(Sidney Hollingsworth/The Daily Campus)
Every student remembers his or her first big college party. From braving throngs of sweaty bodies to having drinks sloshed all over new party clothes, the memories of revelry are more often debauchery than splendor.
The Social Event Registration Committee (SERC) announced a new rule that caps the maximum number of party attendees at 400. The move strengthens SMU’s risk management policy, but possibly alters SMU’s Greek party scene.
Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Kristal Statler revealed the new rule at a Greek Mandatory Organization Meeting (MOM) meeting on Aug. 21. Statler is also a member of the SERC.
“The purpose of the committee is to ensure that events are done in a safe manner,” Statler said.
Previously, each organization could have three guests for every one member in attendance. Statler said the old rule limited the amount of guests that smaller organizations could have. Non-Greek and minority Greek organizations seem to be the intended demographic to benefit from the new system.
“Everybody is on equal footing [with the new rule,]” Statler said.
Originally, the maximum amount was set at 300 people per event. But after many sorority and fraternity advisors complained, the cap was increased to 400.
According to Statler, when SERC reset the limit the committee looked at the largest Greek chapter and factored in additional guests for date functions.
Joshua Sepkowitz, president of the Board of Chapter Advisors for Phi Gamma Delta, had many concerns about the rule. Sepkowitz cited Kite and Key, a formal hosted by Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta, as an example. If each girl invited a date, the total number of people at the event would top 800, Sepkowitz said.
“Each of the women should have the right to go and invite a date,” he said.
“Kite and Key has been a part of SMU Greek life for what, 30 years? It would be a shame if it went away.”
Sepkowitz graduated from SMU in 2002 when “quad parties,” or parties hosted by four fraternities, were popular.
Sepkowitz proposed an addendum that would allow each group to break the 400 rule once a year for such parties or formals to occur. But he conceded the rule is a good idea.
“From a risk mitigation standpoint, it’s a good thing,” Sepkowitz said.
Billy Embody, vice president of public relations for SMU Interfraternity Council had a different take on the rule, calling it a logistical “nightmare.”
“I don’t think it’s going to stand. They’re going to have to amend it,” Embody said. “[People are] pretty upset, angry, and even disappointed and confused.”
Neither Embody nor Sepkowitz knew why the cap on partygoers was put in place.
When it came to understanding enforcement of the rule, there seemed to be equal confusion.
“What they told us is they don’t really know how they are going to monitor it yet,” Embody said.
“What I don’t want to see happen is that a rumor gets started saying that an organization had over 400 people at a party, but there’s no proof of it.”
Statler, however, said that event monitors would enforce the rule and that “part of it is an honors system.”
As the 400 Rule goes into effect, the SMU community will decide if the committee should be praised for its efforts to help smaller organizations or should be condemned for limiting SMU Greek tradition and the social scene.
