The Panhellenic Council at the University of Delaware, the governing body that oversees the 11 sororities at UD, has adopted a Third Party Vendor Resolution that moves all events cosponsored with fraternities and involving alcohol out of fraternity houses and into third party establishments.

Moving events to a restaurant, pool hall, bowling alley or bar is an effort to create a more responsible atmosphere when alcohol is involved, Emily M. Sweeney, president of the Panhellenic Council, explained. It places the burden of when to stop serving someone on a member of the establishment, and it limits the enormous liability the organizations carry for such events, she said.

"The National Panhellenic Council recognizes 26 sororities and 11 of them have chapters at UD," Sweeney, a senior, elementary education major from Stores, Conn., said. "Each of those individual sororities voted on a national level to pass or not to pass the Third Party Vendor Resolution. The results were mixed–some sororities were going to enforce it and others weren't. We started talking last spring about leveling the playing field at UD–making the same rules apply to everyone."

"Three years ago, alcohol-free initiatives began being discussed on a national level," Christine Cappello, UD coordinator of Greek affairs, said. "We live in a litigious society and sororities and fraternities are looked at through a magnifying glass– usually in the areas of alcohol use and abuse.

"The theory behind the Third Party Vendor Initiative is that now people who are trained to recognize alcohol abuse– bartenders and bouncers–will be able to announce cutoffs and make things safer for everyone," Cappello said. "It's safer for everyone. It not only regulates the distribution of alcohol, it also means that when an event is over–it's over. Everyone goes home, and there aren't any women left behind to face awkward situations."

Driving to and from third party sites is not a problem, Dana Rhode, incoming president of the Panhellenic Council, said. "If an event is not held within walking distance, the chapters have to provide buses. As people get off the buses, they are given wrist bands and only those wearing the bands are allowed to enter," the junior, elementary education and legal studies major from Gilford, Conn., said. The parties are closed to the public, she added.

Members of the executive board of UD's Panhellenic Council worked long and hard to educate themselves about Third Party Vendor resolutions before formally meeting with the Intrafraternity Council and asking for support, Sweeney said.

Reaction from fraternities has been mixed she said. "We really weren't hit by a lot of opposition, although this might not be something the fraternities would have chosen for themselves. So far, we've had several third part vendor events this semester and they've gone over well."

Working toward this common goal has given the sororities a united front, Cappello said and has increased interaction among various chapters. Double Date parties, sponsored by two sororities, are becoming popular, she said.

"It's been great to watch the sororities develop and implement this in less than a semester. It's all about changing the culture," Cappello said.

John Bishop, assistant vice president for student life and chair of the Building Responsibility campaign of the Campus Community Coalition to end binge and underage drinking on campus, said, "It is a positive step on the part of the Panhellenic Council to assume the responsibility of addressing the role which alcohol plays in the culture of our Greek-letter social organizations. Sororities on our campus should be congratulated on adopting this initiative."

Educational efforts in the area of responsible drinking are continuing throughout the semester, Cappello said. On Nov. 14, for example, the office sponsored a Day of Dialog with speakers from the national level meeting and talking with members of the Greek community throughout the day.

–Beth Thomas