Fraternities and alcohol: a sordid relationship

Members of the Phi Iota Alpha fraternity stand together at their tailgate tent before the game against Texas-San Antonio on Sept. 21, 2019. Image by Jordan Collard

Adaberto Perez, engineering junior and and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity member, sets up his fraternity's tailgate tent before the game against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 19, 2019. Photo by Jordan Collard

Members of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity bring their letters to the hill before the game against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 19, 2019. Image by Jordan Collard

A freshman pledge from the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity, a christian fraternity, drinks a sprite at their tailgate tent before the game against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 19, 2019. Image by Jordan Collard

Diego Enriquez, member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, drinks out of a skull-shaped beer bong at tailgate before the game against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 19, 2019. Image by Jordan Collard

Kieler Isham, senior Alpha Tau Omega fraternity member, prepares to drink beer from a Bumble-provided helmet at the ATO tailgate tent on Oct. 19, 2019. Image by Jordan Collard

Students carry beer to tailgate before the OCt. 19, 2019 football game against Middle Tennessee. Image by Jordan Collard

A student flips burgers at the Kappa Sigma fraternity tailgate on Oct. 19, 2019. Image by Jordan Collard

In most media, fraternities and the Greek system are most always associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse, evident by many movies including “Neighbors,” “Revenge of the Nerds,” and the notorious National Lampoon’s “Animal House.” At UNT, when fraternities are suspended or kicked off campus, alcohol is likely involved in some capacity — whether it be alcohol-related hazing, underage drinking or sexual misconduct, alcohol is the common denominator.

According to the North Texas Daily, in 2013, the dean of students office instituted an all-encompassing alcohol ban for all Greek-related events following a party at the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity house at which a student fell over a staircase railing and was hospitalized due to his injuries. The ban lasted for seven months, and it ended when a task force of Greek life members forged a proposal to serve as a suitable replacement for the ban.

Zach Shirley, the director of fraternities and sororities at UNT, noticed over his time at various Greek systems across the country that alcohol was always a problem at the schools he worked at.

“I have noticed that alcohol, and the overconsumption of alcohol, is a system-wide problem regardless of institution,” Shirley said. “I was most recently at Indiana University, a Big 10 institution, and a lot of the research that we did within the Big 10 found that alcohol played a major part in a lot of the problems that our students had. Whether they were fraternity or sorority students or not, it was magnified with fraternity members especially. I don’t think it’s a UNT-only problem, I think that it is a problem that is systemic across the nation.”

“I have noticed that alcohol, and the overconsumption of alcohol, is a system-wide problem regardless of institution. ”

— Zach Shirley, Director of Fraternities and Sororities at UNT

Other schools in Texas face difference challenges based on geography and accessibility to alcohol. Zach Cottam, a former UNT fraternity president and A&M Commerce transfer student, said that access to alcohol is different at in Denton than in Commerce.

“Denton has many more sources of alcohol,” Cottam said in an email. “Not only is Fry street right off of campus, but there are major chain liquor stores and more than two grocery stores to buy beer from. In Commerce, there were three bars and they were all a five-minute drive from campus. However, Commerce bars set their age limit at 18, so getting in and finding ways to purchase alcohol was much easier.”

Fraternities and the Interfraternity Council at UNT have attempted to limit alcohol abuse at UNT. Members of the religious fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) don’t drink alcohol at their tailgate tents before football games, and Kappa Sigma’s national chapter has implemented a percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) limit at all the parties at their houses.

Hunter Coey, Interfraternity Council president and Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity brother, said that policies are already in place to limit alcohol abuse, but sometimes all they can do is hope for the best when the culture changes with every new pledge class.

“Every single semester you’re gaining a whole new group of students into all Greek organizations, so the culture actually changes at least every year if not every semester,” Coey said. “After chapters get kicked off campus, other chapters stand up and they grow and help set a standard for everyone. When it comes to alcohol, at least this semester it seems that everyone is doing better, or at least they’re hiding it better.”

Shirley said given the ever-changing culture and demographic of Greek life, there’s no perfect way for Greek systems to exist, but when administrators and advisors keep the students best interests in mind, they help change that culture in a positive way.

“When the people we have in leadership want to have a better Greek system across the nation while wanting to address behaviors, hold people accountable, educate our students and recognize the things we need to do as administrators, we help try to move the needle of fraternity and sorority life toward a more positive direction,” Shirley said.

For more quotes from Zach Shirley and Hunter Coey, listen to my podcast where I go deeper into a few details from this story: