Summit seeks to educate fraternities, sororities on alcohol dangers

Encouraging fraternities and sororities to be safe and responsible with alcohol is the goal of a daylong summit Saturday, Oct. 2.

The Alcohol Summit will feature national speakers who will discuss substance abuse, alternatives to alcohol and the legal and financial liabilities associated with alcohol use by fraternities and sororities. The summit also will feature general sessions and roundtable discussions.

The summit is scheduled from 10 a.m.-5:15 p.m. in Grainger Hall, Room 1110, 975 University Ave. Approximately 350 students in the UW–Madison Greek system, along with alumni, faculty and academic staff, are expected to attend.

“We want students in our fraternities and sororities to think about what they are doing, where they are going, and how they are going to get there,” says Melissa Yonan, adviser for fraternities and sororities in the Dean of Students Office. “In this age of liability, students have to be made aware of the risks associated with alcohol use.”

Speakers include:

• Lissa Bradford, chair of the National Panhellenic Council, who has served sororities in various leadership positions for 35 years. She is a past international president of Kappa Alpha Theta and currently co-chairs a national task force on alcohol-free fraternity housing.
• Robert Deloian, past president of the Phi Delta Theta National Fraternity and trustee of the fraternity’s educational foundation. He has appeared on a number of national talk shows to discuss alcohol use and alcohol-free housing.
• James R. Favor, owner of the James R. Favor Insurance Co., one of the few firms that provide insurance to national fraternities and sororities. His firm concentrates on risk management for national fraternities and sororities and their local chapters.
• Mike Green, a substance-abuse educator who has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.
• Richard Keeling, director of University Health Services and professor of medicine at UW–Madison. Keeling consults with colleges and universities on health, self-esteem and community issues, especially related to adolescents and young adults.

The roundtable discussions will feature students from the University of Iowa Greek system, which is alcohol-free. They will discuss actions they took to become more responsible with alcohol use.

“We want to produce educated members of our fraternities and sororities so that they understand the consequences of alcohol use in ways perhaps they had not thought of before,” says Jack Ladinsky, chair of the university’s Commission on Fraternities and Sororities and professor emeritus of sociology.

The Commission on Fraternities and Sororities is examining the future of the UW–Madison’s 44 fraternities and sororities and their connection to the university, and is expected to issue its report in the near future. Approximately 2,500 UW–Madison undergraduates are members of fraternities or sororities.

Kati Brenneman, president of the Panhellenic Association, the governing body of the 11 campus sororities, says the alcohol summit is a pro-active vehicle to help foster positive changes in Greek life at UW–Madison.

“We want to have people buy into the notion of changing the culture,” says Brenneman, a senior elementary education and psychology major from Itasca, Ill.

While the summit is focused on alcohol use by members of fraternities and sororities, Yonan says the issue transcends the Greek system.

“This is a campus issue,” she says.

Financial support for the summit is provided by the Provost’s Office; the Dean of Students Office; Associated Students of Madison; University Lectures Committee; Evans Scholars; Sigma Chi; Tau Kappa Epsilon; Zeta Psi; University Health Services; Beta Theta Pi; and Delta Tau Delta. Services and supplies are provided by The Robert Wood Johnson Project and the Wisconsin Alumni Association.