered access to the opposite sex, and more inappropriate sexual contact will happen. Give them unfettered access to alcohol, and more alcohol abuse will happen. There is nothing complicated about this. If we want fewer problems of this type, we'll have to bring back the kind of supervision that prevented them in the past.
10
And that would be house parents who lived onsite--an automatic damper for the worst behaviors!
1
There are a number of benefits to sororities and fraternities. Among them are they provide support and camaraderie that helps buffer the loneliness college students often face.
BUT - we need to address the alcohol problem. It is well known that the human brain doesn't fully develop until the mid-20s. In fact, appropriate risk-taking behavior is the last thing to develop in boys.
Let's stop treating these kids as adults. 18 is an arbitrary number. We need to continue to provide support and discipline as they transition into adulthood. This includes not only the university but also the parents. Most frats have Dad's weekend where their fathers come drink with them.
Let's rethink how we are modeling appropriate behavior and punish hazing.
2
My daughter spent a semester in Europe and was really struck by how when its the RA organizing the "pizza and beer" party, the use of alcohol is completely different than in her dorm at a US school where alcohol is forbidden and thus fast and dangerous drinking is the norm.
Sure kids went to pubs and got drunk as heck but many of the dangers that come from residential drinking (both in Greek houses and Dorms) were not present.
It's time to lower the drinking age.
6
Nothing will happen to change this without getting parents on board, which is highly unlikely. Most greek organizations now include a bar crawl for the Parents' Weekend festivities. My own children, while still underage, had plenty of adults offer to supply them with booze for their college fun. I sat a family dinner a few years ago and listened to the recent post-college crowd nostalgically reminisce about where and when they passed out or threw up while their parents proudly nodded and laughed. "Atta boy!"
College is now run by a consumer mindset. The students want a bacchanal, the parents want to relive their youth, and the administration knows Mom & Dad write the checks. So expect nothing to change.
20
I skimmed this. Isn't pledging (and not drinking) the problem? My college didn't have frats, but kids drank, smoked pot, snorted coke, did heroin, etc.. Kids absolutely abused substances, but nobody got hazed or had their fortitude tested. Isn't it the testing of fortitude and commitment that results in harm? I could imagine a sober frat causing a pledges death by such testing (drive this car 120mph at night with the lights off, jump from this roof to that roof, bunjy jump, etc.). Most of the parties I attended in college were filled with kids too drunk or stoned to do anything that would get them injured. we all pretty much at on sofas listening to the Beastie Boys or Nirvana saying "dude."
14
Are there examples of schools or particular fraternities that have managed this well? Ones that have severely restricted the drinking and hazing, but continue to thrive for all the great reasons you mention (friendship, honor and leadership)? Where are the best examples?
1
Amen! The fraternity/sorority system is way outdated and needs to go away
2
It's not a problem with kegs, or beer. It's a problem with hard liquor. Being specific would go a long way towards realistically fixing the problem.
3
I realize the hot take is to blame the drinking age, but in fact alcohol related deaths among the young have decreased since the drinking age returned to 21. A little bit of searching will turn up a host of other policy reasons supported by sound data for keeping the drinking age at 21 (no, Europeans don't do it better). Your anecdotal evidence should not trump actual science.
2
Your science should show us the studies that account for all the variables in the equation since the age was raised. Also, if 21 was good, wouldn't 25 be better? After all, 21 is an almost completely arbitrary number. We could reduce deaths greatly by raising the driving age to 21. Should we?
It's almost impossible to seperate the cultural sea change against drunk driving from the raise to 21 which happened at near the same time.
3
It's a shame parents (and students) go into hock to fund a four-year (or more!) binge of very risky coarseness ranging from slap-and-tickle to full-out orgy and purposeful impairment via alcohol and drugs. The terms hedonism and debauchery come to mind. Once this was known as dissipation, and it ruined the health and fortunes of many a son of nobility. It's so strange that young women today plunge into the same gross partying, aping the animalism of young men and bragging crudely about it. Solutions? It's up to parents to set standards and expectations, and enforce them -- or let the kid have his or her freedom to live off their own dime.
Hey, why doesn't the US government look at lowering the drinking age to 18 when folks are generally considered adults so that it loses the rule-breaking appeal and allows people to drink responsibly in safe environments. If the parties are leading to sexual assault and other problems, maybe take the exclusivity of booze away from the parties.
(Also the greek system provides no benefits to society, so the only reason it has left to exist is a strong entrenchment and irrational alumni support)
3
The Feds have no legal authority over this. They blackmail the States into maintaining, unconstitutionally, a drinking age of 21. The do this by threatening to withhold funding. It's the bluenoses against the cowards.
Get the frat house out of the university!
3
I would like to see a statistical correlation between fraternity members and their political affiliations.
I would bet that a vast majority of frat members “grow up” to be Republicans.
After all, frats provide a great training ground for learning how to forcing others to do something against their will, all while giddily drunk with self-serving power that lauds the supposed good they do while obscuring all the skeletons in their closets.
1
Not in the Jewish frats my jewish daughters friends are part of. Lots and lots of liberal Dems. They still drink a lot though.
1
not true in CA. long odds on that!
While fraternities definitely skew conservative relative to the overall college population, your reasoning behind this trend is an absolute joke. If any reasoning could be attributed to the group as a whole, it would be that life has generally been good for fraternity members. Of course they would be more conservative. Why change a system where you've climbed to the top of the social pyramid? With age their opinions might evolve but all 18 year olds generally focus on themselves.
I would have agreed with this until I saw what happened to Senior Haus at MIT.
When I went to MIT, Senior Haus was a no rules and no authority dorm. We painted on the walls, smoked inside, did drugs, had sex, and stayed up until 6 am talking about politics and philosophy. It was magical.
Now, we had our fair share of problems. I actually was involved in a sexual experience I regret when I was too messed up on drugs to make sound decisions. However, the benefits of living in Senior Haus outweighed the negativrs for 99% of residents.
Today, MIT has sterilized Senior Haus. There is no more art. No more discussions late into the morning. Its just a dorm now, and its lost all its magic.
Today Im on the personal responsibility train. For us millenials its always someone elses fault. Im a transgender woman, and Im tired of being told Im a victim. Maybe I have been victimized, but I am not a victim. I am strong and self-actualized. I can control my destiny.
As such, I find the idea that taking away booze from frat peeps is going to change their behavior funny and naive. Frat boys need to be taught responsibility. Girls who go to frat partys need to take responsibility as well. We ALL need to take responsibility so that we can remain free. If we cannot do so, we do not deserve to be free.
5
This is cronyism at its worst. Instead of studying hard and doing well in school and then getting a good job, frat houses foster a culture of party hard, scrape thru your course work and then depend on a frat member for a job. No wonder all our good paying jobs are going abroad.
3
According to the logic of this piece, we should ban alcohol in general for everyone. And anything else that can lead to unsafe outcomes. Get real, the whole point of fraternities is to have keg parties. Everyone knows that when they join. If you dont like that extreme partying lifestyle, do what most sensible people do, and dont join a frat.
1
Americans can not handle their alcohol very well, especially when abroad or on vacation.
We also can't control our appetites for anything that is bad for us including junk food and drugs. We are seriously psychologically damaged as a society.
Also allowing people to drink and drive is a big problem folks.
Shutter the frat houses. Problem solved.
3
Terrible idea! Those terrible ideas always come from do-gooders who unintentionally distort the issue. Keg parties at frats are not the problem, sir. Many a Southern gentleman & belle have enjoyed them along with of course Northern spoiled brats of both sexes. Much more civilized and less dull than the pot parties of the 60's and 70's when these students could not complete a articulate sentence.
3
I'm still in close contact with many of my fraternity brothers. This article is ridiculous. Get the Keg out of the Frat House. It's not a Frat house, it's a Fraternity, and to this day fraternities survive from their roots in the antebellum South as secret societies. In the early 1900's, they morphed into social organizations, the bulk of which lend quite a bit to the overall college experience. Just because you weren't in one, doesn't mean that isn't the case.
Fraternities are not the problem. Parents who don't parent are the problem, as well as our regressive drinking laws. An 18 year old can die for his country, but can't have a Budweiser?
Turning 18 and college are rites of passage in our society.
What do you think is going to happen if for all of their lives children have been told no drinking, no social life, no sex, just grades, and all of a sudden, they find themselves on a college campus, away from home with all of these 'attractive nuisances': alcohol, sex, and a few boring college classes? Get real. Before you start picking on fraternities, how about taking some steps to prepare your children for the real world, not the protective fantasy world you've raised them in. College is not a sanctuary where your children are entitled to feel safe at all times, never threatened and never faced with choices or hard decisions. College is a place to prepare for the real world, a place to grow up, and a place to realize that you're 'not in Kansas anymore'.
33
The first fraternities were created at Union College in Schenectady, NY in the 1820' and 30's---not in the south.
2
Binge drinking is an integral part of the brotherhood at secret society fraternities at elite southern and east coast schools. I was in one. Yes, we also engaged in challenging formal intellectual discussions and debates and I made some good friends, but binge drinking IS the social life for the majority of college students. At a time when young adults feel awkward, vulnerable, reckless and without responsibility, the temptation to handle that discomfort by drinking until you are numb or passed out is overwhelming, especially if it is normalized. We - parents, educators and administrators - have to fix this. Allowing 18 - 22 year olds to submit to their basest instincts without consequence is socially and fiscally irresponsible. I suggest we start with the obvious - kids in college have way too much leisure time on their hands. Classes should be hard, As should be earned, and serious community service should be mandatory for most if not all.
3
I was looking for this comment so I didn't have to post the same comment. well done.
Here we here we go again. Want to make people brush their teeth? Ban it. Again we have the usual knee jerk reaction to any of America's social problems. If, instead of throwing parents in jail for having supervised parties w alcohol for those under 21 we should encourage supervised social drinking. Instead of finding a long term solution, we'll come down hard on it and thus exacerbate the problem. It never fails.
21
Andrew is smart. Giving frats an alcohol monopoly is the biggest problem.
There are many solutions that would help.
One, enforce the drinking age by having a requirement that there be security at every frat party. No alcohol, or only for those 21 and over.
Two, encourage sororities to have alcohol, where they can better control the behavior of men. I would suggest they have security to help do that.
Getting rid of frats is impossible politically in some schools, especially in the South. But it is doable elsewhere. My college made the last two frats go co-ed back in the 1970s. They were much better behaved.
1
I was a parent of a frat. guy in the nineties. I hated to visit the frat. There was a ceremony involving candles to which parents were invited. This is worse than religion. Many American students of residential colleges do not have a car on campus. This is different in other countries. The need to leave campus and go to one's home is an incentive to be sober. The frat was DU which I dubbed DUI. The drinking was underage. I did not see benefits of the so called brothers helping with employment opportunities. A student just died at a Penn State frat. house. Students were afraid to call 911 for the help that might have saved his life. Sometimes parents are so proud to have their students on campus and in a collegiate atmosphere that they appear willing to overlook the common situation of drinking from Thurs through Sunday. Often foreign students get the high grades partly because they do not participate in this completely non educational practice. Perhaps the drinking would be more normal if the legal age were lowered to 18.
1
Fraternities and sororities are based on sex discrimination . They were given a legal ok to do so within the laws that ban such discrimination everywhere else. This, by itself, is offensive. All the positives that are always listed for participation in Greek organizations can be accomplished by joining other campus groups, with far fewer of the negatives and without discrimination. They are a throwback to a time we've moved past in most other aspects of our lives. They should be banned, period.
Fraternities themselves are not the problem, it's binge drinking culture at US colleges. I was in a fraternity at a school with over 50% greek affiliated students. If you looked at the rates of alcohol related injuries/assaults/etc., greek affiliation did not have a significant effect.
Just like others have pointed out, America has a binge drinking problem, and there are many variables and factors to why that's the case. You can point to the higher drinking age having a counter-intuitive effect, the cultural association with college sports and drinking, etc. Getting rid of fraternities isn't going to stop these 18-22 year old adults from drinking at dangerous levels.
Hazing related injuries and deaths are another matter. This needs to be addressed. A lot of fraternities have reformed their pledging practices to avoid danger, but the law needs to come down hard on these kids who participate in hazing that leads to injuries or worse.
2
When it comes to alcohol, "enforcement" is never successful. The real question is why do so many young people feel the need to drink so heavily? What is it that drives this desire to obliterate their consciousness, and better judgement, with alcohol? Why is getting drunk the best activity for a friday or saturday night? Until we answer these questions and really grapple with the allure that drunkenness has we will never understand how to offer credible alternatives to binge drinking. I suspect most of us over-drink to relieve tension and to feel accepted. Why would we think it's different for college (or even high school) kids?
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 (23 U.S.C. § 158) was passed by the United States Congress on July 17, 1984. It was a controversial bill that punished every state that allowed persons below 21 years to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages by reducing its annual federal highway apportionment by ten percent. The law was later amended, lowering the penalty to eight percent from fiscal year 2012 and beyond.
Despite its name, this act did not outlaw the consumption of alcoholic beverages by those under 21 years of age, just its purchase. It is really a "wink and a nod", because the makers of alcoholic beverage did not suffer one iota of business.
Moral leadership is often difficult. But, that is what leaders are supposed to do.
Yet more evidence that it is time to end America's experiment with probation. Where I went to University the drinking age was 18 and in other places it is 16. Instead of being driven underground we could simply go down the pub - where, as would happen to us over 21s, the bar staff can keep an eye on things. Sure we got drunk - but we learnt to drink in a socially responsible manor. Wake up America.
3
Since most of the drinking is being done by people under 21 years old, it's illegal. Schools could change the culture in a second if they chose to enforce the law, but they don't.
Colleges get famous for being "party" schools, and if one school banned underage drinking, they'd be afraid that students would transfer to a school that looked the other way.
If students could expect to be suspended or thrown out of college for illegal drinking, they'd either 1) quit school or 2) stop drinking (at least anywhere on or near campus.)
1
There should be a course about effects of drugs and alcohol on your behavior and health as required course for incoming freshmen. Alcoholism has been promoted on American campuses by the colleges themselves for my entire life Both public and private schools encourage drinking "to unwind", but of course it's not that simple is it? It's almost a cult, and not just in the Frat Houses.
1
This article is spot on in all respects save one: despite claims of having banned pledging, the practice is alive and well on college campuses. Instead of ending the practice, seemingly effective preventative measures simply push the illicit behavior underground further. Fraternities have proven over the years that they cannot be reformed, and the notion that Pike would voluntarily become Phi Beta Kappa is a a nice thought but impossible in practice.
Also worthy of the righteous spotlight of journalism is the claim that many fraternities make of being philanthropic organizations. While some groups may engage in earnest, heartfelt community service, the vast majority do so because they are required by national organizations or the unviersities. Whether intentions or outcomes are of greater importance is another debate, but the manner in which the majority of fraternities engage in philanthropy is not sincere, genuine, or effective.
1
"Chapter presidents and other officers — even if they didn’t participate in hazing — can become defendants in hazing claims. Plaintiffs will go after their families and seek to collect on their homeowners’ policies."
And I'll bet it won't just be the homeowners insurance; it'll be the retirement and college funds if possible. Parents, educate your children.
1
My concern is with young men who have a family history of alcoholism and an inherited thiamine deficiency which predisposes them to binge drink until they pass out. My husband was celebrated by his brothers in Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity at The University of Akron for his memorable antics before he would pass out in various locations. If only someone might have counseled him on the dangers of his drinking from its onset, perhaps he wouldn't have died of Werneke-Korsakoff Dementia. When asked to initiate such a program today in his memory, his fraternity brothers stated they would rather remember him and his drunken antics before he passed out under their dining room table. I assured his TKE brothers that he remembered none of them in the years before he died.
1
Drinking on college campuses is not a fraternity or sorority (greek life) problem. It's a campus wide problem. It's called under-aged drinking and its not new, nor are the deaths, assaults or otherwise. Trying to stop it will only drive in underground and away from campuses adding the risk of drunk driving to the equation. Sororities for the most part are "dry", meaning they don't and can't have alcohol in their chapter houses. It's called risk management. Some fraternities have the same rule. Those that don't should be adhering to the FIPG (The Fraternal Information and Programing Group) guidelines with regards to risk management in their houses. Those that do seem to experience fewer problems. College students learn on many levels in additon to academics. Learning your limits is another important life lesson.
I blame the movies, that make college and fraternities look like everything but going to classes and learning anything.
1
> From the outset, fraternities have struggled with a kind of split personality. In 1776, the first Greek-letter group, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, was born in a tavern. It has since transformed itself into the pre-eminent organization for college scholars.
The implication that these two ideas are incompatible is absurd.
1
I suppose there is no perfect "fix" for college kids drinking and the potential mayhem it can cause. Yes, drinking off campus exposes primarily men to the hazards of drunk driving but allowing alcohol at fraternity parties creates uncivilized behaviors under the guise of safety. Not only does it raise the possibility/ probability of alcohol poisoning but also soon to be regretted sexual activity. Not to mention financial ruin.
So many young men and women in college come from a moderately supervised background that to suddenly to be declared "adult" is like a balloon exploding without exterior pressure.
1
Recent Penn State Grad (class of 17)
After Tim Piazza died, fraternity activity was severely curtailed at University Park. I don't recall off the top of my head what all the specifics were, but the school all but banned frat parties and activities for the next year (and a half, I believe)
At PSU and many other schools, the administration sends out emails to every student whenever a sexual assault was reported. The email would give a brief (non-graphic) overview of the report, including what happened and where.
Before the university took action on Greek Life, it was completely normal to receive between one and five emails about a reported sexual assault in any given weekend. What's more is that these reported assaults took place at "an off campus fraternity house" 9 times out of ten. It was so commonplace that my room mates and I would joke about it. "Matt there was a sexual assault reported and you'll never guess where"
Since administration placed the restrictions on Greek life, however, the emails have all but stopped.
Let that sink in, we went from as many as 5 to 6 reported sexual assaults per weekend to about 3 or 4 in a semester. And the only factor that changed was the prevalence of Greek Life in the PSU party scene.
Causation or correlation? You tell me.
2
I am sorry John, banning 'keggers' will not work. At best you will get polite nod from alums and a veiled attempt at reform. In the 1980's the NESCAC banned these for the right reasons, all well documented. Regardless of the age of the students, peer pressure is real and incontrovertible. Banning these notorious organizations nationwide is the only way to solve this persistent and nagging problem, which, thanks to our current culture, will only get worse; how many more must perish in the name of 'fitting in'?
I have personally experienced the mob mentality that is the result of extreme drinking by young men when I was a student at Cal years ago and by myself in a sleeping porch of the sorority that i briefly lived in (a regrettable decision).
To call these "bros" a pack of wolves looking for prey when fueled by alcohol is an understatement.
Get the alcohol out of the frats. Period.
2
Here's the problem: Fraternities let students do things they're not allowed to do elsewhere.
Imagine if a freshman could legally walk into a bar and buy a drink. Imagine if parents could legally introduce their kids to alcohol in moderation without CPS descending on them.
No, it's better to continue with kids under 21 drinking in secret, a habit they will continue when the fraternities approach them with the promise of booze booze booze.
States continue to blatantly discriminate against adults of voting age by not letting them purchase or consume alcohol, discrimination which would be challenged successfully if not for the cowardice of those who only want to take up taint-free causes. Prohibition lives!
The draconian, Prohibition approach to alcohol on campuses only pushes it out of sight and into the illicit zone, where it is more likely to be abuses in dangerous ways. The writer makes the dubious assumption that "measures to cut down on drinking" will cut down on drinking. Far better to treat legal adults as adults and encourage more responsible behavior. The idea that there is some menacing event is occurring when a 20-year-old has a beer is ludicrous.
Why not start approaching the drinking of alcohol in a mature fashion. Equally why not do the same with sex-ed. If you do not teach kids about the rules, written and unwritten, the pleasure and the associated dangers these activities can bring then they will behave as most 18-year olds would when the constraints /social control provided by "living at home" go away, they binge. What is more when kids have learned to talk openly about these things, to build self-confidence with regard to their views, they are generally more able to resist peer pressure. Do you really think that the excessive drinking, the sexual assaults will truly be reduced when you "ban the keg the Frat house"? Yes in the Frat houses this will be reduced but the behaviour will simply move somewhere else and once again you will have dealt with just the symptoms rather than the underlying cause. If you want kids to behave responsibly you need to teach them what that means and what the consequences are if they do not behave in a sensible manner. If you want kids to behave maturely then start treating them as such.
2
Institutions that tolerate fraternities know exactly what kind of misbehavior goes on there. This should tell you everything you need to know. Either they don't care about what happens, or they're prepared to deny everything when the police arrive at their door.
Too many people who don't belong in college, don't want to be there, and find the work overwhelming or irrelevant go to college. They drink to escpe a world they don't belong it. Too many immature people are sent to college unprepared to manage their own lives. They should be in more structured environments, like the military or some form of universal service til they grow up. If your kids aren't ready to be adults don' send them to college. If they don't want an education, don't send them to college. Outsourcing parenting responsiblities to colleges and universities won't work.
33
Nearly 40 years ago at my fraternity if a brother swore in the presence of a woman he had to buy her a white rose and apologize. If twenty women were there you were in the hook for twenty roses.
We walked women home from the library at night. We read to kids, raised money and donated time to other charities. We had study groups and invited professors over for dinner. We also had parties with beer and it was legal to drink beer.
Look at business, government and academics - many of the most prominent leaders in each category today were men and women in the Greek system.
College used to be an institution for mature, sophisticated young people. Today it's just high school with less rules and more booze. Every kid has it drilled into his or her head that college is a requirement for any socially successful life.
There's nothing wrong with the Greek system. The problem is the wrong kids are going to college. They are philistines. Their parents are philistines. They failed to teach their children how to behave in society. They failed to teach them basic civility. They have no business being in college.
College needs to be harder for the unwashed, hooligan rabble to get in to.
60
Yes, there is something wrong with the Greek system when it includes (and requires as part of the hazing of pledges) drinking alcohol by underage drinkers to the point of alcohol poisoning.
2
Bravo! But the current hooligans, thugs and unwashed are the price the college administrators and social jacobins say we must pay in the interest of "diversity" and "inclusion."
Many of the posts here ask what purpose a fraternity serves. First, particularly on large campuses with many thousands of students, the fraternity provides an small island of security in a vast ocean of otherwise impersonal students and university administration. The fraternity of which I was a member walked incoming freshman through their class schedule, helped them through the complexity of buying books, and provided a daily support system, etc.. Upper classman often served as mentors and because of their various majors were able to provide valuable tutoring to other members when they were struggling with a specific class. The fraternity was a home away from home, completely run by the students; the members of the fraternity determined such critical but mundane things as what to eat and when to clean the house; and they worked together on house sports teams and social activities. Not surprisingly, members of the fraternity system had a higher graduation rate than the all campus average.
Now I know nobody will believe this, but at that time drinking in the fraternity house was not permitted, and was largely followed, at least to the extent that drinking in the house was not done openly. There was no hazing allowed (enforced) and certainly not involving alcohol - in fact a hand full of members did not drink at all. In the end, a fraternity is neither good nor evil, what a fraternity is, is no different than the sum of its members at any given time.
6
A fraternity is also, by definition, a way to close oneself off with similar peers--single gendered, economically similar and most often, racially/ethnically "pure." Add alcohol and a culture where women cannot be seen as equal members, and you have a recipe for over drinking, sexual assault and bigotry. If college is the time for exploration and learning, why capitulate and run in fear toward tribalism?
2
"If college is the time for exploration and learning, why capitulate and run in fear toward tribalism?".....You make a good point to the extent that it might be true. However, in my experience at a large state university, many of the students who lived in the dorms, went to class, and returned to their room and were far more isolated from campus life. They might interact with their roommate(s) or a few people on the dorm floor, but rarely beyond that; whereas the fraternity provided a comfortable base from which to explore and interact, with upper classman at hand who could help them get started in exploring their new universe. In general I think compared to the average student, members of the fraternity enjoyed a significantly wider range of University experiences.
1
The so-called Greek system, which has nothing to do with any period in the history and culture of Greece, is 100% an American system, present nowhere else. So what role do these institutions play in the academic mission of U.S. universities? What distinguishes the US from other places in the world in terms of how our institutions of higher education function and perform (innovation, research, the pursuit of creativity, interactive pedagogy) has nothing to do with these fraternities and sororities. There are many self-serving statements to the contrary, but if you take any single issue--the value of service, learning how to work as a team, care for others--advocates of the "Greek" system talk about, these elements are present and core elements of our curriculum and on-campus institutions. In short, there is no significant unique add-on to the academic mission of a university that fraternities and sororities offer to deserve the unique privileges they benefit from in terms of visibility, access to real estate, and other symbolic advantages. So why are these institutions not relegated to where they belong, off campus and out of the institutional reach of universities? Our university administrators pussyfoot around this question because they are afraid of losing valuable alumni donations that come from wealthy individuals self-selected along they way through the "Greek" system. Pure and simple.
5
A more realistic approach would be to get hard liquor out of the fraternity house and bring back the keg. Filling, low-ABV beer is much, much safer.
16
Could not disagree more. I went to university in the mid-western state where there was a two tier system- 18 yr olds were allowed to drink "3.2% alcohol" beer, and 21 yr olds cold drink anything they wanted. There was no shortage of undergrads , myself included, who got knee-walking, commode-hugging drunk on that weak beer. Alcohol in whatever form can disable and kill when ingested in sufficient quantities. Hazing is designed to humiliate and incapacitate pledges. A ban on this barbaric practice is long overdue.
1
I only applied to colleges with no frats. I grew up in a college town in the 70s and 80s. During those years the frat raped and then slaughtered a sheep. It held two women hostage as sex slaves in the basement. They stole my family's canoe. They had wild parties every Friday night, so wild that as a kid it was best not to walk by for fear of getting hit by a beer bottle. Grain alcohol mixed with kool-aid served in a garbage can. Classy.
Institutionally sanctioned cliques segregated into dilapidated houses. Freshmen stepping out of high school only to find out that the quarterback and the lead cheer leader (or worse) still rule the roost in college.
More colleges ought to ban them outright. That way those of us who finish high school hoping to find a better place might actually find something resembling the ideal that should be college... a place to learn stuff and experience life.
Of course, let Penn State and L.S.U. maintain their current systems, because who would want to get in the way of tradition?
48
This was also my experience.
1
I attended a University in Canada that has never had a Greek presence. I am totally in favor of my daughter following your plan and only applying to schools that do not have fraternities/sororities.
1
Get the Frat House out of the University System. Out of the School System.
20
A most timely article about the 'evils' of alcohol binging, an imposed condition for acceptance at a frat house. Highly dangerous to some, an ongoing saga demanding constant reminders to ban the frequent use and abuse of this drug (yes, alcohol seems the most frequent drug used on campus), followed by marijuana and heavier illicit ones, to find nirvana I guess...and acceptance in the fraternity. Do we have to loose reason and self-control though? No alternatives, or lack of imagination about resorting to novel ways to enjoy induction?
1
The entire 'Greek' system should be banned. Not tamed, or controlled...banned. It serves NO educational purpose (sort of like sports teams, which should also be banned).
If they're not going to be banned then 'Greek' societies should be allowed to run without any university oversight whatsoever....let Darwinian forces take their course.
Teaching in the United Kingdom, where nothing even remotely similar exists, I cannot see what genuine value is added by these 'Greek' organisations. What do they add? Why are they considered a component part of higher education at so many US institutions? It's mad.
29
My college banned fraternities. The effort didn't really make any difference though. Alcohol related injuries and deaths are still common. The accidents are simply more spread out. Think about why the Greek system exists in the first place. Fraternities and sororities provide affordable housing and food to students. As a result, they become a social hub as well. The same thing is true of any dorm or off campus housing. When you put college students together, you'll find parties and alcohol. That's the way it is.
In my experience though, the primary funk surrounding Greek housing is actually jurisdictional. Many Greek buildings are on campus or located unusually close. However, the buildings are privately owned. In a college apartment, campus safety can easily enter the building and break up a party. In a fraternity, public access is intentionally disputed. Without specific violations or reasonable cause, the police really can't do much.
This puts campuses in a very awkward position. The fraternity is a public liability but the college really doesn't have authority to intervene. Charters are actually an extrajudicial mechanism for colleges to exert some leverage over private Greek institutions. The frats and soros have to play ball or fight an exhaustive legal battle instead. I've actually seen someone lose that battle. The Greek property was seized under imminent domain. The frat reopened the following year as an unaffiliated organization. They're still throwing parties.
25
You are on point - college kids drink, often to excess, because of cultural drivers whose influence set in before freshman rush. The behavior will carry on pretty much regardless of the presence of a recognized Greek system. The example you cite of the difference between Campus and Greek Housing gets dramatically worse at the next step when the risky behavior is in private apartments - it is diffuse, unorganized and agile. Too many commenters are just venting about their dislike for fraternities, or their uninformed impression of them. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
6
I had friends in a frat and went to a lot of their parties. We did drink a lot, but weren't anywhere near as crazy as outsiders imagined.
The real wild stunts were in 'rich kids' territory.
5
Drinking age. Make it legal to consume alcohol in public and the drinking will be less excessive and probably less dangerous and perhaps alleviate the sexual assault issue. In my generation, there were keg parties and there wasn't a lot of hard liquor (martinis were what squares like your parents drank). My children say that with beer being illegal, parties are based on hard liquor, especially mixes that use grain alcohol which is easier to smuggle. Students who drink this stuff have no way to know how much alcohol they have consumed. They will also "frontload" before attending events where there is no alcohol. Moreover, when something is forbidden, it becomes more attractive. Today, social life seems to revolve more around consumption of alcohol than it used to. That is, the procurement and consumption of the illegal substance becomes an activity in and of itself. Final consideration, (excuse the pun), raising the drinking age breathed new life into what were sleepy enclaves such as Harvard's hated finals clubs. When there were more places to drink, e.g. Bars and dorm parties, no one paid much attention and they were way less attractive than they are now.
8
It's troubling that the writer doesn't even seem to consider that there might be a more effective approach than seeking to prevent college students from consuming alcohol through rules and enforcement. The article could have been written by a member of the Women's Temperance Union, as it largely makes the same assumptions and arguments as that group did.
Perhaps if we had a rational attitude towards alcohol and allowed people to drink beer and wine at the age of 18 we might not have this problem in the first place. How allowing people to marry, buy a house, join the military and sentence them to jail time as adults at the age of 18 (and younger) but not allow them to drink alcohol is idiotic. Educate people at an early age, stop making it forbidden and a rite of passage and it will go a long way towards encouraging responsible behavior. I guess that's just not the way we do things in this country.
15
I went to college when the drinking age was 18 and the excessive drinking was probably the same or maybe worse, just done out in the open. During summer orientation before my freshman year, the orientation advisor took us to the on-campus pub and bought endless pitchers for us to drink. I was legal so it was fine, but it was probably unnecessary.
4
Some will ask what the point of a fraternity is if it can't serve alcohol to underage boys and girls. To this I would reply, Good question...and good riddance.
6
... or, we could lower the drinking age to 16, a time when kids are still living at home and parents can take action. By the time kids get to college, alcohol consumption will seem like a normal part of life, not something mysterious and tempting.
6
Hazing, in too many fraternities and clubs, has degenerated from a fairly harmless initiation ritual into multi-day sessions of abuse. They seem to border on sadism. Make them drink until they pass out, humiliate them beyond any reasonable boundaries, physically abuse them to the point of unconsciousness. It seems that we're watching each successive class try to one-up the previous class. Make their hazing that much more brutal than the last. That points to the same kinds of pathologies we see whenever brutality and violence become a normal part of a "family". The frats and clubs are like families and they learn from the older ones what to do to younger ones.
5
I've met plenty of sadists who would never do half of what the fraternities get away with
I pledged a fraternity after serving in the military. Trust me, the college frat house has NOTHING on the U.S. military branches when it comes to hazing, I laughed my way through pledging, to the never-ending consternation of the brothers. As a veteran of both the Gulf War and a college fraternity, I am offended by the constant branding of fraternity brothers as drunk rapists. My brothers were/are good, kind, caring people who wouldn't tolerate such behavior. Prosecute criminals, but don't make me responsible for the sins of my brother.
30
Kids have been told this hedonism and destructive behavior is what college is all about, it is normal, and is their due. Parents and administrators can raise expectations and follow through on consequences- the same thing you do with toddlers. Parents are sacrificing, worrying, going into deep debt to send their children to college. But they are then fine with their children being part of daily routine of sloth, binge drinking and booze-fueled decision making? How can one justify that as a good investment in a child's future? And administrators don't have enough guts to look squarely at this 40 plus-year-old problem and say "enough, no alcohol on campus - if you drink you're out?" The first small, liberal arts college administration to face this head on, to roll back grade inflation and publicize to employers that their grading system actually means something, and stop building $250M stupid new buildings every two year will reap huge rewards– lower income and middle class parents of top students will immediately take notice.
11
Good luck trying.
Fraternities and sororities are revenue centers for the universities, as well as being incubators for the leaders of tomorrow, may God help us.
6
Great column, Mr. Hechinger offers both insightful analysis of the problem and clear recommendations to address it.
He is very persuasive, which makes me wonder who is on the other side of the debate and what motivates them. Are there really college administrators and alums who want to facilitate irresponsible and illegal behavior?
2
The fraternity system has outlived it's usefulness.
5
It seems that the only solution some people consider for social problems are more laws and more laws! Whereas I once thought this was mostly the province of the Right thinkers, now it seems that vice has be adopted by more "liberal" thinkers.
Whereas one experience is not definitive, I can say that my son went through college in a Fraternity, and neither he nor the Fraternity encountered any binge drinking or sexual assault issues. What I do recall is his saying that there were significant and well-known differences among Fraternities, some of which he avoided like the plague.
My point is that these problems derive, I believe, from bad decisions by immature (or poorly-raised) individuals. It is not as if the Fraternity leaders don't know the rules - they meet with University administrators who tell them. Better to hold legally responsible the individuals who force new members to undergo dangerous drinking initiations that tar the whole Fraternity system. Laws don't prevent immature decisions, but they can create cautionary tales for future Fraternity leaders.
1
Of course there was binge drinking.
What if alcohol was banned and fraternities turned to cannabis? Kids would be happy, chilled out, get the munchies and fall asleep. Sounds like we have a solution!
10
Fraternities and sororities epitomize the herd mentality of ordinary Americans. ¿Can't they find any other way to boost their self esteem?
5
Fifty years later, when I think back to the time wasted, homophobia, racial bias, superficial relationships, alcohol veneration, and just plain encouragement of bad choices, I can't think of any coherent reason for joining a fraternity.
Most of my now antique fraternity cohorts have similar sentiments.
5
50 years is a lifetime ago. Now they're integrated and recruit minority and LGBT students. Many perform service to the community. They form fast friendships at very lonely time. I am a college professor so I see and hear what's up today.
Perhaps we can reform rather than ban. But many liberals reflexively dislike these organizations. The world need not be made in your image. Compromise, like you tell the Republicans to do all the time.
Legalize drinking and it will become far less attractive.
Let's hear it for nationwide marijuana legalization.
Fraternity and sorority parties featuring pot rather than alcohol will probably have few if any rapes. There may be overdoses if people eat or drink the cannabis, but it is hard to kill yourself by ingesting too much marijuana.
Young people are also less likely to go out and drive with excessive speed or recklessly if they are high rather than drunk. A friend who is a police officer says that pot users he pulls over tend to be driving too slowly, which can be dangerous but not as much as high speeds.
And anyone who has been to pot parties knows that people usually are mellow rather than aggressive. They enjoy talking and laughing excessively, and in my opinion, that's way better than drunken brawls and gang rapes of an unconscious young woman.
14
very entertaining. one thing leads to another and before you know it, the brothers will be shooting up and sharing needles and the administrators will have to close them down as a health hazard
My first apartment at college was next door to a frat that had been kicked off campus. These guys drank vodka in their orange juice at breakfast, had violent and disgusting initiation rituals and were not friendly at all to outsiders. It was so bad that I moved down to the slums after the first semester. My new neighbors were a New Britain motorcycle gang that dealt drugs and owned a pack of Dobermans. Compared to the fraternity they were angels.
10
University presidents are no longer educators they are Disneyland like CEO's, more comfortable running their university cruise ships than living up to the educational goals written into their mission statements.
10
I never understood why frat houses -- and college dorms for that matter -- get away with allowing under-age drinking while individuals can be cited -- even jailed -- for allowing under-age drinking in their private residents. There is under-age drinking at virtually every frat party, and in most cases, under-age frat members can grab a beer from the frig anytime they want. Everyone -- students, fraternity executives, school administrators and the public at large -- knows this is true, and yet frats continue to flout the law. Fraternities have to either find a way to prevent under-age people -- brothers and guests -- from drinking or be required to make the frat house alcohol free. If necessary, whatever policy they institute should be enforced by surprise inspections by campus police
1
As a member of Sigma Chi active in the late 1980's cheap keg beer was not the problem. The problem in my opinion is hard liquor which is far more prevalent today. Another reason for hazing deaths/ sexual assaults that were unheard of in the 80's in my opinion, is that fraternities have devolved into homogeneous gangs which show little empathy for people who are different. Laying bare how little true parenting Gen Y and millennials were given as children.
3
I went to college in the 80s and the rape problem was underground. It is not new.
1
Campuses, in general, need to be dry. While drinking is a choice, we also see the damage it does to others. When DeVos attacked the vigilance of campus Title IX investigations for rape, she unintentionally promoted drunken behavior. Campuses need to see the damage alcohol does to both genders and make the right choice.
1
Prohibition worked so well!
Why is it necessary for colleges to allow these societies to even exist? If these young adults are so socially inept that they cannot form a circle of friends on their own and instead must rely on their Greek brothers and sisters for instant shallow friendships, then they likely are too immature for college.
3
The brain continues developing until age 25. We are literally causing brain damage by allowing alcohol abuse to happen at frats. Time for colleges to better protect their students.
6
The most prestigious universities are All Academic. That means that they don't have the Fraternity Sorority system at their Schools. The Ranking goes down from there. Those that have Frats, are lower-ranked. I say get the Frat House out of the university. Put them on the Street, and out of the School. They should be on the Street, or not at all.... considering all of the crimes that happen with such groups and their gang initiation mentality/rituals.
1
Really? And which universities would that be? There are fraternities in many of the Ivies and MIT and I would assume that you would put them on a list of "most prestigious". The ones that don't have an actual Greek system, have dining clubs and other such organizations. And they ALL involve a huge amount of drinking.
1
Hi India, the Ivies and MIT (and others of similar reputation) are not on my list of the most prestigious. However, I will say that they are usually considered to be the best at a Lower Level tier within the Higher Education Structure. Students who do not participate in Fraternities Sororities, and follow an all academic pathway through Harvard have higher ranked Resumes/are higher achievers than their classmates who participate in Fraternity-like activities. It is looked down-upon by Headhunters for instance who oversee placement (called Futures). ---- As for All Academic, did you know that there are 52 Grades in the School System? After the Student has completed all 52 Grades (past the Post Doctorate), then they are reviewed for admittance to All Academic Higher Education. Full Scholarship continues for a Lifetime, perhaps even for Forever.... in essence, the Student "has made it"! Forever means the Student is never reviewed again to see if they continue, or do not continue. ---- I started-out at Duke University and Ohio State University, but I followed an all academic pathway while at those Universities. I finished all 52 Grades in January 2017. Now, I am one of those Full Scholarship All Academic people, for Forever. Note: Even in my K-12 Public School years in Columbus Ohio, I followed an all academic pathway.
I heard a woman on NPR the other day (academic, with credentials) who had studied the Greek system on campuses and found that the whole system is basically worthless. The alcoholism, drug abuse (anyone for Aderall?), rape, the list goes on. And, guess how much all of the Greeks' 'charity work' contributes? $5 per member, per year. The only way the guys get jobs is through the good 'ol boy network, going on to have major addiction/sexual violence issues in life. Having been 'Greek' myself in college, I can safely say that the benefits were vastly outweighed by the number of times I was assaulted in a blackout. Oh yeah, I'm in recovery now, thank God.
10
Get the frat house out of college altogether. It is an anachronism that has no place in civilized, academic society, if it ever did. It encourages the worst behavior in a herd mentality.
The world does not need more jocks just now, especially drunken ones.
4
The thing about this column is that it could have been written more than 30 years ago when I was in college. And all that has changed is that the drinking starts earlier in the day, earlier in the week.
Maybe we start with general amnesty for anyone who calls 911 - and amnesty for the person transported. At least we'd have a hope that no one dies while others are trying to figure out if the seriousness of the injury balances out the amount of trouble.
But the question of booze and drugs and the goal of becoming so drunk that bragging rights - "I am sooo $#!%-faced! LOL!" - are extended to the one able to stay upright while remaining constantly pickled, is one we haven't solved in more than a generation.
My recommendation? Mom and Dads, cut off the funds as soon as the GPA drops. If the kids wants to stay have them earn a semester and go back. Have them spend a year of two in the local community college. Take away the car, take away the off-campus housing, take away the checking account. Let them spend their own money on booze, and let them know you'll be happy to keep tuition in your retirement fund.
At least, they'd be able to understand that the cost of spending four years pickles is their own cost and not a right due them.
3
Sorry, but this is a dumb headline. When you take kegs out of college parties, students substitute hard alcohol, which makes things much, much worse.
1
In my Father's Day they had cleaners, cooks and sat down to dinner. And they were not the rich guys. Today the frat's smell like beer and urine.
They can't die fast enough.
3
But this is what college is all about for most of today's youth - joining a "club" and having wild parties with drinking, drugs and sex. They can't do it at home, so they go away to college and have their wild fun. It's called "sowing wild oats".
1
Get the frat houses OFF the campuses. They are, generally, nothing more than holdovers from Confederate times, a way to exclude "undesirables". Besides, it's a childish practice. Time to grow up.
8
I speak from experience as a member of a Southern origin sorority that would not admit Jews or Blacks, in the sixties. Sororities were long in the tooth back then, with destructive antiquated ideas, and I think they fill absolutely NO social, or civic, need, now. For my last two years, I just lived there, but hardly ever participated. It just wasn't relevant to my life.
1
Laws should be created that make the national organization responsible if one of it's members feeds alcohol to a person and then sexually assaults that person. If applied well, most national fraternities would be history.
2
The culture of "partying' has gotten out of hand. I blame the parents. It is my responsibility to draw limits to my kid's behavior. Until they get to 21 they are my problem. I am no prude but do not condone violating the law, certainly not facilitating the violation. One of the rituals at Catholic Schools in the Cincinnati area is for parents to accompany the seniors to Mexico so that they can drink. Imagine that, flying 2,000 miles to legally drink! The seniors from exclusive mens/girls schools get to mingle. Bad idea, testosterone, alcohol, immaturity and sanctioned by the parents! Many of the parents have drinking problems of their own, think that it is cute.
1
Having spent several years at a major public University in the MidWest, I will never understand why there is so much excessive drinking on American campuses. It is shameful. Excessive drinking seems to be a much lesser problem in some European countries, at least in Italy or Switzerland. Perhaps it is because drinking is not demonised here, or perhaps it is because we do not have fraternities (thank goodness!). When I was growing up in Italy, I could get a tiny bit of wine starting at age 10 during the meals, with my parents present. It was just not a big deal. I have never become drunk in my entire life. I drink very rarely, only during special occasions, and in moderation, because drinking was never an act of rebellion against adults, since it was accepted early on. Plus, I could never understand how getting drunk could possibly be any fun at all. Why would anybody want to lose control and get to the point of losing consciousness and throwing up? It's really strange, impossible for me to understand the motivations of people who seem to be able to have fun only by getting drunk. What is wrong in a culture that produces this outcome?
124
Actually, in the 1950s, at least at coed occasions, it was considered bad form to get so drunk that you passed out, especially if you threw up. and REALLY bad form for girls. If your date got drunk, he didn't usually get to take you out again. I never understood why it changed. I think it was less bad when the drinking age was 18. 21 is ridiculous.
I sent a very studious son to Tulane's engineering school (not my choice). He joined Beta Theta Pi. Two years later he had flunked out.
Because it's ILLEGAL for the majority of college students to drink until they are mid way or more through their 3rd year of college. This promotes fast and furtive drinking and a failure to report problems that arise. We need to lower the drinking age here.
Once a lower drinking age was said to be most problematic because of driving but most college students have gotten the message that drinking and driving is verboten (MADD has done an amazing job of helping to change the culture), even if they drink to excess on a regular basis.
"I will never understand why there is so much excessive drinking on American campuses."
Because it's forbidden. Because it is hidden in the homes these people grew up in, so they never learned to water down wine at dinner or have only a little.
So they hit college and go wild.
You point out that it's not as much of an issue in Europe, but education in alcohol and drinking HAPPENS there.
The univeristy I graduated from dealt with the problems of the "Greek System" by eliminating it.
There were the typical problems of students getting drunk, sexual assaults of intoxicated female students, petty vandalism, and at least one instance of a hazing death.
The turning point came when a new University President was installed. He conducted a survey of the student body that revealed that students in the fraternities and sororities:
=> had a higher flunk out rate,
=> were more likely to have local police encounters,
=> were more likely to face academic discipline,
=> were racially and religiously intolerant, and
=> had a half-grade lower Grade Point Average.
The new President concluded, correctly, that the "Greek System" was not conducive or supportive of the mission of the University.
I would encourage other university and college presidents and administrators to conduct surveys of their fraternity and sorority systems to determine if these organizations are a benefit or a detriment to the academic and educational purpose of their institutions and act accordingly.
155
These are all subjective statements not backed by facts. Below are facts.
"...college graduation rates are 20% higher among Greeks than non-Greeks."
-http://college.usatoday.com/2012/05/08/examining-the-benefits-of-greek-l...
"Being a member of a fraternity in college lowers a student GPA by approximately 0.25 points on the traditional four-point scale, but raises future income by around 36%, according to a paper, “Social Animal House: The Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership,” published by two economists from Union College in Schenectady, New York"
-http://www.marketwatch.com/story/doing-this-in-college-will-make-you-dum...
Is the study publicly available? I am curious about this data, if you don't mind linking it.
America has always had a puritanical relationship with alcohol, meaning that drinking alcohol is considered by nature evil, sinful or, for those of a secular bent, a weakness. That's why the "temperance" movement was incorrectly named: the movement was for prohibition, no moderation.
In many societies alcohol is not considered good or evil, but is simply part of the tapestry of social life, particularly in the form of wine or beer at the family dinner table, and older adolescents will have a glass themselves.
College binge-drinking is partly a response to the prohibitive attitude to alcohol and partly an antidote to the inhibition and fear that students feel in their first year or so. In my view, that demographic would be much better able to drink in a mature fashion if drinking weren't illegal up to the age of 21, or even 18, for that matter. I think the best drinking age would be no drinking age. That would de-stymatise alcohol, removing the allure of the illicit that draws teens to binging in high school and in their early college years, and also ensure that young people would not arrive at their first college party unable to measure their liquor.
6
The objection regarding limiting alcohol consumption on campuses and in fraternities will be raised in states where 18 year olds can drink that it is a legal right. At some point we will need to understand as a culture that "legal" is not the same as ethical, moral, or wise. "Legal" can result in cruel, dangerous, abusive, and destructive.
15
Huh? In which states can 18 year olds legally drink? They can in Canada and here in Australia, but as far as I know, since Jimmy Carter tied federal highway funds to states' raising the legal drinking age to 21, no US state permits 18 year olds to imbibe.
1
As someone who graduated from college this century, it was my experience that most of my classmates didnt actually want to go to fraternity parties or even join fraternities (most frat houses are objectively gross places to socialize, even to an 18 year old), but we did so because fraternities had alcohol, and they were willing to serve said alcohol to underage students. This monopoly on alcohol allows fraternities to monopolize the campus social scene among underage students, and leads to freshmen male students to subject themselves to hazing just to gain access to the scene.
The solution? Kill the fraternity alcohol monopoly on campuses by lowering the legal drinking age to 18. You'll notice that the vast majority of students stop going to frat parties when they reach the age of 21, including members of fraternities themselves. The reason isn't that they "outgrow" the parties, but that they can now go to bars instead to drink and socialize. Bars are objectively safer atmospheres than frat parties, as one is much less likely to be overserved there and having to pay for drinks one at a time has a magical way of lowering the amount one consumes.
160
@ Andrew
A couple of observations: 1) some evidence to support your claim that "the vast majority of students stop going to frat parties when they reach the age of 21" would have been nice; 2) if the legal drinking age was lowered to 18 it does not follow that bars would become preferable to frat parties as places to drink. After all, booze would still be free at the parties, making them more desirable places to hang out than pay-as-you-drink bars.
1
Like the climate change denier after a late spring snowstorm, you rely on anecdotal experience rather than hard science. Since the drinking age returned to 21, drinking rates and alcohol-related deaths among the young have fallen. People who start drinking earlier in life have more problems with alcohol later in life. Someone growing up in a state that experimented with a drinking age of 18 is more likely to develop alcohol problems than someone who grew up in a state that kept the drinking age at 21. Alcohol is just as bad (or worse) a public health problem in Europe than it is in the United States. All of these facts are scientifically verifiable. To say otherwise is to put our youth in danger.
1
I was a college student at Columbia back when the legal age to buy and consume alcoholic beverages in NY was 18. Ordering a drink was no big deal!
Acting like a responsible adult, in regards to alcohol and all else, did affect how one was seen by others, particularly by the upper class-men, from whom one craved acceptance.
Students joined fraternities because they chose to live elsewhere than in the dorms. In frat houses the evening meal was taken together in a home-like atmosphere. I was pledged and recall no drinking binges required of pledges. I chose not to join, but to stay in the dorms, because the room accommodations were better for the same price. For that I was willing to forgo the home-cooked dinner around a pseudo-family table. No hard feelings either way!
Access to alcohol did not enter into the equation. I do remember noticing and thinking that, while alcohol was also widely available (if illegal) at campuses elsewhere, the students were far less mature and adult in how they used it. Treated like children they were far more apt to continue perceiving alcohol consumption as a symbol of some unnaturally prolonged adolescent rebellion.
1
Civil litigation could force the fraternities to enforce the no hazing rules. Alcohol allows the sadists and sexual predators to enter the hen house when all the impaired are less vigilant. This college experience exposes the worst in some people, where we see racism, sexism and general irresponsibility. "But it's their last chance to be boys, pretending to be men." The students should be learning responsibility, not suspending it, but alcohol impacts all the generations, college and the still-forming adolescent brain magnifies the social dilemma.
8
I've never understood he human insecurity that drives college kids to live in a house with 50 other exact replicas of themselves. Frat boys are some of the blandest sheep I've ever met. If they don't want to die of alcohol poisoning, all they have to do is not drink. It's not complicated. And they know what's happening. There's assumption of the risk here.
23
Another example of an improper use of statistics.
The statement that "...women who frequent frat parties are more likely to become victims of “incapacitated sexual assault.” does not imply correlation. This "statistic" is listed in the NIJ's study with five other activities which are reported to be more likely in women who are sexually assaulted, including "Experienced incapacitated sexual assault before entering college." None of this implies that women are more likely to be sexually assaulted at a fraternity party. Also, the results come from a campus survey, not reported incidents of sexual assault. Unreliable data and spurious correlations make for bad science and bad opinions.
17
Interesting that you question this. In my experience 30 years ago, women were routinely raped, gang-raped and otherwise abused inside frat houses.
I guess it probably wouldn't cause a statistical blip since 2 of 5 women are assaulted in their lifetimes, Most occurig in the 18-35 bracket.
So hatred and objectification of women is everywhere, whether inside or outside the fraternity house.
But hey, good point!
See, the problem with comments like this is that our own anecdotes are just that, anecdotes.
Want mine? In the 1990s, I was the first sophomore woman ever elected president of my sorority. I was very cognizant of the fact that if anyone died at a party we co-sponsored, I was one of those people likely to be named in a lawsuit. When people from our sorority came home too drunk, the other girls who helped her home brought her to my room and I spent the night making sure she didn't die.
I know of no one in my sorority who was raped with the exception of one of my best friends, who was raped by her non-fraternity boyfriend from our college while they were on a term abroad.
Academic achievement, public service, and campus leadership were not just lip service for our sorority but fundamental to the mission of the organization.
And yet, we got drunk on the weekends, and even on some weeknights. And we did silly pledging activities that were embarrassing and probably made people stay up later than they should on a school night. But no one died, and 20 something years later, I can tell you what virtually every woman from my "pledge class" is doing today.
I guess I am fortunate to have gone to a small liberal arts college where being in a sorority was just one more "club" that people joined, rather than a defining characteristic of who they were, but I see far more good than bad in my experience.
The unspoken truth that never seems to be discussed here is that college students will drink no matter what is done. Colleges need to accept this and address it. The current situation on most campuses is that alcohol is banned in dormitories, leaving fraternities as the only place students can have a party and drink. This adds to the popularity of fraternities and to excessive binge drinking at the parties. If college students were given the opportunity to learn better social drinking behaviors this would be less likely to happen. If you think you can stop college drinking I have a bridge to sell you. Wouldn't you rather they learn to do it safely?
78
An excellent article. Let's hope it makes a difference.
3
Why just fraternities? Makes campuses dry for student, faculty and worker. Let those who want to drink do so in the local off-campus bar.
13
There is a very simple cure for the increasing prevalence of extreme drinking behavior amongst college students, whether or not it's associated with fraternity functions. Make underage drinking (and I assume that most college students are still under 21) a violation of the conduct code of the university, and punish offenders with whatever the normative punishments are for such violations, including expulsion. It wouldn't take long for this behavior, which negatively impacts the students and surrounding communities, to lose its luster. Of course this will never be done, since it would potentially take revenue away from the universities.
6
It is a violation of the conduct code at most universities...and has been for years and years. Students don't think they'll get caught, so they don't worry about conduct violation consequences and sanctions until after they've been caught.
Unfortunately, alcohol, testosterone, and not quite yet mature young adults can be a very troublesome combination. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly what the solution is.
However, one thing is certain; for the parents of a child who comes home in a box instead of bearing a diploma in preparation for his future, it is a tragic pain that never lessens. And for the hazers involved it is also something they will live with for a lifetime.
In that context, perhaps there has to be some communication between university administration and frat houses to work out some basic guidelines to make sure that things don't take a turn down that most unfortunate road.
Why not a single word here about sororities? Surely any full analysis of the "Greek" system should include both noting similarities and contrasts.
I know little to nothing about either -- was never attracted to what I perceived as the smugness and cliquishness of the Greeks when I was in college -- so I'm honestly curious:
Sororities normally have pledging too, right? And a certain amount of hazing, and a certain amount of partying with alcohol. Have there been any deaths? Has there been any appreciable record of crime (assault, theft, damage to facilities, etc.) at sorority parties?
If the record of sororities in this regard is considerably different from that of fraternities, then maybe the problem isn't in the Greek system -- maybe it's in the kinds of young men who are drawn to it and enabled by it.
15
I was in a sorority at a southern land-grant university. My sorority house was dry. We had to leave the house to partake in adult beverages. We often frequented fraternity houses and off-campus apartments of fraternity members in order to drink. The sorority house's standards hearings on a weekly basis and the consistent preaching about not dishonoring your sisters was the brainwashing affect of "don't ask, don't tell." This powerful and dangerous combination led to one of the worst experiences of my life.
I went to a party at an off-campus apartment of some fraternity (Phi Delt) men with some sisters, I didn't drink at the party because I dislike "trashcan punch." My sorority sister was drunk and the line for the bathroom too long, so she decided to walk to the actual fraternity house to use their facilities. I got worried a bit later and asked one of the guys, who had a biological sister who belonged to my sorority, if he would help me find the girl who'd wandered off. I didn't want her left incapacitated in the fraternity house.
He helped me find her, she asked me to wait for her to finish up. While she was in the restroom, I was raped by this man. I didn't yell because I was afraid I'd be seen in a compromising position. I tried to silently fight, but I couldn't overpower him. I never told anyone. I was afraid of the women in my sorority judging me. Because he was my sister's brother and because I tried to help someone who needed it.
3
Yes. A freshman died at Univ of Central FL a few years back after she drank excessively at a sorority "party" --a terrible tradgedy that occured during my middle daughter's first week on that campus. I sure there are others.
Sororities are locked down tight with rules and men are not allowed inside. And yes, it is a male violence issue
Pledging under any particular banner is just plain wrong and yet is the form of human behavior that has deep roots and is practiced all over the western world. Do not know about other countries.
Sweden is at least as bad as fraternity-sorority America as we quickly learned the first day our daughter went to high school here in Linköping. In Sweden there is a practice called nollning where nolla is a zero, a nothing. Our daughter and a Swedish classmate both had begun high school thinking that finally they might attend classes more challenging and/or interesting than what they were used to. When they were told they had to wear signs saying I am a zero and do and say worse they both wanted to stay home.
I have not heard of deaths in the university counterpart of fraternities but would not be surprised. A few years ago the UVM (Vermont) hockey time had its season cancelled. Two team members from this city, Linköping, could not understand. They said that UVM hazing was nothing compared with Swedish nollning.
Even in Sweden there can be some pretty bad things.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
5
Like the tobacco industry, hold the beverage industry accountable.
Fun, friends, and good times can only be had in the youth themed ads online and on TV. The beverage industry is following the playbook.
Ban the ads, tax the product and lives will be saved
3
I was in a sorority and enjoyed it at the time, but now decades later I know there is no need for Greek life on campus. Whatever good is done by fraternities and sororities can be accomplished by other clubs that don't require expensive dues, learning secret handshakes, and don't encourage excessive drinking and promiscuity.
36
And what’s the impact on drinking in excess going forward if you’ve been a member of one of these alcohol fueled frat societies? How much does this contribute to a lifetime of excessive drinking?
5
I just learned that a freshman at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania died two weeks ago from head trauma suffered while intoxicated from 2 days of drinking. As parents, we try to teach our children to make good choices but they often think these bad things can only happen to other people.
3
Get rid of the fraternities. Men aged 18-25 are by far the most dangerous demographic group, with or without drinking. Putting them in a house together with few rules and responsibilities and without presence of older people, is a set up for many kinds of trouble. Moreover, the "benefits" this article touts amount to an "old boy" network in the workplace that discriminates against women. Fraternities are a building block of a patriarchal, misogynistic society. Get rid of them. Instead, offer junior and senior students an opportunity to petition for co-ed, off-campus houses; that's what my college did and we had none of these incidents (it also banned drinking).
64
You didn't mention sororities.
2
Having gone to a college without frats, I did the unthinkable. I made friends based on their own merits. We hung out, had a few parties, drank some alcohol here and there, rented an apartment, went to the beach, played games, etc. Mostly we studied and discussed what we were thinking about. I thought it was great. We didn't need an organization with a hierarchical structure to vet our friends. We didn't need excessive amounts of alcohol to get laid.
Animal House was a very fun movie. I've seen it several times. But I am sure glad I didn't have to live it.
3
This comment is wrong-headed. First, it is illegal to ban fraternities at public institutions because we in the US have a freedom to associate. So comments like these do not contribute to a solution. Second, it is sexist because it demonizes young men as 'dangerous.' Third, it infantilizes young men by claiming that male adults require the presence of "older people."
1
Please see https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/pdfs/alcoholyourhealth.pdf
And remember the Alcohol Industry pays a lot to influence these recommendations.
Alcohol is:
A. Addictive
B. Blurs judgement beginning with the first drink
C. Carcinogenic https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/listed_substances_508.pdf
D. Destructive to Executive Control portion of brain
5
The people living in fraternity houses are all adults. They are over 18, and may sign contracts, fight in the armed forces, and be prosecuted.
If they drink too much, fail to go to class, commit assault or rape, then they should be held accountable in a court of law.
Otherwise, leave them alone.
114
Rational, yes, but not at all practical.
18-21 year olds, clustered together in their first few years of living away from their parents do not behave like adults. They test all boundaries - personally, socially and chemically. They have no concept of real consequence in a way which might deter their actions. The culture of binge drinking creates the foundation for more car accidents, alcohol poisoning and sexual assault. Drunk people do stupid things, consistently.
Universities don't allow the intrusion of law enforcement on college campuses to handle behavior issues - even criminal behavior like rape - as the reporting of such hurts their recruiting efforts. And no one gets charged in a court of law for skipping class.
Bottomline, Mom & Dad are still paying for the college experience for their young adult children and expect those kids to be somewhat protected by the organization they are paying.
1
Well, since the drinking age is 21, they are violating the law, and people who provide underage students with liquor are also violating it.
2
It don't work that way in the real world. This article provided the evidence, and a lengthy Atlantic article a couple of years ago offered much more.
1
It's a classic image, but kegs are exceedingly rare at fraternity houses these days. Their presence violates risk management policy and negates liability insurance coverage. Kegs have been prohibited at our house for over 20 years.
25
Beer is too slow. Now students pre-game with hard liquor instead, often in their rooms.
1
There was no such thing as "pre-gaming" when I was in college and the drinking age was 18.
The practice of slamming a half-dozen shots before beginning your evening is a result of the increase in the drinking age.
1
Why are there even still fraternities (and sororities)? Can't we work out some other granfaloon (see Vonnegut cat's cradle and slapstick) to cure alienation and loneliness?
As our son (a senior in HS) decides about college, we have a metric (among many) the higher the frat rate the less desirable.
We also have a case study, my alma mater, Notre Dame. It doesn't have frats. Randomly assigned dorms and study abroad are pretty good granfaloon creators.
63
Well, there is "freedom of association", a constitutional right. If you haven't been a member of a fraternity, then it's not surprising you wouldn't understand the attraction/benefits.
1
The article makes a solid point - 'banning' fraternities will not 'shut down' these alcohol-related tragedies. Rather, it will drive the behavior underground where it is much harder to monitor or influence. It is not a matter of authority, but education. The active membership of a fraternity house is entirely new every three years or so and with rare exception lessons learned leave with the graduating seniors. So it is incumbent on the International Leadership of fraternities and the Alumni Leadership of individual chapters to _continuously_ educate undergraduates in how to be an active part of campus life while living up to the ideals and keeping everyone safe. I've been doing so for 35 years and I'll never stop.
14
Data for my campus are that in 1986, the start of a 3-year phase in of the 21 minimum age law, 90% of students had at least one drink during the previous year and 40% had an episode of 5 or more drinks in one sitting during the previous two weeks. The same survey administered in 1989, after the phase in was completed, yielded 80% and 55%. And, the amount consumed per drinking episode increased by 50%. The light drinkers had stopped and heavy drinkers increased their consumption. Further, drinking had moved from bars and restaurants to private, unsupervised, locations. A cover charge and two drinks at a club will pay for a twelve-pack and a bag of Nabs, all of which will be consumed. That was the perverse effect of the minimum age drinking law.
46
I think your data is old and unreliable. According to a more recent survey, "despite uneven and sometimes lax enforcement, the best available evidence suggests that the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years has saved more than 800 lives annually among young adults aged 18–20 years in the United States."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866588/
So based on this data lowering the drinking age, as you propose, would lead to more deaths among the young, not fewer.
When I was in college in the late 70s and early 80s, we had a graduated drinking age here in Ohio: 18 year olds could drink 3.2% "trainer beer", and 21 year olds could have everything else. So, we all just started with this 'light' beer. Certainly one could get too drunk on that, but it sure seems it was a better approach than trying to eliminate 75% of the undergrads from drinking at all, while the oldest 25% have free reign - that's just not practical.
1
"'despite uneven and sometimes lax enforcement, the best available evidence suggests that the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years has saved more than 800 lives annually among young adults aged 18–20 years in the United States.'"
So, "Anon," how many more lives would be saved by raising the drinking age to 22? To 25? To 30?
How about to 60?
What if we were to ban alcohol altogether. I bet we'd save a lot of lives that way. I wonder why nobody's ever tried that before?
1
Why are fraternities gaining in popularity? I can well remember the two or three rushes I attended during my freshman year. They made me feel like I'd wandered onto a used car lot by mistake.
61
Completely agree. I went to Penn State in the early 80s, and yes, went to a lot of frat parties ... at different places. I never saw the point of joining one specific group and calling every member of the group my "sister" or "big brother." It was obvious to me that I wouldn't like them all equally, nor would they all like me. Members were sometimes actively discouraged from socializing outside their little clique. I preferred to find friends on my own.
2
Unfortunately, the issue is not limited to the greek system but any student organization. One may want to look at the impact of raising the drinking age. Since then, more incidents have happened, indicating that making it "forbidden fruit" has actually made the situation worse, not better. Many fraternities have adopted no alcohol policies during pledge education and initiation periods. National fraternities reinforce the policies, field staff reinforce the policies and alumni volunteers work with chapters to reinforce them as well. But no one can be present 24 hours a day and college campuses in general have alcohol abuse issues campus wide, not just on "fraternity row." Education is the key. But so is holding each student responsible. When courts act to protect a university, as is happening in the Penn State situation, it does not help.
28
No. that's not true. Ampuses have many many student organizations that organize around a shared interest. They don't have houses and their activities aren't parties Fraternities are supposedly social service organizations. The don't need houses for that and parties don't serve that mission.
29
This does not comport with my observations. "No alcohol" may be buried in the footnotes of a greek house charter, but I have never seen a serious effort to crack down on it at colleges. When my sister went with a friend to visit her friend's son at her alma mater last year over mother's day, the fraternity activity was "shots with mom." This is more in keeping with what I see. Education? What is it you think students have not already been warned of when it comes to alcohol? Our college students need activities that allow them to socialize and relax in ways that do not involve alcohol. If that's the education (and not "safe drinking") that you have in mind, I'm on board. But leave the drinking age alone. Authorities need the legal ability to step in when situations are unsafe.
42
Banning fraternities is not the solution. Drinking also occurs in dorms and at campus bars--are you going to ban those too?
I'm sick at heart reading about the deaths, the binge drinking, the reckless and even criminal behavior that gets unleashed and allowed. Where is the authority to shut down this behavior. Will it take steep insurance premiums and university sanctions? Surely the prevention of even one death is worth it.
12