# Having parties with alcohol hosted by sororities instead of frats a good solution? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438 "2015-01-21T01:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/21 "2015-01-21T19:00:06Z")
I can see some merit to the idea. One big factor in its favor is that women would have control of the guest list. A sorority could host a party and call up a fraternity and tell them “Everyone’s invited. Except Bill and Frank.” ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/22 "2015-01-21T19:13:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > One big factor in its favor is that women would have control of the guest list. Unfortunately, that’s not the same as having control over who actually shows up and gets in. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/23 "2015-01-21T19:54:59Z")
I’m not sure, but I thought men were not allowed in Sorority houses. I’ve never been in one and don’t know any guy who has either. > [@astro](#): > > Do any dopers know what it costs a frat (today) to procure booze for an average size house party? It was long, long ago, but back in my day, the house got in touch with a distributer and set up an account. Drive up to the warehouse and load kegs into the back. Don’t remember what the actual dollar figures were, but it was about the same as bars and supermarkets would pay. I once loaded 7 kegs and many, many 1.75l of hard stuff into a 1980 Dodge Colt. Squashed the suspension FLAT! 😃 That was a pretty good party. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/24 "2015-01-21T20:00:18Z")
I assume it’s the same now as it was when I was in college; sorority houses were dry by national charter. We weren’t allowed to have alcohol of any kind in the house ever. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/25 "2015-01-21T20:02:35Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I can see some merit to the idea. One big factor in its favor is that women would have control of the guest list. A sorority could host a party and call up a fraternity and tell them “Everyone’s invited. Except Bill and Frank.” If this was the deal, no one in the fraternity would go. As to the idea of the OP: It’s a good one. This is basically what many of the all female schools do. I went to parties at one of the Seven Sisters when I was in school and they would literally bus in college men from other schools. Ten buses pull into campus and each one parks in front of a different dorm. The men get out and head into the dorms for huge parties. It was very much a female controlled event. They weren’t sororities, but the standard sorority concepts of "sober sisters’ watching over things were definitely in place. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/26 "2015-01-21T20:58:16Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I suppose it’s too late to suggest that all the rich parents teach their sons not to rape women? On the [evidence](http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsavcaf9513.pdf), parents of college boys seem to be doing reasonably well: > [@US DoJ](#): > > The rate of rape and sexual assault was 1.2 times higher for nonstudents (7.6 per 1,000) than for students (6.1 per 1,000) You got some evidence that rich parents are different? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/27 "2015-01-21T21:02:11Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > On the [evidence](http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsavcaf9513.pdf), parents of college boys seem to be doing reasonably well: > > You got some evidence that rich parents are different? What, don’t you watch\*\*\* Law & Order: SVU\*\*\*? Almost ALL rapes are committed by rich white jocks in fraternities! They couldn’t show that on TV if it wasn’t true. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/28 "2015-01-21T21:12:32Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > If this was the deal, no one in the fraternity would go. I dunno. Frat loyalty only goes so far. The sorority can always invite a different group of guys over so the party will go on. And when the frat sees that they’re all suffering because of one or two guys (and let’s face facts - if the sorority bans one or two individuals, there was a reason for it and the rest of the frat members know it) then an “understanding” will be reached. Frank and Bill will start getting the cold shoulder until they “voluntarily” agree to stay home while everyone else goes to the party. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/29 "2015-01-21T22:09:57Z")
I don’t think the thought process is “I’m afraid Bill is going to rape me and I don’t want to go to his house.” It’s “I enjoy partying, hanging out with my friends, dancing and perhaps hooking up with eligible gentlemen, but I find the frat parties to be unpleasantly sexually aggressive and I’ve know too many bad things to happen. I’d like to set up my own party with a slightly different atmosphere in a space I control.” Not strange at all. Women host parties all the time. Most groups of college age women living together will eventually throw a few parties. It baffles me that this seems to strike so many as an exotic idea. The only reason sororities don’t do this already is the alcohol bans-- which are probably a product of outdated morality. A pretty normal format for regular house parties is for the house to provide some barebones liquor with the expectation that most guests will bring something to drink and/or share. I’ve never been to a house party that didn’t end up with more booze than anyone could drink. I’m sure this could be a viable model. It’s not like these need to be carbon copies of frat parties. I have no doubt the dudes will come. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/30 "2015-01-21T22:48:48Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Can someone clear up my Canadian ignorance and tell me why sororities typically ban alcohol? Serious answer: it’s not the cost of the beer and liquor, it’s the liability issue. Have wild drinking parties in the building and the sorority could be in trouble if someone who was drinking there caused a car accident or did something else stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/31 "2015-01-21T23:19:38Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I’m not sure, but I thought men were not allowed in Sorority houses. I’ve never been in one and don’t know any guy who has either. I’ve been in lots. Well, three. Men usually just can’t be in them after dark. The problem is not the cost of alcohol. It’s the cost of insurance. The cost of liability insurance for fraternities is _astronomical_. At my chapter, it was more than half of the cost of dues (and we had a 16 bedroom house to pay the rent on.) Men will pay high dues to ensure they can have parties. Women - faced with the same options - won’t. Sororities could cut back on a lot of the stuff they do that fraternities largely don’t (like highly regimented and expensive recruitment processes, catering, and so on) but I don’t see it happening. Our fraternity adopted a nationwide dry-house policy to control insurance costs. After that, we had to have all our (drinking) events at bars and such. -RNATB, (former) fraternity risk management director. And damn proud to be a Phi! ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/32 "2015-01-22T01:19:29Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > About 10 years ago I helped a fraternity brother draft his resume. One of his questions was how to highlight his frat position as social chair. He felt being in charge of a fairly large budget was impressive and worth highlighting, but he didn’t know how to “hide” the fact that virtually his entire $25,000/year budget was spent on alcohol. Out of curiosity what did you advise him? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/33 "2015-01-22T04:03:39Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Out of curiosity what did you advise him? List everything under “miscellaneous office supplies”. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/34 "2015-01-22T04:59:29Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Not having been in in the Greek system in college I am not sure how alcohol was procured for house parties (large purchase or multiple small purchases) or what the cost was. Do any dopers know what it costs a frat (today) to procure booze for an average size house party? It depends. It my fraternity days, each of the 35 brothers in my house paid “social dues” in the amount of $450 a semester (in 2015 dollars). Amounting to around $15,000. We would typically buy a loading pallet full of beer which is 60 cases. At $15 a case, comes to a bit under $1000 a party. This would be for a typical Friday or Saturday night “registered party” in our fraternities “party room”. Think your stereotypical Animal House or Van Wilder party with a few hundred random guests in a giant mansion with 35 residents. We would also throw “cocktail parties” with mixed drinks and hard liquor. I don’t know the cost as hard alcohol is more expensive, but the parties are smaller. Note that because our parties were sanctioned by the college, we couldn’t charge for them. So all costs came out of our pocket. Sororities at my college were not allowed to throw parties. In contrast, my wife’s sorority (at a neighboring college) did throw parties. But unlike our giant “spoiled rich fratboy jerk” mansions, they lived in a typical residential townhouse off campus. Their parties were smaller (dozens instead of hundreds), but they could typically charge at the door ($5). Their budget consisted of a few hundred dollars to buy a couple of kegs. Most of which they expected to make back, if not turn a profit. I suppose the one downside of sororities throwing parties instead of fraternities is security. I don’t know how they do it now, but in my day, fraternities had to provide their own security. 35 guys can get rid of a few troublemakers fairly easily. But it’s a bit harder for a group of women. But my wife’s sorority seemed to manage ok. > [@chappachula](#): > > I don’t know much about frat/sorority culture, but I always had the idea that the ultimate point of a frat party wasn’t just the booze…The real goal is for the guy to take the girl up to his room. > And in almost all cases, it’s consensual. That’s pretty much accurate. > [@chappachula](#): > > So suppose a sorority has a wild party, and most of the girls find themselves a partner who they invite upstairs… > > Society has a word for a house where lots of women have sex. There is an urban legend among Greek folk that more than X number of women occupying a house (not sure if it needs alcohol) is considered a “brothel” by local laws. Don’t know if any such law is on the books. \*\*Oredigger77 \*\*- Those numbers sound pretty high. 500-1000 cases is a six pack each for 1000 to 4000 people. I have trouble believing that volume would be for a typical frat party, as opposed to some major event. > [@even sven](#): > > I don’t think the thought process is “I’m afraid Bill is going to rape me and I don’t want to go to his house.” > > It’s “I enjoy partying, hanging out with my friends, dancing and perhaps hooking up with eligible gentlemen, but I find the frat parties to be unpleasantly sexually aggressive and I’ve know too many bad things to happen. I’d like to set up my own party with a slightly different atmosphere in a space I control.” Or more likely “I find the frat parties to be too crowded and full of sweaty drunk dudes puking on each other.” > [@Gatopescado](#): > > I once loaded 7 kegs and many, many 1.75l of hard stuff into a 1980 Dodge Colt I once loaded 14 Kappa Alpha Thetas into a '88 Olds Cutlass Sierra.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/35 "2015-01-22T15:52:51Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > \*\*Oredigger77 \*\*- Those numbers sound pretty high. 500-1000 cases is a six pack each for 1000 to 4000 people. I have trouble believing that volume would be for a typical frat party, as opposed to some major event. Well I don’t know any one who only drinks a 6 pack at a party. Like I said this was for the frat that most of the football team belonged to and I would say the average guy was drinking 4 beers an hour so at a minimum we figured 4 six packs per person. so that drops your numbers down to 250-1000 people. There were about a hundred guys on the team and another 50 people in the house who weren’t part of the team so 200 was about the minimum for any party I went too. That being said I wasn’t the guy writing the checks I was just loading beer so I could absolutely be wrong. Actually, I just checked with my brother-in-law who’s currently in a frat and he said his house figures 2 cases or a 6 pack per hour per brother who’s coming plus one case per non member. For big parties, alumni or the annual debauch, they typically do what we did and fill the truck bed to the roof of the truck and net it down. So minimum party would be 100 cases with their annual bash being closer to the 1000 above. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/36 "2015-01-22T16:12:39Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > You get a lot of poor & middle class frat boys in your town? Depends a great deal more on the on the school than the town, my friend. Harvard and Princeton, probably not. Clark Atlanta and Mercer University, yeah-absolutely. Besides, your initial post said nothing about fraternity membership, only “rich parents”. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/37 "2015-01-22T16:36:36Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > There is an urban legend among Greek folk that more than X number of women occupying a house (not sure if it needs alcohol) is considered a “brothel” by local laws. Don’t know if any such law is on the books. It’s not. One variation (for schools with on-campus greek housing) is that sororities can only have on-campus houses because of that law. It’s actually because the national organizations require their chapters to build on-campus when possible. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/38 "2015-01-22T17:10:10Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > Well I don’t know any one who only drinks a 6 pack at a party. Like I said this was for the frat that most of the football team belonged to and I would say the average guy was drinking 4 beers an hour so at a minimum we figured 4 six packs per person. so that drops your numbers down to 250-1000 people. There were about a hundred guys on the team and another 50 people in the house who weren’t part of the team so 200 was about the minimum for any party I went too. > > That being said I wasn’t the guy writing the checks I was just loading beer so I could absolutely be wrong. > > Actually, I just checked with my brother-in-law who’s currently in a frat and he said his house figures 2 cases or a 6 pack per hour per brother who’s coming plus one case per non member. For big parties, alumni or the annual debauch, they typically do what we did and fill the truck bed to the roof of the truck and net it down. So minimum party would be 100 cases with their annual bash being closer to the 1000 above. There are 2 CASES or 48 beers per frat brother and 1 CASE or 24 beers per guest being allocated as the expected consumption during the partying? If true this is an utterly absurd level of alcohol consumption. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/39 "2015-01-22T17:11:53Z")
Are many frat/sorority people over 21 or do people turn a blind eye to underage students drinking? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438/40 "2015-01-22T17:28:09Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Are many frat/sorority people over 21 or do people turn a blind eye to underage students drinking? Yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-parties-with-alcohol-hosted-by-sororities-instead-of-frats-a-good-solution/710438.md?page=3)