Alcohol-Free Greek Tradition Banned at UCF; Student Outrage Grows
News, UCF Administration, UCF Greek Life — By Staff on August 16, 2011 at 11:17 pmUPDATE: Read the next story in our investigative series on UCF’s Bid Day battle
At a school as young as the University of Central Florida, establishing tradition is a critical part of campus life. So when one of UCF’s few treasured traditions suddenly got ripped away, students became outraged.
And that outrage is growing right now as UCF fraternity and sorority members are struggling to understand why male, tuition-paying students will be banned from standing on a public UCF sidewalk Saturday to welcome hundreds of new sorority members to their houses.
Video from Bid Day Tradition Prior to Male Ban Enforcement:
It’s an alcohol-free tradition that has been going on at UCF longer than anyone who graduated within the last decade can remember. Fraternity members stand on the Greek park sidewalk, clapping, to welcome the new sorority members as they run home. As you can see in previous video of the event above, KnightNews.com has covered it for the last couple years.
Several Greek students, who asked not to be identified because they’re afraid of retaliation from UCF Asst. Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life Scott Clark, complained to KnightNews.com about the decision to end this alcohol-free tradition. So KnightNews.com emailed Clark for an explanation.
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A UCF spokesperson responded on Clark’s behalf, explaining the National Panhellenic Council (NPC), which is the umbrella organization for all Panhellenic sororities at UCF, has a rule prohibiting the participation of men in membership recruitment and Bid Day activities.
UCF told KnightNews.com the rule is not new — just UCF’s decision to enforce it.
“This rule has been in place for a while,” according to UCF’s statement. “This past year at a conference the NPC passed a resolution asking its chapters to commit themselves to enforcing this existing rule.
“Thus, we have been working with sororities on campus and the IFC to make sure its members know about this development. We are helping spread the word about the national organization’s regulation. That means there are to be no men involved in the Bid Day events at UCF. This includes being in Greek Park and approaching any females on Bid Day.”
UCF also said it is planning to hold a BBQ for men to welcome the new sorority women at a yet to be determined date sometime after the traditional Saturday welcoming.
But questions remain about whether UCF has the authority to ban a male, tuition-paying student from walking down a public sidewalk on the state university campus — during a celebration hosted by a registered student organization which benefits from state activity & service fees, which often mandate open access by law to all students.
There are also questions regarding whether the national rule banning men at “Bid Day” extends past the moment when women find out which sorority they join — which if it didn’t would of course mean the UCF tradition wouldn’t violate the national rule. The issue could come down to a matter of interpretation.
KnightNews.com asked follow up questions to UCF regarding those issues — along with other major issues we uncovered while researching national sorority rules today — and we will be breaking new stories covering those additional angles throughout the rest of the week as part of our special investigative series on the end of this alcohol-free tradition.
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Check back for updates as this Saturday’s Bid Day event approaches. Find out when we post an update first by liking us on Facebook to get news of the updates right on your feed.
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8 Comments
I want to jump in here and point something out about the main First Amendment argument to whoever this is drinking the kool aid at UCF.
The “free speech zones” don’t exist on campus anymore. There are only “free assembly areas.” They impact different people in different ways, and largely don’t impact tuition-paying students, but rather impact people who are not students. The level of restriction depends on whether the purpose is commercial, protest, march etc.
Try and find a policy that authorizes UCF police to stop a tuition-paying student from walking down a public sidewalk — when there is not a crime scene. You won’t.
If UCFPD arrest someone for walking down a public sidewalk they could sue UCF for wrongful arrest and civil rights violations in federal court.
1) The money that goes to Greek Council is used to promote all of Greek Life, not to any one council such as Panhellenic recruitment. The Greek Life books don’t even have recruitment dates, all of that council marketing come from PAN’s budget, which also accounts for the cops.
2) The discounts for the arena are independently negotiated between SGA and Athletics, NOT the Greek organizations themselves. They set aside days throughout the year to be used for the student population. This includes ALL organizations as well as events like Knight-thon. Furthermore, the events are open to ALL students, including the philanthropies put on by sororities.
3) The 1st Amendment is continuously trampled on at UCF and if you look back far enough, you’ll see the argument has been made in other issues. Coincidentally, you just made one of those points to support this, though it works against you. Those preachers can come to campus and spew their hate speech, but are only allowed to in free speech zones on campus. This is why you see them in front of the union and between MAP and the Reflection Pond. Other people have argued that the free speech zones violates our first amendment, and if you want to fight that issue now, go ahead. However, it’s a much bigger battle to fight than this one right here. Like I said earlier, it’s all technically legitimate, but not necessarily right or wrong.
Seriously, just do your research or something. You keep saying things that keep digging that hole you’re in deeper and deeper.
1) The money that goes to Greek Council is used to promote all of Greek Life, not to any one council such as Panhellenic recruitment. The Greek Life books don’t even have recruitment dates, all of that council marketing come from PAN’s budget, which also accounts for the cops.
2) The discounts for the arena are independently negotiated between SGA and Athletics, NOT the Greek organizations themselves. They set aside days throughout the year to be used for the student population. This includes ALL organizations as well as events like Knight-thon. Furthermore, the events are open to ALL students, including the philanthropies put on by sororities.
3) The 1st Amendment is continuously trampled on at UCF and if you look back far enough, you’ll see the argument has been made in other issues. Coincidentally, you just made one of those points to support this, though it works against you. Those preachers can come to campus and spew their hate speech, but are only allowed to in free speech zones on campus. This is why you see them in front of the union and between MAP and the Reflection Pond. Other people have argued that the free speech zones violates our first amendment, and if you want to fight that issue now, go ahead. However, it’s a much bigger battle to fight than this one right here. Like I said earlier, it’s all technically legitimate, but not necessarily right or wrong.
Seriously, just do your research or something. You keep saying things that keep digging that hole you’re in deeper and deeper.
Oh Really?
Not even money for promoting greek life all summer at orientation for booklets and things like that? Who is paying for the cops?
Even if they use private money for this portion, the group benefits off A&SF money in plenty of other ways (including discounts for arena negotiated through SGA, etc.) Take it to court, and it’s easy to argue because they benefit off so much public money during the year at UCF, they can afford to use private money here when it’s convenient. It’s not open and shut, just like all the other things UCF loses in court. (Look at what happened when UCF used the private vs. public line with UCF athletics inc. — judge threw it out. It’s one or the other.)
Finally, the 1st Amendment is the greatest defense to walking down that public sidewalk anyway. UCF can’t stop a male student from walking down that public sidewalk anymore than they can stop a preacher from coming to campus to talk about how he hates gays and people who support abortion. (If UCF could, don’t you think they’d stop that?)
What’s sad is the crazy preachers have more balls than the guys on IFC now, who bent over and took it while the administration screwed them.
You’re just flat out wrong. No money from Greek Council goes to PAN’s rush week. Bam, lawyered!
I don’t understand what the big deal is here? I’ve always had the impression that the majority of you (not all of you) come out to see who got the hottest pledge class and make fun of the girls you perceive as less attractive… not to politely stand and clap or really “welcome” anyone. Seems kind of silly to be so outraged about it.
And again, I’m not saying you ALL have this attitude, some of you ARE wonderful and supportive, which was always appreciated. But claiming to be outraged seems like a bit much?
No offense but you believe what UCF tells you too much. Shoving and laundering so to speak the money through Greek council and restricting access wouldn’t stand up in court just like UCF athletics Inc. didnt and just like the FERPA bs didn’t when UF got taken to court.
Think about it. UCF has lied before to get what it wants. Why not about the legality of this? How would you know better? Asked any other lawyers?
It is often noted in this article that the men wishing to attend are ASF paying students, and then it is further noted that the RSOs (sororities) benefit from ASF, but this is all wrong. No ASF funds go to these individual Greek organizations, nor to this council, as it is against SGA and Florida statutes that money goes to a discriminating organization, and these organizations discriminate against men by not letting them join the sororities. So, technically, the event is private, as they pay out of their own chapter budgets for all the materials needed for recruitment as well as for the police to close off the road. If it is private, they can have non-participants removed or prevented from attending, technically. Whether or not people think it’s right or whatever doesn’t really matter, the ban is technically legitimate.