When Kappa Sigma fraternity was kicked off campus in summer 2003, Mark Gill found himself homeless for the upcoming school year. Gill moved off campus and now feels more socially disconnected from Northwestern — but he says he has his own ways of creating community.
“Parties are just a way for me to hang out with my friends and for people to come together,” said Gill, a McCormick senior.
Now that only four wet fraternities remain on campus of the 10 wet chapters in 2000, many parties — and the alcohol that accompanies them — have moved off campus.
“There’s just not a lot to do on campus,” said Weinberg sophomore Merina Thomas. “People go off campus on weekends because that’s where all the parties are.”
NU’s Director of Health Services Kenneth Papineau said a state survey conducted at NU two years ago discovered that most students did not drink in residence halls or bars, but rather in private residences.
Off-campus parties with drinking are a way for groups that hold a common interest to bond together, Papineau said. Studies show students who drink usually will gravitate to friends that consume alcohol because it forms a social support and intimacy, he said.
“There is a sense of community,” he said. “Absolutely, because there is a level of acceptance.”
But Interfraternity Council Risk Management Chairman Matt Robbins, a McCormick senior, said he does not believe parties have shifted off campus.
“We don’t see it affecting the social scene that much,” said Robbins, who has spent three quarters on the risk management committee for IFC. “Whenever you lose a big fraternity like (Kappa Sigma), you’ll see a change on campus, but there’s still things to do on campus.”
However, recent changes in the Student Affairs Office in fall of 2003 extended the student of code of conduct to include several off-campus living areas. This gives University Police jurisdiction to take students to the University Hearings and Appeals System if they violate drinking and noise laws.
“As long as you’re not doing anything wrong, it’s usually not an issue,” said Asst. Chief Daniel McAleer of UP.
The Office of Student Affairs holds sessions on the consequences of off-campus drinking and hosting off-campus parties with drinking. For the first time, during New Student Week, the office placed letters on off-campus houses informing students of the consequences of drinking violations, said Mary Desler, dean of students.
The combined efforts of the Office of Student Affairs, UP and the Evanston Police Department have reduced the number of drinking violations this year, she added.
“Students are aware of these changes,” Desler said. “They must deal with punishment from both UP and the city now.”
Some off-campus students complained about the stricter police enforcement this year, saying it prevents them from having social events that foster community, especially for off-campus students.
Education junior Lingo Platter lives off campus and said he and his three roommates are careful to avoid making too much noise. He said parties are a way to create community, but UP should not necessary be blamed for limiting the fun.
“It’s easy to point the finger at UP, but they’re just doing their job,” he said.
Reach Stephanie Chen at [email protected].
