The Rush for Safety
The reform of Greek Life in universities
—By Rohan Puri
Coming to college as a social person, I had interest in joining a fraternity like many others. My close cousins both pledged and joined fraternities at the University of Michigan and had nothing but good things to say about their experiences. The friends that they made along the way, combined with the academic and professional support that they received from current and former brothers seemed hard to find anywhere else on a college campus.
I kept asking myself why I only saw negative news articles about Greek Life? The most shocking story that I came across was that of Timothy Piazza at Pennsylvania State University in 2017. After drinking copious amounts of alcohol in a hazing ritual, Piazza fell down a flight of stairs and eventually turned gray from head to toe. Emergency services were not called until nearly 12 hours after he sustained his injuries, and he eventually succumbed while in the hospital. When I arrived at the University of Michigan, this story was on my mind. Why would his own brothers not make a push to help him immediately? If the bond of brotherhood in fraternities is so strong, why did they neglect to see the dire state Piazza was in that fateful night?
Nevertheless, I tried to keep an open mind when I ultimately decided to rush multiple fraternities. What I saw in most of the houses that I went to changed my outlook on Greek Life drastically. I saw guys that wanted to enjoy their college experience together in a way that was safe for all involved. When I joined my fraternity, I knew I had found people who had the same values as me and who were not at all similar to the people involved in the Pennsylvania State University incident. Even in the small amount of time in between that and the beginning of my college career, there were many reforms and changes made to Greek Life that made it a more welcoming and safe environment.
Anti-hazing policies
In recent years, there has been a discernable crackdown on potentially dangerous behaviors, chiefly hazing, by universities and national organizations. Between the years 2000-2021 there were more than 50 deaths related to hazing, with causes varying from alcohol poisoning to drowning. Hazing stands as the most common cause of Greek Life related deaths, often with alcohol involved. StopHazing defines hazing as, “any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them, regardless of a person’s willingness to participate.” Oftentimes, new members of a fraternity or sorority are subjected to these kinds of activities as a way to show their loyalty to an organization. A lot of hazing can be inconsequential to a student’s mental and physical health; however, there are many documented cases, such as the aforementioned case of Timothy Piazza, that have been deadly.
In response to the all too common deaths due to hazing, many fraternities’ national organizations have outlawed hazing in their chapters. Most notably, in 2014, Sigma Alpha Epsilon formally abolished the pledging process. With over fourteen thousand active members as of 2021, SAE is recognized as the largest fraternity in the United States, so for them to take this step, challenging their previous history, was revolutionary for the safety of young, college-age men.
Looking specifically at the University of Michigan, multiple steps have been taken to combat the presence of hazing on campus. Chiefly, hazing is illegal and a criminal offense in the state of Michigan. Under Act 328 of the Michigan Penal Code, also known as “Garret’s Law,” hazing is prohibited by law and can result in jail time. This hopefully gives parents some peace of mind, because most college students would not want to be caught in this kind of action and face legitimate legal consequences. However, this law is not one hundred percent effective.
Just this year, The University of Michigan’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi was suspended due to alleged hazing that was caught on video. The video showed pledges being hit and kicked by elder members of the fraternity while being berated at an extremely loud volume. This physical hazing is utterly unacceptable and does not even remotely adhere to any principles of bonding or brotherhood like many claim. The University of Michigan, in conjunction with the national organization of AEPi, took swift action on this matter, expelling the chapter from campus and exploring a possible criminal investigation. UMich spokesperson Colleen Mastony stated that, “the University of Michigan condemns hazing practices and supports the use of strong responsive action, including notification to chapter headquarters, university sanctions and possible legal action.” This strong stance is what deters others from following suit and is a reflection of the current climate of safety at the university.
Over-consumption of alcohol and sexual assault prevention
High consumption of alcohol is something that is almost synonymous with Greek Life in the United States and a major draw for people joining fraternities is the party scene. Students who maybe did not have as much personal freedom in high school or those who simply want to let loose oftentimes see Greek Life as the place to do it. Most fraternities hold weekly parties on the weekend, and alcohol most definitely flows during these functions.
In the The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education, Alan DeSantis references a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health that found that “fraternity members were much more likely to engage in heavy drinking than their non‐fraternity peers (75.1% versus 48.6%).” This study included both men and women in Greek Life, something which may be surprising to learn. In the same chapter, DeSantis cites a similar study done on the effects on binge drinking on college students that found that, “70% of fraternity members claim to have missed class because of excessive drinking, compared to 33% of non‐fraternity students.” Apoorv Anand, my cousin and former fraternity member at the University of Michigan, stated that, “Some of the amounts of alcohol that I saw being drunk in one go is truly inconceivable. I’ve seen an entire handle emptied in less than ten minutes by one person. It was actually insane.” For reference, the average handle of vodka holds around forty shots (1.75 L) in it; there easily could have been a deadly amount of alcohol in that student’s system.
In response to these statistics and stories like my cousin’s, universities in the United States started to enforce limitations on the inclusion of alcohol at fraternity parties. There are two main rules of note created by the Fraternal Information and Programming Group that DeSantis cites.
The first is one that may seem like a no-brainer—underage drinking at fraternities is completely banned, regardless of status within the fraternity. Though drinking alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal in the United States, consequences are usually minimal. Younger students often believe they have a free pass to drink at fraternity parties, and, a lot of the time, they do indeed get away with it. Reiterating the illegality of drinking underage is definitely a good step by university leadership because it quashes any doubts that underclassmen may have about the rules concerning their drinking.
The second rule of note, and perhaps the most important, is that of hard liquor being completely banned. Most universities only allow alcohol with a low Alcohol By Volume (ABV) to be served at fraternity events. Liquor makes it very easy to get too drunk and can be misused unintentionally, so the banning of it makes plenty of sense. One problem that fraternities often run into with this is people drinking liquor before arriving or bringing liquor with them unbeknownst to fraternity members.
Kyle Krause, fraternity member at UofM has seen this many times before, saying that, “I’ve seen people come to parties with small bottles of vodka, or they arrive very drunk already. We’ve had incidents in the past that were very hard to control due to our lack of information.” It is impossible for fraternities to control what people drink prior to parties, so incidents of people getting too drunk can and have occurred, with fraternity members wondering how they came to be.
The Michigan Interfraternity Council (IFC)
The IFC stands as a governing body that serves affiliated fraternities at the University of Michigan and strives to create a “healthier and safer fraternity and sorority community.” I myself sit on the council as the Vice President of Programming and have seen first hand the positive impact that the council has made on the Greek Life community. The council works to hold chapters accountable for safety and aims to make Greek Life an enjoyable experience for everyone. The council meets once a week with the presidents of each affiliated chapter, in order to gather input and relay important information. President of the IFC, Matt Barrie, explains that, “working with the presidents to foster a safe environment and conduct philanthropic events is one of the reasons we are so effective at our job. We don’t work solely as a council. The collaboration with each individual chapter is what makes this work.”
Each semester, through the IFC, a program called New Member Orientation occurs. This event works to prepare new fraternity members for challenges they may face during their college career and to educate them in order to prevent potential incidents. Three main workshops are held: Bystander Intervention & Community Engagement (BICE), Michigan Man-Box Workshop (MM), and Sober Monitor Training (SMT).
BICE is a workshop held in collaboration with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC). They state their goal as working to “prevent harm through direct action and instill active bystander skills into all individuals.”
MM is a workshop also held in conjunction with SAPAC, however it takes a much different look at things. Their stated goal is as follows: “[The Michigan Man-Box] provides fundamental tools that assist in having conversations around masculinity, healthy relationships, and personal well-being.”
Finally, SMT aims to educate new members on alcohol and drug consumption. All fraternity parties at the University of Michigan are required to have sober monitors. This training works to mitigate risks associated with a plethora of intoxicated individuals. Drew Miller, current president of the Michigan Iota-Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, says, “Sober monitors really help events run smoothly. We’ve had potential problems in the past that were fixed almost immediately because we had sober monitors. It also takes a lot of the stress off of peoples’ shoulders when they know they have someone they can turn to if they need help.”
Endless potential
Greek life has existed in the United States for over one hundred and fifty years. It has survived intense scrutiny and adapted to the needs of society, whether by choice or not. Many of these changes were prompted by needless deaths or injuries, something that cannot be taken back. The ultimate goal must be to eliminate Greek Life related incidents in their entirety, and this is quite possible. If this occurs, the image of Greek Life would improve greatly, increasing participation numbers and event possibilities.
If change continues at its current rate, organizations may yet survive, but this isn’t guaranteed. Kyle Krause wants to see the longevity of Greek Life, just like many others that are in similar shoes. “I want my future child to at least have the choice of joining a fraternity or sorority,” says Kyle, “If we continue to see Greek Life in the news, they may not get that choice at all.”
Photo by Nima Sirram via Unsplash