Fraternity to go without alcohol

-- Kevin Dager, president of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, 234 E. Beaver Ave.

"At this point, we have no plans of going dry." Dagers said.

But Andrea Gaspardino, director of Greek and Community Life at the University, said if a chapter does not go dry, it cannot be affiliated with Phi Kappa Sigma.

"Every Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity in the United States or internationally, according to their press release, will be substance free by the year 2000," she said.

Dager said the University's chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma has not had any alcohol-related problems.

"If the national fraternity said that they would mandate dry houses, we would definitely appeal it," Dager said. "The reason that I think our national fraternity is discussing going dry is because . . . they view alcohol as a liability but if it is consumed in a responsible manner by people of legal age, I don't feel that we'll have any problems with it."

Gaspardino said the alcohol-free initiative national and international fraternities are taking is in response to two things: the fraternities' original intent and alcohol-related deaths.

People aren't always joining fraternities for the right reasons, Gaspardino said. When they were founded, fraternities were based on very specific ideals, not on alcohol.

"I think over the years we kind of lost a sense of these ideals," she said.

The second reason for the alcohol-free initiative is the high cost to insure fraternities, Gaspardino said.

"Fraternities have been plagued with alcohol-related deaths," she said. "I think it's a good initiative if, and I stress if, education is done properly."

"I think it's going to take a collaboration between IFC, the actual chapter and the actual national organization in order to enforce the new initiative," Gaspardino said.