The future of Tufts' Greek scene may be in jeopardy due to the possible revocation of the housing licenses of Delta Upsilon (DU), Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep), and Alpha Tao Omega (ATO). The houses have come under increasing scrutiny by the city of Somerville as a result of alleged noise violations.
Though none of the housing licenses have been revoked yet, Somerville Alderman Bob Trane said that as a last resort, the city would close the fraternities.
While both fraternity members and the city of Somerville are trying to take a proactive and fair approach to the situation, noise violations have been a chronic and serious issue in the past, according to Trane. "Within the first week of school, two fraternities were cited for noise violations, and their housing licenses are coming up for review before the Board of Aldermen," he said.
Trane met with representatives from Sig Ep on Wednesday "to talk about the issues we want to avoid this year," he said. That Saturday, the fraternity was written up for a noise violation.
Meetings between Somerville and the fraternity houses will take place in the near future to discuss what is expected in regard to noise levels and party protocol.
In the meantime, the houses will receive a 60-day temporary housing license. Once this license expires, the city of Somerville will decide how to proceed with their concerns associated with fraternity parties.
Jon Kluge, president of Sig Ep, agreed that in the past fraternities have caused problems for residents living around them. "Last year we ran into problems with noise violations regarding our house in the middle of October," Kluge said. Spillover of the fraternity party's patrons had created a problem in the neighborhood.
"In my opinion, however, we've gone 180 degrees. We've become much more conscious of what makes a party safer and with regards to the social atmosphere of the neighborhood," Kluge said. "Spring semester [of last year] we had no noise violations at all."
He noted that some of the problems associated with loud parties are beyond the control of the fraternities themselves. In some instances, students who are denied admittance to a party will congregate outside the house and loudly express their disappointment. "They'll just sit around outside and make noise," he said.
Nevertheless, Kluge said that a compromise can be reached between Somerville and the fraternity scene at Tufts, provided that all parties agree to work fairly.
Trane has said that he would prefer not to revoke housing licenses, but that it may be necessary if problems with the fraternities persist. "We want to head off all of these problems before they start," he said.
Trane insisted that he's not trying to be "the bad guy" in reviewing the licenses. "I want these kids to go out and have a good time, within reason," he said. "It's just important that we make Somerville a habitable place for everyone who lives here. We can't let conditions degrade back into the way they were last year."
