Why Fraternities and Sororities Are Not Stupid: Reason 6

Santa Claus would like you to stay safe this holiday season and follow all local laws.

Do you have an entire chapter that rages 24/7? No? That's what we thought.

Reason 6: Alcohol consumption among fraternity and sorority members has decreased.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Obvi, we still have some work to do when it comes to alcohol-related incidents. But, compared to the 1990s, alcohol use has decreased among fraternities and sororities.

We think part of this has to do with the way we are recruiting. As dry recruitment is better enforced, we do a better job of explaining what we are about. While we do like to have fun, when we put alcohol front and center, it makes it seem like that's all we're about. By recruiting members who are more interested in our values and leadership opportunities, we'll get more members who aren't focused on getting wasted. Isn't that what we're looking for to take our chapters to the next level?

Related to better recruitment practices, students are entering colleges with different priorities. In 2011, the amount of drinking and time spent partying in high school was at an all-time low for entering freshmen. With more academically-focused students entering college, we are able to recruit members who can prioritize.

Another factor we think has contributed is improved alcohol education by our higher education professionals. We are seeing many more educational programs happening on campuses across the country, more programs like GreekLifeEdu, and more resources developed by our inter/national organizations that make us confident that the information is being presented to our collegiate members. By doing our homework and performing legit research, we get numbers that support our claims and hard work.

We know we still have some work to do. We get stories and reports every day that tell us that. But don't let them call all fraternities and sororities just a bunch of drunks.