<p>Should the students entering those burned-out frat buildings also have inspected the sprinkler system before taking off their coats?</p>
<p>Might some of that oversight on building codes, drinking, etc. have to do with the physical location of the houses (on campus versus off campus) as well as who owns the homes (the university versus the individual organizations)? </p>
<p>At the campus I’m familiar with and where S is a member, the fraternity quads are on the campus, part of campus housing, and as fraternities come and go, the university re-allocates their space to dorms. Indeed, S’s house, which is in a fraternity quad, was actually used as a dorm for the last couple of years. </p>
<p>So the university appears to have more oversight on the physicality, since they are maintaining walkways, porches, things of that nature. Any universal changes to housing “flow through” to the fraternities – so for example, all of the porches in the fraternity and sorority quads now have accessibility measures such as ramps. They didn’t do it out of the goodness of their hearts; it was just that the university itself decided to make their housing stock accessible to wheelchairs and so they were part of it. </p>
<p>I think that’s a very different situation from when there’s a house someplace off campus, fully maintained by a private organization who may or may not do the right thing when it comes to building codes, safety, etc. </p>
<p>Let me ask a question here since I don’t know - the university can enter S’s house any time and look for whatever they want to look for. Do they have that privilege if the house is a private one, privately maintained, off the campus?</p>
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<p>This means that about 40% of college students binge drink.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/niaaacollegematerials/panel01/highrisk_05.aspx”>http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/niaaacollegematerials/panel01/highrisk_05.aspx</a> says the following:</p>
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<p>65% to 79% is a lot higher than 40%.</p>
<p>However, the next few sentences do mention that it is not known whether the higher binge drinking associated with the fraternities and sororities is a treatment effect (students binge drinking more because of membership in fraternities and sororities), a (self-)selection effect (students prone to binge drinking to begin with choosing to join fraternities and sororities), or some of both effects.</p>
<p>In any case, students and parents concerned about their safety and security should recognize that parties with alcohol, which appear to be common in fraternities, are high risk environments.</p>
<p>The same is undoubtedly true of eating clubs, too. My nephew’s eating club at Princeton appears to be Animal House compared to S’s fraternity experience. </p>
<p>All these things presuppose that people who join a fraternity then automatically live in the fraternity house. Is that the case most places? It isn’t in the system I’m familiar with. </p>
<p>I think if your kid wishes to join a Greek system, a protective factor might be ensuring that not all of their socialization revolves around the house. I like the fact that my son’s social circles encompass not just his fraternity brothers, but other social circles that he’s formed through his involvement in other campus activities, classes, etc. So he doesn’t “have” to feel that he has no choice but to go to all the frat parties to have a social life. But because his school is fundamentally nerd-ville at the core, it’s not uncommon for a given guy in a frat to “sit this weekend out” and not go to parties because he’s got studying to do. That’s a good thing, versus assuming your weekends have to be spent blotto. </p>
<p>Note that building codes typically do not require retrofitting unless the place is being modified in an area where the new building code is relevant. That is why, for example, there are plenty of old houses with electrical wiring and outlets without grounding (although recently remodeled parts of old houses do have to have electrical wiring and outlets with grounding).</p>
<p>I don’t know much about this, but according the article, frats are not necessarily considered campus housing or under any significant supervision by the university. </p>
<p>“the next few sentences do mention that it is not known whether the higher binge drinking associated with the fraternities and sororities is a treatment effect (students binge drinking more because of membership in fraternities and sororities), a (self-)selection effect (students prone to binge drinking to begin with choosing to join fraternities and sororities), or some of both effects.” I’m not sure it really matters. A large fraction of college students are under 21 and the frats facilitate them getting access to alcohol.</p>
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<p>Of course not, but you knew that before you posted it. Sensationalism at its best. I could ask the same of the students of Seton University and the fatal fire in Boland Hall.</p>
<p>I do think that boys that abuse alcohol in High School are more than likely to self select a fraternity to continue the behavior. I think 50% of the parents on this board are naive to their college student’s alcohol use. The clubs and associations on my daughter’s campus are notorious for alcohol abuse too, I think it is more “pack” mentality than anything else, and let’s face it fraternities are the prime example of pack mentality.</p>
<p>I will disclaim my daughter is in a sorority. It has been an amazing experience for her. I do believe that sorority members are in more of a “safe” situation at a fraternity house/party than a GDI. Most sororities (and everyone at my daughter’s school) subscribe to the buddy system. The sisters simply do not leave their sisters in a harmful situation, and if they do, it is typically and honor violation. I would be much more worried about my daughter if she were not in a sorority on a campus with greek life. The fact is, a great number of students who are not part of greek life, go to parties that are part of greek life, it is what college kids do.</p>
<p>“I do believe that sorority members are in more of a “safe” situation at a fraternity house/party than a GDI. Most sororities (and everyone at my daughter’s school) subscribe to the buddy system. The sisters simply do not leave their sisters in a harmful situation, and if they do, it is typically and honor violation. I would be much more worried about my daughter if she were not in a sorority on a campus with greek life.”</p>
<p>So…you’re saying that you believe that frats are especially risky situations and that girls who go to frat parties should have a buddy for mutual protection? Or do they also go in pairs to other events?</p>
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<p>Any party where drunkenness or binge drinking is likely (whether or not in or associated with a fraternity) should be considered a high risk situation. Appropriate precautions should be taken, whether avoiding such parties entirely or other methods of mitigation (such as avoiding getting drunk oneself) if one still wants to attend such a party.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t understand how frat parties where the liquor flows are different from off-campus parties held in private homes or apartments where the liquor flows. And there are plenty of those, certainly - and the university has LESS oversight than they do at S’s school, where they can come in and monitor the fraternity and slap their hands if they do something wrong. From the perspective of a girl, a buddy system is a smart idea whether you’re going to the Sigma Chi house or whether you’re going to Johnny and Sam’s off-campus house where they’re having a party. </p>
<p>Regarding self-selection vs. environmental influence, there is evidence from your source for both:</p>
<p>" One study, for example, found that a much higher percentage of male students who were binge drinkers in high school became members of fraternities in college and that among women who did not binge in high school, those who joined a sorority were much more likely to start binging in college than those who did not join a sorority (Wechsler et al., 1996)." <a href=“http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/niaaacollegematerials/panel01/highrisk_05.aspx”>College Drinking, Changing the Culture;
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<p>I know I’ve read news stories where there’s a party at a private apartment and someone at a party falls out of a window or a balcony (or railing) gives way. There’s a lawsuit, and the owner of the property is sued. What I don’t know is what happens in those kinds of lawsuits, as opposed to similar lawsuits where a frat house is involved. Are non-Greek rental apartments and houses less likely to have collapsing balconies or missing safety rails? </p>
<p>As an undergrad I lived in a privately owned theme house. During one party, I went down into the basement, looked up, and saw the ceiling–which was directly under the living room–swaying up and down under the impact of a dancing horde. The joys of living in a historical house! It took years–maybe even decades–for our sponsoring organization to bring everything up to code. </p>
<p>Are these sleeping porches a regional thing? </p>
<p>S’s house is a four story house (3 living floors and a basement), with fire doors at the end of each hall that the boys sometimes prop open to make it easy to get in and out. I know the president of S’s house is on a kick to ensure that the boys keep them closed. But honestly keeping fire doors propped open happened in dorms too. </p>
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<p>THIS!</p>
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<p>This has not been my daughter’s experience or the experience of the girls she knows in the Greek system. As a matter of fact, many sororities at UT (University of Texas-Austin) have large Young Life members and the sorority for one has a strict alcohol policy. That does not mean that some sisters don’t drink and drink heavily at that. I just don’t think entrance in the systems fundamentally changes their drinking habits. If anything changes them it is their parents not breathing down their neck. I have found that more “sheltered” girls and girls with very strict parents tend to swing from one position to the other as far as alcohol is concerned. For me we have always trusted our daughter to make logically and thought out decisions. I know she drinks, she is 21 but drank before that, but not in high school, but she does so responsibly, and does not buy alcohol for minors. I keep honest and open communication with her because I would rather know that it is possible to have a call from the police for MIP (prior to 21) than be shocked that my special snowflake was drinking. Part of creating an adult is trusting them to make decisions without sharing your bias.</p>
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<p>When I was in college way back when, some of the fire doors in dorms and off-campus cooperative housing were held open by electromagnets that were turned off (causing the fire doors to close) if the fire alarm activated (by either fire/smoke detector or by someone pulling the fire alarm lever).</p>
<p>Trying to get people to “do the right thing” is difficult if it is inconvenient (whether or not in a college or fraternity environment). In this case, simple technology to reduce the inconvenience while preserving the intended safety feature is available.</p>
<p>As it happens, an accident at my S’s house was cited in this article. (They do not have sleeping porches.) An unaffiliated person who was renting a room in the house over the summer fell out of a window while under the influence of hallucinogens.</p>
<p>I’ve been in that house, and believe me it is pretty gross. It is nothing like the MIT frat house that I was familiar with in the mid 70s. Nevertheless, I did not observe anything that was more dangerous than the average private house. (I even used the bathrooms several times, which some mothers I know will not do. 
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<p>Ironically, S’s house was at least 50% people of color. He was probably among the poorest members, and he is white. His wealthiest brothers were black and brown.</p>
<p>The reality is that the situation is much more nuanced that some would have us believe. I think that the author of the article did a fairly good job of capturing those nuances. But some people will always seize upon the headlines as an excuse to ride their hobbyhorses.</p>
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<p>Wait, what does this have to do with anything?</p>
<p>Because the stereotype is that fraternities are full of rich white boys coming together to party and maybe, every now and then, attending a class or two. </p>
<p>During the time when I was in college (mid 80’s), there was a girl who was a member of my house at a large Midwestern state university who died after falling out of a window. I think, though am not sure, that the house was subsequently kicked off their campus. The story was that she fell out while washing her window, though that certainly seems a little odd. Who washes their windows?</p>
<p>What is all this falling out of a window stuff? Does anyone ever fall out of a window who isn’t drunk or high? And who opens windows far enough down that you can fall out of them? </p>