Fraternities re-open on a smooth note

The reopening of two fraternities has not caused any increase in police activity or alcohol related events, Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) reports.

Delta Tau Delta (DTD) and Delta Upsilon (DU) were taken off social probation, which they were on since the fall. The probation prohibited the fraternities from serving alcohol at parties.

"We haven't had any [police activity] associated with the fraternities opening back up," said TUPD Captain Mark Keith.

Though historically fraternity parties lead to an increased need for police activity on weekend nights, Keith is not convinced that prohibiting the fraternities from holding parties is a good idea.

"In regards to complaints from the neighborhoods, it is my general feeling that with more fraternities closed down on campus, there tends to be an increase of off-campus complaints," Keith said.

Keith explained that it is too early to be certain of the consequences of the fraternities re-opening. "To do any type of comparison between either alcohol calls or party calls compared to last semester... is going to take a good portion of the second semester," he said.

Students on campus agree that having the fraternities open again is good for student safety. "When there were only two fraternities operating on campus, they filled up really quickly and people were forced to go off campus" said sophomore Christian Eager. He also added that town residents are insulated from party noise when gatherings are on campus.

"Since the other fraternities have opened, there have been more options for going out, so our parties are less overcrowded and they're more controlled," said sophomore Sigmund Phi Epsilon brother Jason Bauer.

Bharat Burman, a sophomore and brother at DTD, agrees that allowing fraternities to hold parties is a safer alternative to off-campus parties. "It keeps more people on campus to have a good time without going to extremes, and keeps them from going off campus and being loud," Burman said.

"Luckily, so far, all the parties [at DTD] have run very smoothly. They've gone past 2 a.m. without any complaints or problems," Burman said. "We're glad to be back."

Throughout the cold winter months, the police received less party-related calls both on and off campus. "You don't have as many people hanging around houses, and doors and windows are generally closed, keeping any of the noise within the house," Keith said.

The same trends hold true for alcohol-related emergencies. Keith said that the number of medical-assisted alcohol incidents spiked at the beginning of the first few weeks of last semester, then decreased before another spike at the end of the semester.