Because non-greek students abuse fraternity houses, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) voted in late August to move toward all-greek social events, Roy Baker, director of fraternity and sorority life, said Friday.
"It's their property and people are damaging and abusing it," Baker said, adding the IFC wants to host fewer guest-list parties and more greek-only events.
"There's movement towards fraternities partying more with sororities than non-greeks because the risk is lower and there's less people the fraternities don't know in their houses," Baker said.
The door is "soon going to be shut" for students who choose not to join fraternities, Cory Will, co-executive vice president for membership, said. Fraternities are currently in the midst of their recruitment season, and the IFC is trying to make fraternity social life an incentive to join greek life, Will said.
"In the past, freshmen have had easy access to our houses and our social scene," Will said. "Recruitment is a chance to get a glimpse at what we do. ... If you want to be a part of our social life, you need to be a member. We want to use the resources we have for members."
People don't know or appreciate those living in the fraternity house or their property, Baker said, though he added there are many great students who choose not to be greek, and he would not encourage a policy that would completely ban independents from all greek events.
Baker said there are four types of parties fraternities can host: "brother-sister" functions; socials -- with one fraternity and one sorority; date parties -- in which each member can bring one guest, greek or non-greek; and guest list parties -- in which fraternity members put non-greek friends on a list so they will be allowed at the party.
Fraternities used to have more guest-list parties, Baker said.
Fraternities are required to schedule their parties for the weekend, and Baker said he's seen a decrease in the number of guest-list parties being scheduled because of the problems fraternities have experienced by hosting them.
An independent student doesn't have the right to attend greek parties, Baker said. He added it is not the greeks' obligation to provide the social scene, and for years, people have relied on it.
During the information sessions for recruitment held last week, Kelsey Gingrich, IFC president, said within a year fraternities will be holding more greek-oriented functions in an attempt to support one another, Baker said.
Gingrich did not return phone calls by press time yesterday.
When the IFC officers returned to school and had the first presidents' council, Gingrich proposed to move toward having all-greek events, Will said. The vote was unanimous because no one wants people in the houses causing trouble, he added.
The reason the IFC has taken steps to have less independents at their social events is because they don't add anything and have no respect for the houses, Will said.
"Independents don't realize we're paying for this stuff, we're hosting the event," he said. "We actually live at these houses, and we tend to respect the place we live."
Things get stolen that are valuable to the fraternities and non-greeks are getting in trouble with the police, Will said. The liability then falls on the fraternities, Will said.
