Shutterstock
Following the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s decision to ban hard liquor at fraternity houses beginning by September 19, University of Minnesota fraternities have decided to comply to the rule a year early by banning alcohol on Sunday, October 30.
According to a report from the Minnesota Daily, the University of Minnesota Interfraternity Council implemented the ban after the North-American Interfraternity Conference originally announced the rule change on September 4.
Earlier in September, the NIC announced that alcohol with over 15 percent alcohol by volume would be banned at member fraternity houses and chapter events.
Despite not being required to make the change until September 2019, the University of Minnesota IFC decided on Sunday, September 30, to jumpstart the process.
Following the IFC’s decision, Minnesota fraternity chapters have until October 31 to amend their chapter bylaws to reflect the new policy.
via Minnesota Daily:
“It’s in effect now, and all chapters are expected to enforce it as of today,” said Quinn Roessler, president of the University’s FarmHouse Fraternity.
University fraternity chapters have until Oct. 31 to amend their chapter bylaws to reflect the new policy, although the policy is already in effect campus-wide.
Roessler said the implementation and enforcement of the ban will be decided by each individual fraternity, and the IFC is still currently undecided on how enforcement will take place.
“Nearly all hazing and over-consumption deaths in the past two years have involved students consuming high-percentage alcohol beverages,” the NIC said on its website as to why the ban is being established. “The [NIC] felt it was critically important to act with one voice to effectively implement an industry-wide standard.”
This is the latest major fraternity or sorority lawsuit, investigation, suspension, closure, or rules overhaul in the last year, as schools such as Indiana University, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Texas State, Florida State, Ball State, Louisiana State, and Penn State have all suspended fraternities in the wake of hazing and alcohol deaths.
These reports come amidst similar allegations that have been made against fraternities nationwide, including Sigma Alpha Epsilon at East Carolina University, who was shut down for hazing and the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter at the University of Arkansas which has been accused of taking sexually explicit photographs of women without their permission.
In response to incidents like these, fraternities such Phi Kappa Psi have made numerous changes to their code of conduct in an effort to address the issues that have arisen. In addition, schools such as Texas State, West Virginia University, and Penn State University have introduced new Greek Life rules to try and prevent these problems.
