Commission proposals call for live-in advisers

For nearly three years, the Campus-Community Commission on Alcohol has been working to resolve issues regarding alcohol in the IU community. Among the organizations most affected by the commission\'s proposals are the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association.\nWhile many of the proposals made by the commission have already been incorporated into the policy of the IFC and PHA, the organizations are continuing their efforts to work with the commission on proposals that are still unresolved, including measures calling for live-in advisers in all houses and others designed to curb underage drinking.\n"The hope would be to reduce the emphasis on alcohol, make stronger organizations, and avoid the problems that we\'ve had in the past," Dean of Students Richard McKaig said.\nThe PHA has met one of the proposed standards by supporting the Panhellenic national policy on alcohol-free activities, which states that chapters will only co-sponsor functions that are held at alcohol-free facilities.\nPHA Vice President of Risk Management Lauren Jones, a sophomore, said in the past, chapters have not been held accountable for such violations.\nSome proposals made by the commission are still being discussed. Among these is a measure calling to prohibit the co-promotion of alcohol and greek life. This includes eliminating t-shirts for Little 500 and other events that incorporate beer or liquor logos and the name of a fraternity or sorority in the design.\nDespite the confluence of such designs in greek apparel catalogs, IFC President Colin Godecke, a senior, is confident that the proposal is a positive step forward.\nWhile sororities already have live-in house supervisors, one proposal calls for fraternities to also adopt live-in advisors. Godecke said that if properly implemented, such a system would benefit any house.\n"Graduate advisors are not baby sitters or RAs, but a great resource for a chapter to use. It helps when there is someone to go to for information," Godecke said.\nOne item the IFC will be working to change is the Bloomington Faculty Council Student Affairs Committee's proposition that would defer fall recruitment for fraternities. Under the proposition, rush would only occur during spring semester for freshmen.\nGodecke disagrees with the proposition, and said freshmen who pledge fraternities during their first semester tend to have higher retention rates, grade point averages and involvement on campus than those who do not. \nMcKaig said the original set of proposals was distributed to the offices of all involved parties in May 2000. Feedback was received from these proposals, which were updated and released one year later, in May 2001. \n"The (current) proposals are still subject to conversation and recommendation," McKaig said.\nAmong the proposals that have become standard practice is the inclusion of alcohol awareness programs in new member education. \nEvery chapter is required to include "Train for Intervention Procedures" as a part of their new member education program. TIPS teaches new members how to spot someone who has been abusing alcohol and how they can work to prevent such behavior.