A national fraternity group voted at a recent meeting to ban hard alcohol at houses and events, but will not change the current student alcohol policy implemented at OU fraternities and sororities.
The Associated Press reports:
“INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Most U.S. and Canadian fraternities have one year to ban vodka, tequila and other hard alcohol under a rule adopted during the recent annual meeting of their trade association, the group announced Tuesday.
In “a near-unanimous vote” on Aug. 27, the 66 international and national men’s fraternities of the North-American Interfraternity Conference adopted the rule prohibiting hard alcohol with more than 15 percent alcohol by volume from fraternity chapters and events unless served by licensed third-party vendors, the group said. The member fraternities have until Sept. 1, 2019, to implement the rule across their more than 6,100 chapters on 800 campuses.
The rule adoption follows the alcohol-related deaths last year of fraternity pledges at Louisiana State University and Penn State University.”
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Rhett Wallis, the current Interfraternity Council president, said the new policy will have little effect at OU.
“The new rule passed by the NIC aligns in many ways with the current student alcohol policy,” Wallis said. “Currently, the University of Oklahoma Student Alcohol Policy prevents fraternities and sororities of all 5 councils from having alcohol in their chapter facilities, but allows alcohol to be served by a third party vendor at chapter sponsored events for students over the age of 21 to enjoy. With the new rule initiated by the NIC, the biggest effect will be felt at the national levels for the respective fraternities.”
