Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman, who currently oversees the Greek community at Tufts, released a statement last weekend asserting his intention to more strictly monitor and enforce national fraternity guidelines regarding alcohol at Greek social functions.
Fraternities are now expected to closely follow various national Greek policies related to alcohol, one of which is a "Bring Your Own Beer" (BYOB) stipulation that requires students to supply their own alcohol at parties. The purpose of the BYOB strategy is to lower the amount members pay in dues and to eliminate the legal risk organizations take when they provide alcohol.
An e-mail Reitman sent on Friday presented fraternities with three options: conform to national fraternity BYOB policies; obtain written permission from their respective national offices to distribute alcohol to sober students over 21; or ban alcohol at parties. Although Reitman does not personally agree with the national BYOB policy, he sees compliance as necessary in order to reduce university and chapter liability.
All three of these options pose challenges for Greek chapters, university staff and students. If chapters opt to host alcohol-free events, students can be expected to drink more in their residences before going to parties. This is likely to lead to more dangerous, clandestine binge drinking and overconsumption of hard alcohol. Obtaining written permission from national offices is unlikely, as organizations have restrictions on alcohol provision in place for insurance reasons and probably cannot legally condone noncompliance. And adhering to the BYOB policy presents its own set of problems.
The Daily recognizes the importance of having Tufts chapters comply with their national organizations' guidelines, but believes that the BYOB policy should be reconsidered. It places university chapters, Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers and administrators in the unfair position of having to enforce a policy that portends negative effects.
The BYOB rule is likely to strain Tufts' resources. If students are expected to bring their own alcohol to social functions, TUPD will have to monitor students transporting alcohol from their residences across campus to Professors Row. The BYOB policy takes the liability away from national organizations, but creates a greater responsibility for university staff. If Greek houses are permitted — either explicitly or tacitly — to provide alcohol TUPD has a clearer sense of where to focus on keeping students safe. With students encouraged to drink in their residence halls or even on the way to parties, this task becomes more difficult.
The BYOB policy may also encourage binge drinking before parties, as students probably will not want or be able to take much beer to parties. They may also try to compensate for not having alcohol supplied at parties by drinking more beforehand. This could exacerbate the existing problems associated with students' approach to recreational drinking and increase its dangers.
The BYOB policy poses significant challenges for the university. The national Greek organizations should reconsider how and why this policy is being implemented.
