UMC TAKES A MORE RESTRICTIVE APPROACH THAN SIUC BUT STILL ALLOWS DRINKING AT FRATERNITIES

The University of Missouri-Columbia is tackling the sticky issue of fraternities and drinking in a way that goes against the national trend of banning all drinking. The school's Dry 2000 policy will allow fraternities to have alcohol in their houses but only if they don't have pledges living in their houses. All fraternities on the UMC campus have signed the Dry 2000 pledge.

The Dry 2000 pledge is a response to continued problems with out-of-control drinking on campus. It doesn't limit students from drinking off campus. And that doesn't mean the drinking won't move off campus to large parties.

In surveys, fraternity members report having more than twice as many drinks per week as those not living on Greek Row. The report also indicates that fraternity members are twice as likely to participate in what is considered risky drinking behavior. Binge drinking has led to some fraternity members being rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.

This crackdown on campus drinking has been coupled with a push to giving students more tests on Friday to cut down on students' extended weekend social time. Students who are going to drink probably will anyway. In fact, they may drink more after increased Friday testing.

It just seems ironic that this announcement comes on the heels of a decision at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, which quietly reinstated drinking privileges at its fraternity houses. Greek leaders at SIUC say the new policy merely recognizes that students are drinking despite the rules.

Responsible drinking is certainly should be the watchword at all university campuses. It will be interesting to see if Mizzou's new approach works. As campuses across the country remain dry, both UMC and SIUC will be closely watched to see which approach works -- or fails.