A bill proposed Jan. 30 in the Tennessee House of Representatives will, if passed, prohibit fraternities and sororities from operating on university campuses throughout the state.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. John DeBerry (D—Memphis), wants to cause change within the organizations by having a discussion about them.
“Why are hazing issues, drinking issues, sexual assault issues always connected to this particular group of organizations?” DeBerry said.
DeBerry intends to start a conversation about the recent incidents involving drugs, hazing and sexual assault in Greek organizations on campuses and hopes to cause change within them.
“There have been too many occasions, in my opinion, where the image and character of the institution is not being upheld,” DeBerry said. “The point is that if it is not a professional organization, what is the point of it being on the campus in the first place.”
The bill is coming on the heels of alleged hazing incidents that caused the University of Memphis to punish the local chapters of Alpha Tau Omega and Sigma Alpha Epsilon in previous reports by The Daily Helmsman. During the fall 2017 semester, The Helmsman reported two alleged incidents of sexual assault from two students associated with the same fraternity against the same victim.
A Louisiana State University student died on Sept. 13 after a drinking game with a blood alcohol content of .495, which is six times over the legal driving limit in Louisiana. Another student at Florida State University died of alcohol poisoning at a pledge party on Nov. 3, leading the university to temporarily ban all Greek activity on campus.
Associate Dean of Student Leadership and Involvement Sally Parish, along with the fraternity and sorority leaders, opposes this bill.
“The proposed legislation gives no reason or rationale for removing this community of over 1,000 active and engaged students at the University of Memphis and gives zero indication of why this removal would provide a positive experience for our students,” Parish said.
Parish sees Greek organizations as important leadership initiatives and thinks they should be allowed to stay on campus.
“Our fraternity and sorority community at the U of M is comprised of outstanding leaders who not only contribute thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to worthy local and national causes,” Parish said. “They also maintain an cumulative community GPA higher than the average U of M student.”
Joining a fraternity or sorority can be a “significant distraction from coursework” for both male and female students in different ways, according to a study conducted with students from Duke University.
“For male students, the burden falls primary on new members who are being educated,” the study said. “For female students, senior members who are in charge of recruiting and educating new members are more affected.”
U of M Panhellenic President Katie Cox is not surprised by the bill.
“There has been a negative stigma towards Greek life for quite some time now,” Cox said. “However, our Greek council leaders immediately felt empowered to speak up and reach out to state representatives.”
Cox thinks the Greek organizations have already made strides in sexual assault and hazing awareness.
“At the end of the fall 2017 semester, we held a completely mandatory seminar in regards to hazing and sexual assault issues on our campus,” Cox said. “Without 100 percent attendance, a chapter would be left in ‘bad standing’ with the university. We take these issues extremely seriously and intend to continuously educate on the topic within our community.”
