UNDERAGE drinking plagues American universities. Each year minors are rushed to hospitals for alcohol-related emergencies, yet the administrations of this nation's colleges fail to take responsibility or action. With students' lives at stake, administrators must make an effort to prevent underage drinking instead of hiding behind shields of ignorance and legal detachment.
Associate Dean of Students Aaron Laushway commented that, "I think it is clear that underage students drink at the University in a variety of settings and fraternity parties would be among them." However, when asked if there was anything that the administration should do to prevent underage drinking, he deferred to student self-governance and claimed that it is the responsibility of individual students, the Inter-Fraternity Council and local police to prevent underage drinking - not the administration. With its lack of substantive action, the administration tacitly condones underage drinking and then pats itself on the back for promoting "student self-governance" as the lives of minors are threatened every weekend.
Laushway acknowledges underage drinking at fraternities, but in the same breath denies that the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life should intervene. However, if student self-governance is clearly failing to uphold the law, then the University must do something to protect its students. Andy Paradis, president of the Inter-Fraternity Council, explained that the IFC takes extensive measures to prevent minors from obtaining alcohol at fraternity-sponsored events. Party Patrollers visit every fraternity party to ensure that fraternities are not allowing minors access to alcohol or permitting entry into a party without some form of identification showed at the door.
While Paradis' explanation of Party Patrol is theoretically all that the IFC can do, the fact that underage students gain admittance to parties on a regular basis demonstrates that something more must be done. Instead of fraternity brothers simply asking if a person is over 21, they should take the time to look at the ID to ensure that the student actually is of age. While this is a current regulation of the IFC, it is barely enforced. A more effective way to prevent illegal drinking is to increase the fines pressed upon houses for alcohol-related infractions concerning minors. According to Paradis, the average fine for all IFC regulation infractions resulting in a guilty verdict last year was $248 with social probations on an average of 1.2 months and community service for brothers averaging to a measly 30 minutes. The fines are subtracted from the fraternity's social budget, Paradis said.
With almost 65 percent of all Inter-Fraternity Council-Judiciary Committee cases categorized as underage drinking, it is clear that these lenient penalties do not sufficiently deter fraternities from admitting underage student's access to alcohol. The amounts of fines, probationary periods and community service for brothers must be raised to put an end to fraternities bypassing and ignoring IFC regulations. The IFC must be a respected establishment whose power is not to be questioned or provoked. If the administration refuses to step in and enforce the law, someone must. Only when fraternities are frightened into action by large fines and other repercussions will they deny under age students alcohol.
The administration has not yet offered such suggestions. When asked what direct actions his office has taken to prevent underage drinking, Laushway repeated his mantra of student self-governance, (ideally) embodied by the IFC, and the fact that each student is expected to follow the law.
It is the duty of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life to promote student safety, and its repeated refusal of the idea that administrative intervention should be made to work with the IFC to prevent underage drinking leaves students in the lurch. If the administration refuses to intervene and investigate current IFC procedures, then perhaps the government should intervene and investigate the administration's blatant refusal to act against underage drinking.
Why is it that the administration can summon 20 extra state troopers to occupy Scott Stadium for home football games in order to protect the field, yet they cannot increase police presence on Rugby Rd. in order to protect the lives of its students? Who is in charge here? Not the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
Changes to the current system are crucial. Students have lost their lives, and if the IFC does not raise penalties for underage drinking infractions, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life must intervene for the health of its undergrads. Student self-governance is a wonderful, noble concept, but when the safety of University students is at stake, the administration must act against -- not passively condone -- underage drinking.
Greg Crapanzano is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint writer.
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