While students and faculty have expressed mixed reactions to College President Phil Hanlon’s new set of social and academic reforms announced last week, alumni leaders of Greek house have voiced general support of the policies.
While Greek alumni advisors and alumni group presidents interviewed by The Dartmouth agreed that the College’s new hard alcohol ban would be challenging to enforce, most also agreed with its general mission.
“I understand why people find it controversial and that it may not be a panacea for all that ails Dartmouth, at least in respect to high-risk drinking, but I think it’s at least a thoughtful approach to mitigate some of the specific risks that I think we find prevalent on our campus,” Theta Delta Chi fraternity alumni advisor Geoff Colla ’04 said.
Alpha Delta fraternity advisor John Engelman called the ban “a reasonable step,” although he added that students will find a way to dodge the restrictions no matter what steps the College takes to enforce it.
Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity advisor James Adler ’60 and Beta Alpha Omega fraternity advisor Dimitri Gerakaris ’69 also expressed qualified support for the ban, although Gerakaris said that how the ban will be enforced will play a major role in its success or failure.
Citing the failure of prohibition in the U.S. during the 1920s and early 1930s, Gerakaris advocated against pursuing the ban overly aggressively, which he said could cause student backlash.
“If it’s pursued and perceived as a measure to curtail excessive, abusive drinking, I think everybody’s going to benefit,” he said. “If it’s pursued with a vengeance, then it’s going to drive drinking underground, where more people are going to get hurt.”
A major concern, Adler said, is that not all students will adhere to the new policy.
“There’s no question about it,” he said. “You’d hope that everybody will simply accept that it is a rule and an important rule and follow it. I expect that Greek organizations will, but I worry more about individuals in their dorm rooms.”
Ann Munves Malenka ’80, the alumnae advisor to Sigma Delta sorority, wrote in an email that she and other sorority advisors supported the new policies.
In addition to the new restrictions on hard alcohol, Hanlon’s plan calls for third-party bouncers and bartenders at events at which alcohol is served. While Hanlon did not clarify which events will be required to have third-party vendors in his speech or in his published plan, several alumni advisors said that they expect the rule to apply primarily to large, registered events.
Colla wrote in a follow-up email that TDX has utilized third-party security for large events since last spring, although he noted that funding the expense can be challenging, as can finding security on short notice.
One major drawback of hiring third-party bartenders is the restrictions it places on fraternities’ ability to serve alcohol, Engelman said. Since third-party bartenders could not serve to those below the legal drinking age of 21, underage drinking would be pushed underground, resulting in more high-risk pre-gaming, he said.
Engelman also pointed to a potential lack of bartenders in the area, citing a high demand as a result of the requirement. He called on the College to keep a list of third-party bartenders.
“I don’t know if there’s a critical mass of licensed bartenders in the area who would be willing to take on that kind of responsibility and that kind of liability,” he said.
The financial burden of hiring security and bartenders could also be a major problem for some fraternities, Adler said.
“I would very much hope that the College would pick up that end of it, and certainly provide assistance to offset the financial burden that that step entails,” he said.
The third-party vendor requirement could make guest lists more commonplace at Dartmouth, Colla said, which would go against the Greek system’s relatively open history and spirit.
Herb Philpott ’85, the advisor for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, said that many of the proposed changes line up well with what Sig Ep has already done to make its brotherhood more inclusive and safe. He pointed to the “Balanced Man” program that Sig Ep has had in place instead of pledging since 1991 as a model for safe and inclusive Greek spaces.
“We think Sig Ep is well-positioned to lead the campus,” he said.
He also noted that Sig Ep is already working on obtaining a female faculty advisor to go with its male faculty advisor, as per another part of Hanlon’s plan.
In his Thursday address, Hanlon also called upon Greek organizations to step up and to continue reforming and changing to reduce high-risk drinking, increase inclusivity and end sexual assault. He also hinted at an ultimatum, saying that the Greek system would have its existence reconsidered if it failed to change.
“The small minority of those who are screwing up are going to be shown the door, and people who really should be here will be,” Gerakaris said.
Adler said that he viewed Hanlon’s announcement as an attempt to hold individual organizations accountable, rather than an attempt to judge the entire Greek system by the actions of a few.
“If one or two cannot come up to a reasonable standard, I think strong consideration will be given to removing them from the Dartmouth family, but I don’t think that would automatically lead to the entire Greek community being closed down,” he said.
Gerakaris said that the Greek system has the potential to change at this time more than it has in the past, largely due to student involvement.
“I think Dartmouth is really on the upswing and it’s moving in a very positive direction, and that’s not to say that change is easy,” he said. “Change is always challenging.”
The move toward a residential house system for undergraduates, under which all students will be affiliated with one of six houses, will also impact Greek life, advisors said.
“One of the things that puts a lot of pressure on the fraternities is that ever since the D-Plan, the only place you could feel home, since you weren’t guaranteed to get back into your dorm, was the fraternities, so one of the reasons that they grew so much and took on so much power on campus in the ’70s and ’80s and all the way to today is that there was no competition from residential life,” Philpott said.
He added that if the Greek system could not keep up with the new sense of community created by the residential houses, it would “go out of business.”
Colla said that the residential housing changes could also take “a little bit of pressure off of the Greek system” and would also open up new spaces for those on the fence about joining a Greek house.
Overall, support for the changes was strong amongst alumni advisors. Many praised Hanlon’s work, and vowed continued support for the initiatives.
“I am impressed with Phil Hanlon,” Adler said. “I think he’s the right man at the right place at the right time, and I plan to support him.”
Numerous other alumni leaders of Greek organizations did not respond to requests seeking comment.
