EAST LANSING — An organization representing 29 fraternities with a total membership of about 2,500 Michigan State University students has decided to take a hard stance on hard alcohol.
The Interfraternity Council at Michigan State University’s members decided unanimously this week to ban all drinks at its chapter facilities and chapter events that are above 15% alcohol by volume, except when served by licensed third-party vendors.
A letter from council members explaining the ban was posted Friday on the Michigan State University Fraternity and Sorority Life’s Facebook page. It describes the measure as a proactive effort to “limit high-risk behavior on campus and in our community.”
Trevor Coval, council president, told the State Journal on Friday afternoon the ban took effect Wednesday and does not apply to sororities because they are already prohibited to have any type of alcohol in facilities.
“It shows were able to change ourselves before someone has to do it for us,” Coval said of the ban.
The interfraternity council’s decision falls in line with an Aug. 27 move made by member fraternities of the North American Interfraternity Council to eliminate hard alcohol in facilities of over 6,100 charters on 800 campuses nationwide by Sept. 1, 2019.
Coval said Friday afternoon that members of MSU’s interfraternity council will lead an effort to enforce the ban that includes routine checks of residences.
Fraternities that don’t comply with the ban could be fined, banned from hosting social events and could face further discipline from the council’s national headquarters, Coval said.
