Getting Wet

By Shivani Banker

5:14 a.m. May 27 2010

In 2009, Sigma Phi Epsilon, the last wet fraternity on campus, lost their wet status as a sanction by the university.

Why wet works

While Northwestern toys with the idea of a wet campus, other universities can vouch for the policy’s merits.

University of Texas at Arlington has always had wet fraternities, according to Robert-Thomas Jones, the program coordinator of Greek life and university events. He said allowing alcohol allows administrators to be open in educating students about its dangers.

“I don’t think that limiting fraternities’ right to drink at events or things like that, or just saying you can’t drink, necessarily solves the problem of underage drinking or over-consumption of alcohol.”

Andrea Barefield, coordinator for residential student conduct at UT-Arlington, agreed. She described her experience with a dry campus, the University of Kansas.

“Students try to hide students who have alcohol poisoning or overindulged in alcohol and usually that leads to a death of a student, not to students not drinking,” she says.

Washington University in St. Louis also has a wet campus, but officials are considering revising the campus’s alcohol policy. Interfraternity Council president Kurt Wall says he supports the current policy but thinks improvements could be made for off-campus situations.

“Students are going to drink anyway and it makes much more sense for them to do it so RAs can keep an eye on it,” he says. -Julie Kliegman

Ten years ago, there was a rumored national movement that would remove all existing wet campuses. Administrators signed before the movement fizzled out and unfortunately, Northwestern was still on the bandwagon. Before then, the rules explicitly stated if a fraternity was sanctioned or kicked off campus, they must become a dry fraternity. Yet the reality now is when a fraternity comes on campus, it is dry.

“But why should fraternities be kept dry if dorms on campus are wet?” asks Weinberg junior Cody Kittle, president of Sig Ep.

According to Kittle, Kemper is a wet dorm and if residents are caught drinking, they are individually sanctioned.

“When people in a fraternity get caught, everyone gets trouble,” Kittle says. “[They] took the right away from fraternities without any real justification.”

The proposal for wet fraternities allows them to house alcohol under similar rules to those in dorms. Additionally, it allows the Interfraternity Council (IFC) to make rounds at frat events without writing students up.

“The aim is to put the rules in check with reality,” Kittle says.

With the new IFC executive board’s efforts, Morton Schapiro’s arrival and William Banis’s alcohol policy, wet fraternities are a plausible proposition. In addition to Kittle, many outgoing presidents and IFC’s VP Standards have been working to rally the administration for their cause; however, their efforts are not without obstacles.

“The school knows that this campus is inhospitable to its binge drinking culture,” Kittle says, “But they believe in ‘hear no evil, see no evil.’ Howard and Neumeister don’t think they have to change anything.”

To apply for wet status, each fraternity must individually register and complete the quarter-long application process. Risk management and standards are also evaluated. The fraternity must have an average GPA of 3.2 and two quarters without disciplinary sanctions. The process ensures wet status remains a privilege instead of a right.

“Fraternities would make sacrifices and it encourages self-policing,” Kittle says. “If you have more to lose, people will care more. Right now, if something happens you just slow down, then new members come in and everything is like it was before.”

To date, President Schapiro has not made any public statements regarding this policy. He recognizes the dangers of the binge drinking culture on campus and is very receptive to change. Banis only has to sign the proposal for it to be in effect.

“I think there’s a lot of pressure on the student life office because of President Schapiro’s positive stance on the issue,” Kittle says. “All we’re asking is to go back the way it was before.”