Policy change brings unexpected benefits

At the University of Alabama, the transition to a substance-free facility was no simple undertaking. At first, the two-fold challenge of convincing our members to commit to the transition and battling a campus culture notoriously centered around alcohol seemed impossible to overcome. However, by tackling this daunting task head on, our chapter has been presented with more opportunities for success than ever before.

By shifting social events to off-campus venues and doubling down on the events hosted at the chapter house that focus on member development, philanthropy, community service, alumni engagement, education, etc., the purpose of the chapter house was immediately redefined. Along with this change came the positive attention of campus administration, university police, previously unengaged alumni and, possibly most importantly, the rest of our Greek community.

The truth is that being different is not and will never be easy, but I encourage all brothers to take on this challenge. Remember, brothers, that you have support from Headquarters, your university, your alumni and your undergraduate brothers at other chapters. I strongly encourage every chapter to embrace the change and help us continue leading the Greek community in the right direction.

Matt Sink, Alabama ’21
Alabama Beta chapter president

Events at off-campus venues worth the cost

At first, our chapter thought the substance-free facility would be a difficult roadblock for our social events, but after doing some research, we found new locations for these events. Our chapter now rents venues to host events and have found it to be safe and fun for our brothers and their guests. Even though this costs more than using our chapter house, the liability that the chapter incurs decreases significantly, since there’s a third party in charge of serving any alcohol.

Our chapter is also starting to take advantage of the six AVC-sponsored events at the house allowed under the policy. These enable undergrads to meet and network with alumni, and a licensed bartender serves any alcohol, again reducing liability. Between the AVC events and renting out space, we’ve been able to continue hosting successful events for our brothers.

Alex Voege, Nevada-Reno ’20
Former Nevada Alpha chapter president