KA Party Postponed “Due to Reasons” Amid New Procedures

September 18, the Centenary chapter of Kappa Alpha Order posted on Instagram that their annual Jersey party was postponed “due to reasons”. What exactly could “due to reasons” mean? Did they forget to get drinks, lock their doors or make a playlist? The real answer involves new party procedures, a canceled event and a disagreement over how Greek life and the school’s Department of Public Safety should handle fraternity parties.

The party was scheduled for the following night, but KA members said they learned about new party procedures from DPS the day before. According to KA President Gibson Harvill and Vice President Dylan Clark, the fraternity ultimately canceled the party rather than host it under the new procedures. While some fraternity members viewed the procedures as new rules, DPS said the policies themselves were not new.  Frank Wurszack, assistant director of Public Safety, said the department’s goal was not to create a new set of rules for Greek life, but to make existing policies easier to understand and enforce.

“There was no intention to change the policy so much as to just how we are implementing the policy through procedure,” Wurszack said. 
So what might these policies already entail? They are all listed in the student handbook, ranging from age restrictions for drinking on campus to rules on bulk containers of alcohol like kegs. Mark Miller, Vice President of Student Affairs, says the handbook has not been updated in years and needs a revamp. Miller said the procedures are more of a “repackaging” than they are a reconstruction or total change. DPS has made a more specific checklist or list of procedures to make expectations more clear. The checklist should act as a “parties for dummies.”

Both DPS and fraternities will go through the same checklist and act as a check for one another. DPS will make sure fraternities have taken the necessary precautions, and fraternities will make sure DPS is correctly and efficiently doing their job. However, students and faculty outside of the involved Greek organizations, DPS, and student affairs, have not been made privy to the information contained in the checklist. 

One concern DPS said the procedures were designed to address was alcohol entering fraternity houses outside of the designated entrance.

Wurszack said, “DPS has had a large issue with alcohol being passed over the fence and not entering through the single entry point.”

DPS plans to address this with a “civilian person,” a Centenary staff member who would not be part of DPS. Students could expect someone they are already connected with like Katherine Shamburger or William Morrison, both administrative staff members in Residence Life. This staff member would monitor the back of the house and conduct sweeps inside. They would handle policy violations, which Wurszack said could prevent police officers from having to make an arrest depending on the situation. 

KA was not the only fraternity to have concerns about the procedures. Herman Pride, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon, said his chapter’s initial reaction was outrage. Pride stated, “DPS’s job is supposed to be geared toward protecting us, not hawk-watching us.” 

However, not every fraternity leader viewed the changes the same way. Evan Halbert, Kappa Sigma active, said IFC, Willisa and DPS are already working together to develop new procedures for fraternity events.

Beyond the procedures themselves, some fraternity leaders said the changes could affect the relationship between Greek life and DPS. Miller said that at the end of the day, the administration wants “everybody to have fun, have a good time, and have community.”

Pride said that he believes “this will affect the relationship between DPS and Greek life because if we lose the trust of those who come to our houses, we kind of lose the element of having a community.”

His biggest concern, he said, is creating more risk of students getting in trouble off campus. Students could instead drink at bars, potentially creating other safety concerns.

Miller said the responsibility ultimately belongs to individual students, and that the goal is simply to create a safer, manageable environment. Miller stated, “People decide if they’re going to break the law or not, they decide if they’re going to drink or not.”

Wurszack said the checklist and procedures are continuing to change as DPS works through the process in collaboration with all entities involved. Halbert said he expects IFC, Willisa and DPS to continue working together, and said he has “no doubt” they will reach a consensus that all sides will be happy with. 

For now, the future of fraternity parties remains part of an ongoing conversation between Greek life, DPS and student affairs.