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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Put Away The Togas Two Major Fraternities Will Ban Alcohol

Associated Press

The days of animal houses are endangered.

Two major fraternities have become the first in the nation to ban alcohol in chapter houses, and more are expected to follow suit.

The new policy by Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu is aimed at a new breed of frat boy more serious about earning a degree than chugging beer. The ban is supposed to go into effect by 2000.

“They’re coming to school to get an education and they need a family and some friends. They want a clean, safe house were they can study and hang out,” said Robert Pasquinucci, a spokesman for Phi Delta Theta, which announced their policy this week.

A spot check of University of Cincinnati’s fraternity row found few brothers willing to embrace the new trend.

“It’s a fad. It’s all politically correct,” scoffed Eric Thurston as he tossed a football Wednesday outside the Alpha Tau Omega house.

“I’m 21 years old,” added chapter president Raj Ghia. “Why can’t I have a beer?”

But many fraternity officials are fed up with the problems alcohol has caused on campus and believe it’s time for a change.

Excessive drinking at fraternities over the years has led to deaths and injuries and ruined academic careers.

Earlier this month, eight students at Frostburg State University in Maryland were charged with manslaughter in the alcoholpoisoning death of a freshman. Last fall, the University of New Hampshire banned drinking at fraternity parties after a drunken student died after falling off the roof of his fraternity house.

“It’s not necessarily going to solve all of our problems, but many of the poor decisions students make on campuses today are the result of using alcohol,” said Jonathan Brant, executive vice president of the National Interfraternity Conference. He expects most of the 63 national fraternities in his organization to join the trend.

Phi Delta Theta, based in Oxford, Ohio, has 180 chapters and 7,500 members. Lexington, Va.-based Sigma Nu has 210 chapters and 9,000 members.

Up until now, Kansas City, Mo.-based Farmhouse has been the only national fraternity with an official policy. It has prohibited alcohol at chapter houses since 1974.

Theta Chi fraternity, based in Indianapolis, hasn’t adopted a policy but is testing the waters at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The chapter, which had all but died out, re-opened last year as a noalcohol house.

“We knew it would be a tough go, but we decided to try it a different way,” said Theta Chi national spokesman Dave Westol.