For the majority of students, fraternity and sorority formals are a lot of fun. However, as pointed out by our story on greek formals (see story on page 1), sometimes problems with alcohol occur.
For formals taking place around Indianapolis, students often begin drinking the afternoon before the formal, on their way to the formal and once they are in the venue. For out-of-state formals, the events can turn into weekend-long drinking fests.
At DePauw, students often find excuses to go out and get "wasted." However, unlike senior dinners, Little 5 or celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden at The Duck, formals usually take place off-campus. In these instances, students must be aware that they are representing themselves, their local and national greek chapter and DePauw University.
It was only a few years ago that the Delta Zeta controversy put DePauw under national spotlight — and not in a good way. Although getting kicked out of fraternity and sorority formals has not landed us in The New York Times recently, it has not cast us in a favorable light either.
In an interview with The DePauw, President Casey said he wished more people would talk about the academic reputation of the institution, rather than just about greek life and the Princeton Review rankings. If DePauw students continue getting kicked out of formals, then people will continue to see DePauw as an "Animal House"-like school rather than an a school full of bright, engaging and promising students.
Furthermore, renting out a venue, purchasing lots of dinners and hiring a disc jockey is not cheap. If a formal has to be shut down because a handful of students were publicly intoxicated, everyone loses their money, not just those who cause problems. A lot of people can be let down by a few people's poor decisions.
We are not advocating eliminating alcohol completely from the formal experience. However, there is a difference between socially drinking and drinking to the point at which students' actions are out of their own control. If those who choose the latter begin choosing the former, everyone — both students and those working the events — will have a more pleasant formal experience.
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