Maryland ponders new alcohol guidelines

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The IFC has also updated its constitution to align with the NIC standards, Yelsits said.

Individual fraternities have addressed the new guidelines. Junior Ryan Yellin, an accounting and finance major and a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, said his chapter’s president sent out an email last weekend about the changes. While Yellin was surprised, he supports them.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “Anything above 15 percent isn’t necessary.”

The Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity used to serve hard liquor at parties, but will be adjusting to the new guidelines. They will be opting for drinks that meet the limit, such as beer and wine, said member Brandon Kleinmann, a senior finance and math major.

Hank Nuwer, a professor at Franklin College who has written five books about hazing, said that just under 70 percent of hazing deaths involve alcohol. From 1959 to 2019, there was at least one hazing-related death in a school, club or organization in the United States every year, according to Nuwer’s research.

Though Nuwer thinks the new IFC measures are a good thing, he’s skeptical about their ability to stop off-campus incidents and cover-ups, he said.

“My hope is that if alcohol is taken out of the equation with hazing, that the number of deaths would go down,” Nuwer said.