In embracing the concept of brotherhood by accepting responsibility for partygoers, MSU’s Interfraternity Council, or IFC, practices the values held by each MSU fraternity.
The accountability system put into place by the IFC, after the untimely passing of a fraternity brother in 2009, was a great step to take. The council stepped up and took on accountability for further parties.
Although the recent party at Theta Chi, 453 Abbot Road, on Oct. 27 — where partygoers were too drunk to exit the fraternity while fire alarms went off — wasn’t registered with the IFC, it is a less drastic reminder of why these policies are in place.
It probably would be easier for the IFC to just bring in someone to speak to its members about the dangers of excessive partying and the problems overconsumption of alcohol can cause. That has a place, but instead the council went with a more concrete and impactful solution.
Now, MSU fraternities are required to register their parties with the IFC before they throw them. And before every party registered with the IFC, councilmembers examine the fraternity for working fire alarms, glass bottles — which are not allowed — and to ensure the presence of sober brothers to monitor the party.
Fraternities who don’t have those things in place get fined upwards of $250.
The council is not instructing fraternities to not throw parties; it encourages a balance between having fun and experiencing the college life and being safe while doing it.
College students are old enough and mature enough to be able to police themselves; the IFC provides an effective example of that.
The number of reported assaults at IFC fraternities went from 11 in 2009 to four in 2010 — when these policies were put into place.
Having the current council leaders take a stand against the problem of excessive partying also sets an example for the younger generation of fraternity members.
There is a lot of turnover when it comes to the leaders of the IFC, as with any college organization, because students graduate all the time. Enforcing this policy ensures when the current leadership graduates, the IFC still will have a standard they can apply to future generations.
It’s difficult to prevent or legislate against irresponsible actions at a party. Ultimately, whether or not an individual does something irresponsible is up to the individual. However, by creating an environment that attempts to limit the poor decisions that fraternity members can make, the IFC does a good job of preventing anything truly tragic from happening.
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