Students entering co-sponsored Greek events like tails will be greeted by one person from each house at the door, if a policy being developed by the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council is adopted.
The proposal, which is currently in its formative stages, would promote “universal responsibility” for campus safety and Greek events, Panhell vice president for public relations Allison Chou ’17 said.
“Basically, when hosting an event, the organization who is physically hosting it should not have to assume all of the door duty responsibility,” Chou said.
In a statement jointly released by Panhell president Jordyn Turner ’16 and IFC president Chase Gilmore ’16, the two organizations announced their intention to assemble a committee to draft an official version of the proposal which can be submitted to the Greek Leadership Council for approval before the end of the term.
The first iteration of the joint door duty policy was implemented over this past summer as a pilot program, Chou said. The proposal will aim to create a system “basically identical” to the one that existed over last summer and begin its implementation in the coming terms.
“The pilot program did run this past summer, and that was agreed upon by all the Greek presidents, and it was received with very positive feedback,” Chou said. “It was said to be really a productive policy and we’re hoping to build on that positive feedback.”
The goal of the policy is to promote safety and a broader Greek vision for inclusivity, GLC accountability chair Taylor Watson ’16 said. The Greek system, he said, is moving toward a social system more similar to those of small liberal arts colleges. At those schools, “social spaces are more like living rooms managed by stewards rather than a private fraternity house run by reckless fraternity members,” Watson said.
“We’re sort of at an in-between right now where obviously the old system was dangerous, unsustainable and exclusive, and we’re not quite at that future thing where it’s very inclusive, very safe and makes sense,” he said. “This is something that gets us in the direction.”
Watson said that while the policy will likely only call for co-hosting groups to provide members to conduct door duties, it is likely that this will result in one male individual and one female individual performing those duties on a given night.
Watson said that if an intoxicated pair — for instance, a fraternity brother and a sister at a co-hosting sorority for an event — were to leave together, he would be less likely to stop the pair, whereas a sister of the same sorority might intervene more easily with her friend.
“I’m less likely to approach my brother and way less likely to approach her, [the sorority member],” he said. “If you have a balance of genders on door duties, you have a balance of people who can intervene.”
Beta Alpha Omega fraternity president Joseph Geller ’16 echoed Watson’s sentiment.
Geller said that the changes to door duty are meant in part to address the idea that a male student may be less likely to intervene when he sees an intoxicated female student leaving with another male. Geller added that he personally would intervene.
Geller also expressed concern that it would be challenging to get students who had signed up for the door duties to show up to their duty.
“I’m not sure that 100 percent of the time you would get everybody who was supposed to be there,” Geller said.
Geller said that members may be reticent to attend to their door duties at events that do not take place at their organization’s physical plant. Watson said, however, that consequences could theoretically be put in place for non-compliant door duty participants.
“How each house handles it is sort of up to them in terms of what they have at their disposal as a penalty,” he said.
Watson, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, said that his fraternity fines members who do not participate in duties to which they commit. He said he is aware of other organizations that remove social privileges for members who do not comply with house duties.
National sororities have less experience with door duties because they host fewer events at their physical plants, Watson said, which could present a challenge in implementing the policy. The new policy, however, could also encourage the completion of door duties, Watson said. Coed door duties can make door duties more fun and create a different dynamic, he said.
Chi Heorot fraternity president Adam Charnin-Aker '16 wrote in an email that he is in full support of the potential door policy, but added that the fraternity has also seen success using outside security services to oversee its parties.
"Though this requires additional costs to the fraternity, I believe it is well worth it to have experienced professionals at our doors should we need them," Charnin-Aker wrote.
Geller said that the only major barrier he can imagine to the policy is attendance.
“I’m skeptical as to whether or not it’s possible,” he said.
Ultimately, the policy is expected to promote safety in Greek organizations, Watson said.
“This is a really good example of something that’s a small thing that pushes the Greek system in a good direction,” Watson said.
The presidents of Sigma Delta sorority and Sigma Phi Epsilon and Theta Delta Chi fraternities declined to comment, and presidents of other Greek organizations did not return requests seeking comment.
Correction appended (April 27, 2015):A previous version of this article stated that Geller said, "If a girl sees a girl leaving with a guy, and she is intoxicated, then a girl on door duty would stop it and a guy wouldn't."
This quotation was taken out of context. Geller said that the changes to door duty are meant in part to address the idea that a male student may be less likely to intervene when he sees an intoxicated female student leaving with another male. Geller added that he personally would intervene. The Dartmouth regrets this error.
