Open party ban should be lifted

With spring recruitment currently underway for Hopkins sororities and fraternities, it is time to reevaluate the progress that campus Greek life has experienced since its previous struggles with safety at parties. In November, the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) met to address a sexual assault that occurred at a fraternity-sponsored event. Although those involved in the incident had no affiliation with the University or its Greek life, the IFC, in consultation with University administrators, responded by unanimously voting to ban all open parties until the end of the fall semester.

The News-Letter endorsed this solution at the time and supported the IFC’s proactive approach to such a prevalent issue. Since that time, Hopkins Greek organizations have implemented the safety measures that were agreed upon at the meetings last fall with members of the administration and within their own institutions. With the beginning of the new semester, the Editorial Board believes that Hopkins Greek life should be credited for its measurable safety improvements and the ban on open parties should be lifted.

These new practices and training programs that current members have implemented include the presence of party monitors — sober individuals tasked with overseeing party occurrences — and an expansion of bystander intervention training to better prevent sexual assault. Already, the Greek life recruitment process demonstrates the commitment of sororities and fraternities to student safety through the “dry rush” policy. Banning all alcohol from the recruitment process benefits both current Greek life members and interested candidates as meaningful, supportive bonds are formed without the hindrance of intoxication. The deeply rooted values of Greek life, such as friendship and community, are maintained through the “dry rush” policy.

The Editorial Board also recognizes that if the ban remains in place, it promises to add continued strain to Hopkins social life. Without the option of open parties to attend, students who choose not to join a Greek organization risk being alienated from campus social life altogether.

Furthermore, from the beginning, this ban has solely targeted Greek Life; no party enforcement has been placed on athletic houses or clubs. This continues to create a discrepancy in the social atmosphere: Why should Greek organizations alone have to ban open parties and maintain a strict code of University-approved conduct? The hypocritical nature of the ban, coupled with a demonstrated effort to increase safety on the part of the fraternities, suggest that Greek organizations should be allowed to open themselves up once again to the general student body.

Since the ban has constricted Greek life throughout Intersession and now into the spring semester, the ban’s timetable seems indefinite, with no word from the University on plans to strictly define an endpoint. Originally promised to be temporary, this ban now runs the risk of becoming an inherent standard unless acted upon immediately. Greek life at Hopkins, at the very least, deserves a communicated, final deadline on this ban. The Editorial Board feels it is the University’s responsibility to recognize the changes implemented by fraternity and sorority members and to put an end to this now out-of-date ban.