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Question:
Our fraternity house is often busted by campus pd so we can’t use it for parties any more. How can we find an affordable new party spot?
Answer:
There are lots of ways that you can find affordable housing. I’m sure there are multiple available rental properties in your area. However, you’re not asking how to find a place to really practice your ritual or how to build brotherhood without a Greek-unfriendly campus administration getting in the way. You’re asking how to find a place to throw parties. You don’t need to hear how to find a cool party place. You need something else.
If your house is getting busted by campus police that means you’re doing something that you shouldn’t be doing. You’re a fraternity house, not a bar or dance club. Your chapter lives and operates at the house. Your mission, standards, and values mention nothing about great keg parties and epic games of beer pong.
For lack of a better phrase, what the heck are you guys doing? Are you in such dire straights that you feel you need to be the “party fraternity” in order to keep up membership? Is your leadership in such disarray that no one wants to act like a fraternity instead of a bunch of “frat guys”? I won’t even start to ask if you’re planning on using chapter money to fund this place. Party houses serve underage drinkers. Party houses over serve young women and can lead to sexual improprieties. Party houses cause problems that the actual police, not campus police, deal with. Trust me, municipal officers are not near as friendly.
Here’s my real advice: Don’t find a new party place. Clean up your house. Hire a cleaning service for a day and rent some carpet cleaning equipment. Better yet, do the cleaning yourselves to build some chapter unity.
Involve your new guys and turn that house inside out. Then throw a “House Re-opening” party, without the usual drinks and debauchery, to show everyone that you guys actually have your act together. Instead of going week to week trying to out-party people, you’ll have turned the house into something incredible that people will continue to talk about.
Think about how the campus police will be off your back once you make a POSITIVE impression. You’ll be the fraternity that doesn’t get stereotyped for getting girls drunk and being a bunch of “frat-tastic” slackers. If your membership whines, tell them to get over it or get out. Parties can happen anywhere with anyone. It takes special people to build a fraternity and turn a house into a great place to have a better college experience than the average student.
This answer was written by Joe Russo, an alumni brother from Phi Delta Theta and new contributor for the thefraternityadvisor.com. If you are interested in writing for thefraternityadvisor.com – let us know (CLICK HERE)!
Joe Russo is a Brother in the Bond of Phi Delta Theta’s Ohio Mu chapter at Ashland University. While an undergraduate, Joe served in multiple chapter positions, including chapter president, and was a Phi Delta Theta Peer Mentor. He currently serves as a Chapter Advisor for Phi Delta Theta’s Ohio Kappa chapter at Bowling Green State University. Joe works for American Campus Communities, a student housing company, in Toledo, Ohio.