USC sororities might soon contend with new rules for Greek life social events, according to a document circulated at sorority chapter meetings earlier this week.
Late Monday, The Daily Gamecock received a snapshot of the document, which outlines a number of proposed rules for future Greek life events. The document’s most notable proposal is a registration process for chapter events that must be completed 10 days in advance and comply with a number of restrictions.
The restrictions include a ban on the serving of alcoholic beverages other than beer or wine, a ban on the use of venues located in Five Points and provision of food and water to sorority members and their dates before and during functions.
Reilly Tuccinard, a third-year English and communications student and member of Phi Mu, confirmed chapter-by-chapter discussions of said policies in a Her Campus article posted early Monday morning.
According to Tuccinard, the proposals surfaced as a result of a “200 percent increase” in student hospitalizations for alcohol-related illness between Bid Day and the beginning of September from the same time period in 2015. An anonymous source separately provided confirmation of Tuccinard’s claim Tuesday morning.
Confusion about the status of this weekend’s Greek social events reigned Monday and Tuesday, prompting a statement by Sorority Council asserting the document’s tentative status early Wednesday.
The statement clarifies that the policies outlined in the proposal have not yet been passed and will be voted on at Monday’s Sorority Council meeting. Each chapter will have a single vote, and a two-thirds majority must vote in favor for the changes to be adopted.
In addition, a second statement jointly released Wednesday morning by Sorority Council and Fraternity Council outlines temporary regulations for tailgates held prior to Saturday’s football home opener:
“Each fraternity chapter, in order to be placed on a joint Fraternity Council/Sorority Council/Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life list of approved tailgates, must commit to implementing the following enhanced risk management practices:
• No liquor, beer, or wine shall be provided by any fraternity chapter or any representative thereof at any fraternity chapter tailgate this weekend.
• Those of the legal drinking age shall bring no more than 6 beers (for personal consumption) into the fraternity tailgate lots this weekend.
• One sober monitor for every 30 chapter members shall be submitted as part of the event registration process. These monitors are not to be exclusively new members.
• Fraternity Council has agreed to provide 15 cases of bottled water to each recognized fraternity at no cost.
• Each fraternity chapter shall agree to provide sufficient food for all those present at their individual tailgate location.
• Each fraternity chapter must, to the best of their ability, submit a complete and accurate guest list as part of the registration process
• Each fraternity chapter president shall confirm in writing his chapter’s commitment to fulfill these requirements."
A source has confirmed that Monday’s proposal will be grandfathered in. Thus, if individuals are found to have violated the still-tentative policies this weekend, they can be punished for those violations if the policies are authorized Monday.
The proposed changes come at a turbulent time for USC Greek life. Highly publicized pledging incidents such as the 2014 death of Clemson University freshman Tucker Hipps have fraternities and sororities under increased scrutiny nationwide.
USC’s fall 2015 rush was no relief: thirteen fraternities were suspended from recruitment last September for alcohol-related violations.
In June, The State reported that USC administrators entertained the idea of banning the Greek pledge system altogether. Though pledging ultimately stayed intact, USC President Harris Pastides said that the events of the fall 2016 rush would be closely regarded by university officials.
“We are extremely serious about seeing how the fall and this year go, and if it goes well, it’s going to be great,” Pastides told The State in August. “If not, I think we’ll take more significant action.”
In the text of Monday’s proposal, Sorority Council assured members that all rule changes were submitted to “promote healthy and safe environments” for the approximately 4,300 members of USC’s sorority system.
However, the reaction from Columbia’s Greek Village has not been entirely positive.
Admitting that the increase in alcohol-related injuries is significant, Tuccinard questions whether Sorority Council should be using its power to limit the capability of Greek Village’s sizable female population to tailgate.
“Yes, sororities are a great way to get involved, give back and make new friends, but is it really up to them to make decisions that adult women should be able to make on their own?” Tuccinard asks.
Other students resolved to take action against the new measures. On Tuesday afternoon, a petition titled “Help UofSC’s Sorority Council Reconsider Enforcing New Unfair Sanctions” appeared on Change.org. Brianna Wood, a third-year political science and business student and member of Delta Delta Delta, posted the petition in response to restrictions on this weekend’s tailgate events.
“We are told we can’t go to the Fraternity Lots to tailgate before the game this Saturday in hopes that when girls don’t show up, fraternities will agree to abide by the new rules USC wants to put in place,” Wood writes in the prelude to the petition. She proceeds to deem the proposed Sorority Council measures “completely irrational” and “sexist.”
“We are all adult women, old enough to make decisions for ourselves and I agree some of us don’t make the best decision all the time, but it’s not USC’s place to hold our hand,” Wood argues.
Sorority Council indirectly addressed Wood’s complaint that sorority members are prohibited from tailgating this weekend in their Wednesday statement, which announced that a list of approved tailgate events will be made available Friday afternoon.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Wood’s petition holds more than 4,000 signatures.