Pubdate: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 Source: Strand, The (CN ON Edu) Copyright: 2008 The Strand Contact: http://www.thestrand.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3546 Author: Chris Berube, Managing Editor PARTY'S OVER What fraternities must do after the Delta Kappa Epsilon bust to avoid being shut down for good For many of the academically minded among us at the University of Toronto, the news this summer of the Delta Kappa Epsilon's Alpha Phi fraternity house being busted by the cops for (gasp!) drugs and weapons was no doubt a welcome piece of schadenfreude, and a point on the scoreboard in the never ending war of the jocks versus the nerds. And perhaps it speaks to what makes UofT a welcoming haven for those geeks among us that fraternities - and, for that matter, organized sports - have so little sway over general campus life. But in this case, we have not just a cathartic moment for nerd. Many are also taking this particular case to be concrete evidence of the pernicious social influence of frat houses that jeopardizes campus safety. Let's examine the contents discovered in the house. First off, the bust turned up three hundred grams of cocaine and one kilogram of Ketamine. Nothing against recreational drug use, but we shouldn't forget how infrequently Special K is used for that purpose. Ketamine is used pretty extensively as a date-rape drug outside of medicinal applications. Also discovered in the house were brass knuckles, though details were still unclear about whether these were property of the fraternity itself or rogue members. Certainly, this doesn't look good. And now, the argument is being made in some circles for the banishment of unofficial frats altogether. The case can clearly be made that, if we really want to not just project the image of a modern university, but to also fulfill this promise, we must move beyond the unnecessary risk posed by harbouring self-described fraternities. Since fraternities are not officially sanctioned by the university, Uof T should take action into their own hands and crack down on those houses near campus residences. What's probably the worst about this situation is how little has been done to counteract this argument. After refusing comment to reporters on the issue, the DKE leaders took down the University of Toronto chapter website. Virtually nothing has been said on the issue since. Some individual members expressed shock in later pieces, but there was no apology, or attempt to explain the situation. They could have disowned the individual members charged with possession, issued a public apology or explanation, or done ANYTHING, really, to reverse the negativity of this situation. Worse yet, there seemed to be minimal reaction from other frats on campus. But why, some would ask, should the other fraternities have reason to respond to this? Of course, fraternities aren't agents of rape and violence. There are many that do positive work across the UofT campus, such as the more respectable Delta Upsilon, and likely all of the other fifteen or so groups operating on campus.However, an incident like this taints the entire 'brand' and should be addressed seriously. The other fraternities should come together to disown this incident and redefine their purpose before public disasters like this overtake the public opinion of them. A press release and a great public show would probably be enough. While the university should certainly be more proactive in its relations with on-campus frats, when used positively, fraternities are agents of positive social cohesion, and their banishment is unnecessary. While students should be wise to consider this, the impetus is now on the organizations themselves to give us a positive reminder of it. In the court of public opinion, a group is guilty until proven innocent, especially on issues of public safety. It's time for frats to launch their defensives. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath