Since the fall, fraternities that reside on campus have been under close observation from their respective house directors, who have been visiting unannounced on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The goal, Greek life officials say, is to halt any drinking games and underage drinking, as well as keep an eye out for hazing, an action that violates Emory's conduct code and Georgia state law.
We at the Wheel recognize the importance of addressing these issues but feel that this process is not the most effective means of doing so. It takes more than a weekly inspection to change the actions of such a large group of people. By instituting such a policy, Emory is only pushing the activities that they want to eliminate elsewhere.
A student or member of a fraternity who wished to visit a fraternity on a weekend night might instead be encouraged to travel somewhere off campus, increasing the possibility of drunk driving and moving students farther away from the residence halls that would normally be just a quick walk away.
The policy also creates an unsafe space inside a location where people live and call home. Additionally, fraternity members who want to engage in drinking or other illegal activities now know that the weekends are off limits. Instead of stopping, they will most likely participate in these activities on weekdays or off campus.
It is difficult to say exactly what an alternative solution might be. Again, we do agree that underage drinking and hazing are issues that a university like Emory should work to address, as both of these actions violate laws and have possibly dangerous consequences. But this process simply does not seem to be the best solution.
The above staff editorials represent the majority opinion of the Wheel.
