2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the editor
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Opinion
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Editor's note: The Nov. 9 article "Gotta fight for your right to party" examined campus perspectives of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) freshman policy one year after its implementation. That policy restricts freshmen from being on fraternity property outside of specifically allotted weekday hours, prohibiting them from larger social gatherings on weekends. While The DePauw is aware that drinking often occurs at such gatherings, "drink" and "party" are not synonymous. Many DePauw students party at fraternities without consuming alcohol. The DePauw in no way condones or encourages underage drinking.The headline was merely meant to be a pun of a popular song.
No right to be at fraternities
Matt Jennings' article "Gotta fight for your right to party" did two things simultaneously. It was the first article to finally bring up the issue of drinking as being central to the protest against the first-year policy. It also demonstrated the short-sightedness and lack of respect of much of the campus community.
The campus drinking culture does center on the fraternity system. This isn't something that we ever tried to deny. However, for The DePauw to insinuate that underage freshmen students have a right to drink in the fraternity system is, quite frankly, stupid.
If I were to walk into a freshman's room with a handle of liquor and proceed to get drunk there, I would be met with indignation and anger, as it isn't my room. Likewise, the fraternity houses belong to the fraternities and their members. An outsider has as much of a "right" to come in and drink in our houses as I do in the dorms or in another fraternity house.
Anyone not a member of the fraternity who comes over to party is an invited guest. Coming to DePauw University does not give a freshman the right to drink in our houses. This is not meant to be an essay against freshmen. We love having them in our houses during the approved hours because, honestly, the majority of time spent in a fraternity is not spent drinking. Despite what this newspaper's columnists will try to tell you, partying is only a small part of greek life.
Freshman Mackenzie Boling summed it up very well. "We're all freshmen and we don't know what's going on, so we're not as good of judges with alcohol and the amount of alcohol people are consuming."
From a greek leadership perspective, this is not a level of liability that we find acceptable. Greek houses can be shut down for the actions of a non-member who doesn't know how to hold their liquor. This is not a policy that was enacted because we do not like freshmen, this was a policy enacted because we love our chapters and want them to be around for freshmen to be a part of for the next three years.
Dan Moon,
Senior, IFC President
No right to be at fraternities
Matt Jennings' article "Gotta fight for your right to party" did two things simultaneously. It was the first article to finally bring up the issue of drinking as being central to the protest against the first-year policy. It also demonstrated the short-sightedness and lack of respect of much of the campus community.
The campus drinking culture does center on the fraternity system. This isn't something that we ever tried to deny. However, for The DePauw to insinuate that underage freshmen students have a right to drink in the fraternity system is, quite frankly, stupid.
If I were to walk into a freshman's room with a handle of liquor and proceed to get drunk there, I would be met with indignation and anger, as it isn't my room. Likewise, the fraternity houses belong to the fraternities and their members. An outsider has as much of a "right" to come in and drink in our houses as I do in the dorms or in another fraternity house.
Anyone not a member of the fraternity who comes over to party is an invited guest. Coming to DePauw University does not give a freshman the right to drink in our houses. This is not meant to be an essay against freshmen. We love having them in our houses during the approved hours because, honestly, the majority of time spent in a fraternity is not spent drinking. Despite what this newspaper's columnists will try to tell you, partying is only a small part of greek life.
Freshman Mackenzie Boling summed it up very well. "We're all freshmen and we don't know what's going on, so we're not as good of judges with alcohol and the amount of alcohol people are consuming."
From a greek leadership perspective, this is not a level of liability that we find acceptable. Greek houses can be shut down for the actions of a non-member who doesn't know how to hold their liquor. This is not a policy that was enacted because we do not like freshmen, this was a policy enacted because we love our chapters and want them to be around for freshmen to be a part of for the next three years.
Dan Moon,
Senior, IFC President
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