NORFOLK, Va. — Kegs of beer and pre-made mixes of liquor and punch will be banned from fraternity parties at the University of Virginia under proposed new rules aimed at stamping out sexual assault on campus.
Greek organizations have until Jan. 16 to sign the agreement as a condition to lifting a temporary ban on social activities by fraternities and sororities at the Charlottesville campus.
The ban followed a Rolling Stone magazine report on an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in 2012. The magazine has since apologized for what it calls discrepancies in details of the account.
The new rules were authorized by University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan on Tuesday and agreed to by the Inter-Fraternity Council, which is comprised of members of each fraternity on campus.
“We seek to achieve a safe environment at fraternity events by addressing high-risk drinking, sexual misconduct, and unhealthy power structures. These changes are not comprehensive — nor do they claim to be. Instead, we submit these reforms as the next step in the IFC’s commitment to guaranteeing a baseline of safety for fraternity members and our guests,” the IFC said in an addendum to the agreement.
Each fraternity and sorority must have an agreement with the university in order to participate in official university events; failure to sign the agreement would put the relationship with the university in jeopardy.
It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday exactly how the agreements would be enforced. Fraternity houses at the university are privately owned and the new rules make no mention of independent or university-provided monitors.
