Bottles deemed unsafe at faternity housings

J.T Raymond
Staff Writer

    With the new semester at Muskingum came a new rule prohibiting the possession of bottles by male fraternity and club houses.

   The rule, which is in the Student Handbook, prohibits the "Possession of any glass containers of any type in, on, or about any male club or fraternity house/property (including private and public spaces, parking areas, and grounds)."

   "The problem was actually brought up by the Greek men up in Fraternity Circle and Greek Council," said David McMahan, Associate Dean of Students. "Bottles were being thrown and broken on the ground, houses, or bodies. The Greek men up there saw that their facilities were deteriorating, so they brought this to student affairs and we banned glass bottles from campus."

   The specific ways that the rule will impact the campus are still being examined.

   One of the biggest reasons this rule is good would be just for protection of the student body. Glass bottles can be used as weapons and could inflict bodily harm to someone.

    "We have beautiful properties up in that area," said McMahan. "Those houses have some beautiful back decks. People really just wanted to go out side and not have to wear boots so they would step in glass."

   So far, it seems to be working, and problems with bottles have decreased.

   "People have asked me why we are enforcing this rule at the Stag house and the Ulster House when they are really not close to any other fraternity house," said McMahan. "But over the past three to five years we have had problems at each of these houses, so we just made the rule to all clubs and fraternity houses."

   McMahan emphasized that this was under examination for the entire community and that it would be enforced on the entire campus.

    There isn't much bitterness from the Greek women on campus either.

   "I think it's a good move if the administration really believes that it will keep the campus cleaner," said Theta Phi Alpha president Ryan Donaghy. "I also think that student life's purchasing of plastic cups should defiantly continue. It's a great incentive for the students to purchase cans instead, and it helps to expedite the enforcement of this new rule."

    "After previous bottle incidences I believe that banning bottles on this campus would be to its best interest," said Paul Benedict, Kappa Sigma president. "I think it sucks because some beer only comes in bottles but at the same it will make campus life safer."

   Many people have been asking, however, about why cans are having to be put in cups outside of the houses, even though the houses are owned by the fraternities themselves.

   "Cans have to be in glasses because of the open container law," McMahan said. "If public safety or student life sees people with a can that says Coors Light on the side we are pretty sure it is alcohol in that can, but if the contents are in a cup we really can't go up to you and search the cup unless you give us a reasonable suspicion. Just use common sense."

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