Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin
Regarding your second paragraph, with underage drinking being illegal, we can't have guidelines to check on drunk pledges because theoretically, all of our pledges are under the age of 21 and therefore shouldn't ever be drunk. In other words, our organizations can't adopt policies to ensure our members' safety when our members are violating the law. Their violating the law was their own choice and the organization can never be responsible for underage drinking.
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Having just moved back to the US, I stupidly forgot about that.
I completely understand the legality issues you brought up.
But—I wish it wasn’t the case.
I know many schools have implemented alcohol awareness training (Think Drink, etc.), but that doesn’t go very far. I think it would be wonderful if GLOs trained their members (while never supplying alcohol themselves) how to behave IF they were to come across a group of people who had magically become inebriated.
If, for argument’s sake, the drinking age were 16 and it was acknowledged that drinking would occur, there ARE things that can be done—designated sober pledges required to monitor the intake of guests (hand stamps, etc), cut them off if necessary, drive them home, look out for drunken coeds. Teach all members never to leave a drunken friend, how to recognize signs of alcohol poisoning, etc.
I know of some places these practices are starting to be seen, but I’m also aware we’re in a world where some GLOs are still bruising people, so...
