FIJI plans to ban alcohol by 2000

The alcohol-related death of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology first-year student Monday, who was pledging Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, is casting ramifications on many college campuses.

Yesterday, the national chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, popularly known as FIJI, said it plans to ban alcohol from all of its 125 chapters by July 1, 2000.

Hoping to clean up its image, the national chapter is stressing education, moderation and alcohol-free behavior.

"Alcohol leads to a litany of social ills, such as date rape, and needs to be done in moderation," said Douglas Dittrick, president of FIJI's national governing board. "We want to make a climate that can reduce this."

Although FIJI administrators say they intend to ban alcohol from local chapters, fraternity members at the University say the ban may not work effectively.

"I'm of two minds," said Jeff Hurlbert, president of the University's FIJI chapter. "Anything that (curbs) underage drinking is good. It's against the law, but it's unrealistic for one fraternity do this unless all of the others do it. College is about experimenting with new things."

A member of Phi Delta Theta, one of two other campus fraternities that plan to ban alcohol by July 2000, said drinking in fraternities is natural.

"There's absolutely nothing you can do about it," said LSA senior Jeff Goldberg, a member of Phi Delta Theta. "If you put 26 guys in a house together, they're going to booze."

Ken Tanner, president of the Interfraternity Council, said banning alcohol won't lead to responsible drinking.

"It's a policy that a lot of fraternities are introducing," Tanner said. "By banning the alcohol, they aren't addressing issues of responsible drinking, they're trying to eliminate (drinking), which is unrealistic."

In one month's time, two 18-year-old students have died as a result of alcohol poisoning at fraternity houses nationwide. The first came in late August at the Louisiana State University campus and the second occurred on Monday at MIT.

"The death (at MIT) should compel all students to look at how they use and deal with alcohol," said Bill Martin, executive director of FIJI's national chapter. "It should compel fraternities and sororities to see the kind of behavior they allow, condone and encourage. They should remain in control of themselves, rather than being in positions where alcohol is controlling them."

Buzz Portnoi, a Phi Delta Theta member, refuted Martin's claim that more control is needed. He said that fraternities exist as a way to supervise underage drinking that inevitably occurs.

"We give supervision so that less trouble occurs," Portnoi said. "Underage people drink, whether or not an authority says it's okay. We act as an authority. If I were a betting man, I'd say that if there's a frat, there's bound to be a keg somewhere."

FIJI, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu are all working to remove alcohol from their fraternity houses. Earlier this year, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu set the year 2000 as a deadline for their non-alcoholic policy, which FIJI hopes to achieve as well.

The national chapter plans to work with the Betty Ford Clinic to educate its alumni who will in turn advise undergraduates about the dangers of alcohol.

"We hope to begin the educational process now," Dittrick said. "It's not easy. We think that there's room for a fraternity not revolving around alcohol. We want to create a climate where alcohol isn't the No. 1 reason for social relationships. ... We hope to recruit a new class for the year 2000. What we want is to overturn the membership and what we stand for."

But Hurlbert says the motivation for changing alcohol policy comes from a fear of lawsuits more than anything else.

"There will be a shift of power," Hurlbert said. "It comes down to the fact that when something like this (MIT death) happens, lawsuits are out of hand. They're limiting their liability. They can push the liability off of themselves by doing this."

As one of the older fraternities, now approaching its 150th anniversary, FIJI has more than 100,000 alumni, including astronauts, vice presidents, senators and golfer Jack Nicklaus.

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