New Rules for USC’s Sororities, Fraternities : College life: Regulations are designed to encourage more studying and change Greek Row’s party-animal image.

USC imposed strict new regulations this week on its fraternities and sororities in what officials said is an effort to change the party-animal image of Greek Row, encourage more studying and discourage date rape and alcohol abuse.

“I don’t believe that fraternities here are more out of control than they are at many, if not most, other large universities that have large Greek systems,” said USC’s new president, Steven B. Sample, who is to be formally inaugurated Sept. 20. “But I also think that being part of the Greek system is a privilege, not a right. And I think it’s reasonable for this university to demand a higher standard of conduct from members of fraternities and sororities.”

The new rules, effective immediately, forbid parties on weeknights, ban most visits by members of the opposite sex to private rooms if alcohol is being used and require that Greek organization members have higher grades on average than other students. Officials also said there will be stricter enforcement of the legal drinking age of 21.

USC administrators say fraternities and sororities can be inspected without notice at any time. Organizations that violate the regulations can be kicked off campus or banned from activities like sports and individual members can be expelled from membership.

Questions, however, have been raised about the difficulty of enforcement and whether the new regulations are mostly intended to counter recent negative publicity about an alleged rape and two beatings involving a USC fraternity.

Reaction was decidedly mixed Wednesday on Greek Row, where students were celebrating the imminent start of fall semester with front-yard volleyball games and water balloon fights.

For example, Brett Schultz, a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, predicted a backfire from the rule that forbids parties with alcohol and loud music Sunday through Thursday nights on the Row. He said students would drink off-campus on weeknights and then possibly drive home intoxicated. “That’s stopping one problem and creating another,” he said.

But others said it would encourage more studying and keep more students on the Row on weekends, when many traditionally leave to visit parents or friends. Even on weekends, loud music must be reduced at midnight.

“With all the parties on the weekend now, it will be a lot easier to get studying done during the week,” said Dennis O’Brien, student president of the Interfraternity Council, the coalition of 25 fraternities, with a combined membership of 1,700. The 12 sororities have about 1,500 members.

In the most debated regulation, visitors of the opposite sex are no longer allowed in private rooms during parties at which alcohol is served or at any time if the guest or the host has had more than “two standard-sized drinks in the preceding four-hour period.”

“If there is no alcohol, it’s OK to have a visitor,” said James M. Dennis, USC’s vice president for student affairs. “We are not attempting here to legislate morals. What we are attempting to do is eliminate the risk of people doing things under the influence of alcohol that they might not have if they were not under the influence.”

While not condoning date rape, many students said this rule violates their privacy. “We’re old enough to fight wars and they are telling us we can’t have our girl friends in our rooms even to watch a movie,” Jim Barnier, a senior who is a member of Phi Kappa Psi said.

* As individuals, fraternity and sorority members will be required to have a grade point average of at least 2.2, which is just higher than a C and is two-tenths of a point above what all other students need to avoid being placed on probation. As a whole, the membership of each fraternity or sorority will have to average a 2.5 at the end of this year and, starting next year, will have to average at least two-tenths of a point above the average for all undergraduates. Since the campuswide average has been about 2.7, fraternities and sororities will need close to B averages among their members.

“I don’t think people will resist this because they realize they are paying to get an education here,” said Elizabeth Yates, a USC senior who is chairman of the “Pan-Hellenic rush,” the membership drive all sororities are holding this week. “In recent years, the chapters have been emphasizing scholarship more.” Many sororities and fraternities already have rules requiring grade averages higher than a C, she said.

However, some students contended that it is unfair to hold fraternities to any standards different from the rest of the student body. It might be a real stretch for some fraternities to achieve those grades, they added.

“This will be quite a challenge for these organizations,” conceded USC Vice President Dennis, who issued the new regulations after consulting with Greek members, faculty and alumni. “But part of the logic is that students who are not achieving academically should perhaps not participate because fraternities and sororities can be diversions from scholarly activities.”

Many students said they suspected some of the rules come in response to the controversy involving the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a charge denied by Dennis.

Critics contended that a woman’s allegations of a December, 1989, rape at the ATO house were poorly and slowly handled by USC and later handled with favoritism toward the fraternity by police officials with strong ties to the school. No criminal charges were ever filed despite urgings by some detectives. Members of ATO were also cleared of accusations that they allegedly beat two other students in separate incidents.

At ATO, social chairman Kevin Quick stressed Wednesday that none of the allegations have been proven and that the new rules are not targeted at his fraternity. “I just think the university is going through a lot of changes right now because there is a new president,” he said, adding that there also is a national crackdown on drinking at fraternities.