Everyone had a different reaction to the newsworthy ban of alcohol at all in-house events (read parties) of UCLA fraternities. But a brief summary of the events that sparked this sentence might bring clarity to the situation. The alcohol ban was passed after the arrest of Benjamin Orr, the former president of Theta Delta Chi in 2016 to 2017, on allegations of intent to rape and oral copulation.
It is unclear whether or not Orr was arrested at a frat party since the location is merely stated as the North Village Area. Orr is a recent alumni, so it can be argued that the incident has nothing to do with the current students of UCLA. Even though he just graduated, he was recently found at a party near campus and is still deeply associated with Greek life and the university. Noticeably, Theta Delta Chi’s Facebook page can no longer be found, probably after receiving many inquiries and hate comments.
Notably, the ban was unanimously passed and will be enforced by The Interfraternity Council (IFC), many of whose executive members are newly elected, and not by UCLA administration. How the IFC intends to enforce the ban is unknown, but in my opinion, they deserve a tip of the hat for passing this ban. It is a bold move, but an incredibly necessary one.
Sexual violence such as rape, sexual harassment and sexual assault, among other offenses, have become so commonplace on college campuses that it is rather disturbing. People simply take it as an inevitable side effect of drinking and partying, but this is not the right perspective. To be able to read the physical and verbal cues of giving or withholding consent is almost impossible while intoxicated, especially at the ripe age of 18. That is not to defend any offenders; however, I can understand how mistakes can happen. Maybe the election of Donald Trump as our nation’s president, a man who played off his lewd comments about women as “locker room talk” has begun to normalize sexual violence, but this alcohol ban is finally a step in the right direction.
Greek life has always been deeply ingrained into the college experience, and its existence is a tradition of many universities. However, Greek life has been receiving severe clout following the UC Santa Barbara shooting in 2014 that resulted in seven deaths, two of them girls from the Alpha Phi sorority. The shooter, Elliot Rodger, explicitly expressed in a video manifesto that he was seeking revenge for not being able to pick up girls, especially sorority girls.
Following that shooting, it is no wonder that Greek life is getting a bad reputation. An important note to remember is that sororities do not host parties, only fraternities do. Will frats even continue hosting in-house parties or events if alcohol is out of the question? After all, a point could be argued: what is the point of a party without alcohol? Partying at most college campuses, UCLA included, is deeply connected to Greek life, and it is difficult to imagine colleges without much of a party scene.
It is possible to get around the ban. The ban specifies in-house events, so a fraternity could simply host a party with alcohol at the house of a frat member not living in the frat house. That is not to give anyone any ideas, but it is a possibility. However, that would call into question the point of having the ban at all, as well as the integrity of the fraternity. Would a party like that even be considered a frat party, or just a party in general? Perhaps if a fraternity broke the alcohol ban, their membership within the IFC would be terminated. This is all speculation, but these are things to be considered.
Hopefully, all the fraternities will continue to host in-house events without alcohol, and all the participants will be able to read the cues of consent more accurately. This is the ideal situation and the whole point of the ban.
In the wake of the empowering L.A. Women’s March that took place just last Saturday, the frat alcohol ban comes into effect just at the right time. Female students, college being a time of self-discovery and growing up, deserve to no longer be afraid of gendered violence. The alcohol ban on fraternities is an empowering act in itself. It shows that the IFC cares enough about female students’ safety and assurance of mind to pass this ban. The ban is indefinite, and hopefully within the time the ban is enforced, fraternities all over will take notice and follow suit.
Photos courtesy of UCLA Her Campus, Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin and Women’s March LA Foundation