While Dartmouth Greek organizations are enduring pressure from the College administration to improve their standards, Yale University's fraternities are under the gun from a different source -- the city of New Haven.
City officials and Yale police have been attempting to enforce zoning codes from the "New Haven Livable City Initiative" to cut down on binge and underage drinking in Yale's fraternities, but little effect of the movement is being seen.
Yale's Zeta Psi fraternity, an off-campus house, was considered in the most danger of being evicted -- a letter from the city to Zeta Psi gave the fraternity 10 days to cease and desist from "fraternity business and/or activities" on the property, according to the Yale Daily News.
This is of particular concern to all Greek houses at Yale because all are off-campus and, therefore, not regulated by the university. Until recently, they have not had strict regulation of any sort by the city either.
Yale's Deputy Director of Public Affairs Thomas Conroy told The Dartmouth that one of the main issues from the city's perspective is the alcohol laws that do not allow an organization without a liquor license to have parties at which there is a fee charged for alcohol.
Yet, after its lawyer filed several appeals on the fraternity's behalf, Zeta Psi received a permit from the New Haven Board of Zoning Appeals to continue as a fraternity. Fraternity members also had letters from businesses within the locale sent to the city in protest of the eviction.
In the compromise, the fraternity agreed to register as an undergraduate organization with the campus police. However, Zeta Psi did not have to agree to waive admission charges for alcoholic events nor allow police access to the fraternity house during parties.
An anonymous Zeta Psi member told the Daily, "It didn't do anything at all. It's just a way for the police to infringe on our rights."
Also according to the Daily, Livable City Initiative officials admitted to hoping for stronger restrictions on Zeta Psi, but that a message had been sent regardless.
LCI Executive Director Henry Fernandez said he hopes that the fraternity will be inspired to follow New Haven's alcohol laws which he says it has violated in the past.
This situation is in stark contrast to Dartmouth's handling of Greek organizations. Though some are registered as undergraduate organizations, Yale's Greeks are "for all intensive purposes not affiliated with the university," Conroy said.
Another Yale fraternity, Beta Theta Phi, will go to the Board of Appeals in two weeks with a similar permit application.
Fernandez and LCI Code Enforcement Supervisor Rafael Ramos told the Daily News that LCI could be more successful with Beta because in 1997 Beta agreed in the permit process to commit to several stipulations including helping neighborhood clean-up and limiting parties with over 25 people to twice a semester. Ramos said the fraternity has not complied with some of these stipulations.
City and police officials said the attempts by Yale and New Haven officials to limit the alcohol consumption at fraternities was prompted by fraternities' continuous breaches of housing and drinking laws and an unwillingness to comply with police warnings.
LCI, the New Haven and the Yale police departments and the state liquor commission have been working together in this effort to reduce alcohol use at parties and to hold fraternities liable for alcohol-related problems.
The four groups came up with a three-step process to confront problems with the fraternities. Becoming properly zoned and obtaining city permits to operate, meeting with city officials to learn their expectations, and being monitored by the police to enforce these expectations are all involved in the process.
"The frats believe the city of New Haven's laws don't apply to them," Fernandez told the Daily News. "These are off-campus buildings, and the city will enforce its laws."
Yale students that spoke with The Dartmouth said although the fraternities are not central to the social scene, they definitely draw crowds, though often primarily affiliated with sports teams. Parties at Yale often are organized by the individual college clusters and other student organizations. Students also frequent bars, restaurants and clubs in New Haven.
