A change in the fire code and a new push for enforcement has left fraternity parties out in the cold.
Due to the stricter observance of fire codes in buildings on campus, Greek organizations can no longer throw large parties exceeding the occupancy capacity of their lounges, which is about 110. Fraternities, which traditionally threw large parties in their lounges and charged for admission, are now holding their larger parties in venues such as Sayles Hall, Alumnae Hall, Leung Gallery and other large-capacity rooms on campus.
The parties, called "Class F" events, are events in which alcohol is sold. They often attract more than 100 people on campus.
Fraternities can still hold parties in their lounges, but these parties must be invitation-only, and a list of guests has to be submitted to the Student Activities Office in advance. In addition, the number of attendees must be within the occupancy limit, which maxes out at the posted limit but decreases with the use of furniture.
The heightened level of enforcement stems from the Station nightclub fire in February 2003. The fire, which left 100 people dead, led the state and the University to adopt stricter policies and procedures ensuring compliance with fire safety rules and regulations for any event that occurs inside a University building and is attended by 50 or more persons.
Greek Council Chair and Alpha Delta Phi President Christopher Guhin '05 said that moving Class F parties to larger venues creates a greater challenge to ensure attendance. "It's a lot harder to fill up rooms and not make a party look empty," Guhin said.
While student organizations are not required to pay a rental fee for use of most University buildings, they do pay for the use of tables, garbage cans and custodians to clean up the morning after, as well as a $35 Class F liquor license from the state. Guhin estimated that these fees can cost more than $700. However, the Office of Residential Life provides a subsidy of $500 for Class F parties.
Craig Convissar '06, social chair of Alpha Epsilon Pi, estimated that his fraternity's eighth annual Body Chemistry party held in Sayles two Fridays ago cost approximately $2,000 - a little more than the fraternity has usually paid for Class F parties in the past. But this year, costs not only included music, alcohol and snacks, but also facility fees that were never needed for house parties. Nevertheless, with over 400 attendants, AEPi ultimately made a profit.
Both Guhin and Convissar said that the new procedure for holding Class F parties creates difficulty for fraternities that want to have large parties. Filling large spaces isn't the only challenge. Guhin said the main frustration with ADPhi's party in Alumnae Hall two weeks ago was transporting equipment and alcohol to and from the party. "Less Class F parties will probably be thrown because of this policy," Guhin said.
But according to Guhin, the Greek community is adjusting to the new requirements, partly because of the University's efforts, which include the $500 subsidy, the availability of spaces in a variety of buildings and the efforts on behalf of facilities to help keep costs down. Administrators "have done certain things that we're very grateful for. We definitely appreciate what we've gotten from them," he said.
Convissar had the same sentiment of gratitude. "Although we found the new procedure to be challenging, we were really appreciative of how helpful the administration was," he said.
Director of Residential Life Richard Bova said the switch has gone smoothly. "They were great," he said. "The groups did a fantastic job of maintaining the facilities and cleaning up."
