The Brown & White

Four years ago, Theta Delta Chi fraternity (TDX) was kicked off campus after an intoxicated female was reportedly hidden from police because members of the fraternity feared the trouble that would result from admitting they had a party and served alcohol to minors.

After TDX was dissolved, the culture of the university did not change an ounce. Drinking continued. Unregistered parties remained. Within two years, the university's "party ranking" hit No. 3 in the country. Students were proud; administrators were mortified.

We basked in the glory, loving every second of the party status. But the administration wasn't happy and as a result, Lehigh changed socially. The administration, and naturally the university police force, worked hard to send our party ranking down, fast.

This year, during the first few weekends of the fall semester (before the official opening of the Hill), off-campus resembled a party-war zone; red and blue lights flared, solo cups flew everywhere and police cars could be seen speeding the opposite way on one-way streets to break up house parties.

When the Hill finally opened, fraternity parties were broken up more quickly than bad relationships, and chapters were put on social probation by the handful. The administration validated these actions by using terms such as "risk management," claiming fraternities need to improve how they handle situations.

Although risk management should involve things such as monitoring the serving of alcohol and making sure everyone is safe, the meaning has transformed (literally at the recommendation of the administrators) to making sure the police do not interfere with a party and avoiding any trouble.

As a direct result of how the administration deals with fraternities, parties and alcohol drinking continued behind closed doors, only increasing the risk of a dangerous alcohol-related incidents.

That brings us to this semester, when Beta Theta Pi fraternity was kicked off campus after a pledge blew a .505 BAC. Had the fraternity members not feared the potential of such serious trouble with police and the administration, perhaps the student would have been safely transported to a hospital earlier, before he reached the point where he was unresponsive and needed help breathing.

The intensity of the police force and how it acts toward both individuals and organizations on campus has led to a culture and standard train of thought within the Greek community that strongly fears police intervention.

As long as there are fraternities on the Hill, there will be competition for new members. As long as there is competition, there is potential for alcohol distribution among minors. Scaring the fraternities into forcing their alcohol consumption behind not only closed, but pad-locked, sound-proof doors will not change the culture of the university; it will only present the potential for a dangerous situation.

Ideally, campus police could exist to help a student who drank too much, and to transport him or her to the hospital so they can be safe. Without trust between the student body and the administration, this will never be the case. And this trust will not exist as long as the administration's agenda focuses on punishing and getting rid of fraternities.

The administration needs to learn how to deal with fraternities appropriately, like a parent would with a misbehaving child. Through appropriate disciplinary measures, a child can change their bad ways. As history tells us, dissolving fraternities does not change culture; it simply demands the culture be further hidden from the administration and police.

If the fraternities and the administration work together and trust each other, it is possible to create a safer environment in which the campus police exist to monitor (and increase) safety without forcing an atmosphere of fear throughout the Hill.

I was driving up the Hill recently when a police vehicle pulled up behind me. The cop turned off his headlights and got into the oncoming traffic lane, sped around me and disappeared into the distance - the type of move only the Batmobile can pull off with ease. I was shocked by the cop's actions until I saw his car sitting in a fraternity parking lot, breaking up a party.

As a university, we don't need an administration who thinks its superhuman duty is to crash parties and dish out probations like Chris Paul does assists. What we need is an administration that demands its police force create a safe environment for students without unnecessary intrusions, so the word "cop" isn't associated with "party Nazi."

Adam Figman is a sophomore journalism major. He is the sports editor for The Brown and White.