Hillsdale College’s Delta Sigma Phi fraternity may get its house back this fall. If they do, the house will be dry.
“Now, we are just trying to make sure that we are complying with the national and Hillsdale standards when it comes to the drinking policy,” DSP chapter president senior Joe Snyder said. “Having a house will just make every aspect of the fraternity better.”
DSP is one of four fraternities on campus that abides by different regulations regarding alcohol use. Each fraternity operates under its own individual alcohol policy, which depends on factors such as academic merit and national fraternity policy.
Each policy, however, resides under the umbrella of the dean’s office campuswide alcohol policy, as listed in the student handbook.
In DSP’s case, dry houses are a nationwide policy for the fraternity, which was instituted in the past several years.
Of the three current college fraternity houses, only Sigma Chi has housealcohol privileges, although no liquor is allowed in their house. The other two fraternities, Alpha Tau Omega and Delta Tau Delta, once had wet houses but no longer do for disciplinary reasons.
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said the alcohol policy in fraternities depends on four factors: the behavior of the members of the fraternity, the college policy, the fraternity’s national board, and the local alumni association.
Within each house there are designated officers that are elected by the fraternity to maintain the standards of the chapter.
Petersen said that the main difference between residence halls and fraternity houses is the fraternities’ privilege to establish their own rules within the boundaries of the school and national
fraternity policies.
“It really is an experiment in selfgovernment,” Petersen said.
Through these students, the dean, and local news reports, the national fraternity is able to keep tabs on the campus chapters. Periodically, a representative will come to check in on the fraternity.
Petersen said that if a singular issue of alcohol violation arises, the school and the local alumni board typically come up with the punishment. However, if the issue is reoccurring, the national fraternity may step in.
“It is supposed to be left to the fraternities to selfgovern,” Snyder said, “but obviously, if there is a problem, then the college is supposed to come in.”
Consequences from the dean can range anywhere from temporary renunciations of alcohol privileges to the loss of the house. If the national fraternity chooses to act, consequences can include the revocation of the chapter from the campus.
After its rechartering in 2009 and moving into a house in 2013, Delta Tau Delta fraternity is a dry fraternity but Chapter President junior Rossteen Salehzadeh said the fraternity is looking into petitioning the dean in order to have alcohol at requested events.
“The actions from the past have definitely help shaped our attitudes in the house now as to what we can and can’t allow,” Salehzadeh said.
Alpha Tau Omega Chapter President Dan Vandegriff said he cannot account for all the details of the actions that made ATO a dry house a couple years ago, but he said the hard work of the current fraternity to regain its privileges is notable.
“That was a different time, and a different chapter than we have now,” Vandegriff said in an email. “What I can tell you is that, by completing a list of goals given to us by the dean, which included the winning our first True Merit Award from ATO National Fraternity in our chapter’s history last summer, we were able to gain the privilege of throwing parties in our annex.”
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said Sigma Chi fraternity is now allowed to have alcohol back within the house, despite some problems earlier in the semester.
“My experience is that the leadership within the fraternities is willing and able to partner with my office to resolve problems,” Petersen said.
However, many times, the prevention of and consequences for irresponsible drinking are handled within the fraternity by the elected student leadership rather than the administration boards of the fraternity.
“We educate both actives and new members about the alcohol policy. That way, there is no confusion,” Vandegriff said in an email. “In the event someone would break the drinking policy, we have our own internal disciplinary system to deal with it and would fully comply with the dean’s office.”
In addition to educating members, the fraternities also set down consequences for behavior that breaks their policies.
For example, Salehzadeh said DTD has an established, threestep process of dealing with alcohol mismanagement. At the first and second offense, a fraternity member might receive community service, the revocation of certain privileges, and the completion of the “Delts talk about alcohol” program, a national program.
The last offense results in the loss of all membership privileges and, as a last resort, expulsion
from the fraternity.
“Our alcohol policy is something that we want to be upfront about, because we do take it very seriously,” Salehzadeh said. “We are just working with what we have been given.”
