As you have probably heard by now, Penn State announced this past Thursday that it would place new sanctions on the fraternity and sorority communities. Following the tragic death of a student at Beta Theta Pi earlier this semester, Penn State began an in-depth investigation into not only what happened at Beta Theta Pi, but a reexamination of the Greek system as a whole. As a result of its investigation, Penn State revealed its decision to permanently ban Beta Theta Pi, even after the fraternity had been suspended by both Penn State and its national organization.
In addition to its ban on the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Penn State also announced major sanctions against the rest of the Greek community, citing “serious alcohol abuse, hazing, and the use and sale of illicit drugs.” Most of these sanctions include limitations on the social functions fraternities can host. For example, fraternities now can only host a maximum of 10 parties with alcohol, and they are only allowed to serve beer and wine. Furthermore, “daylong” parties have been banned, and more surveillance will be put into place to prevent underage drinking. However, probably the biggest sanction Penn State placed was cancelling fraternity and sorority rush during the fall 2017 semester.
Personally, I have very mixed opinions about Greek life and the recent Penn State sanctions. Firstly, I would like to share my sympathies with the Piazza family—what happened to their son is heartbreaking and no parent should ever have to bury their child. Second, I think these sanctions send a very implicit message to members of the Greek community. In a way, by lumping all members of Greek life together, Penn State has reduced many of the positive benefits that fraternities and sororities confer. Although I am not a part of a fraternity, some of my friends are, and they always tell me about the many wonderful philanthropic and volunteer activities they take part in as a fraternity chapter. In addition, while some Greek members are reckless and do promote dangerous activities, I believe the majority are good people who joined Greek life for positive reasons, like building friendships and a larger network.
Ultimately, however, I think establishing these sanctions was an important and a first step in the right direction for Penn State. We have all heard stories of the crazy and unthinkable activities that sometimes occur at fraternities, and we have all received alerts about sexual assaults that were reported at fraternities. Moreover, infamous incidents such as the one involving Kappa Delta Rho a few years ago bring negative attention to Penn State and its students. While some of the recent sanctions may be a bit drastic and reactionary, I believe Penn State had the right intentions of protecting its students. Only by continually evaluating both the merits and pitfalls of Greek life can the perfect solution be reached.
I think it would be really interesting to talk to President Barron about these sanctions, and to see what his personal feelings are about the decision Penn State has made.
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