The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Unives; GREEK LIFE Stabbing at SAE prompts debate over party security 7C - Fall 2014 Doubts raised over impact of sober monitor training By YARDAIN AMRON Daily StaffReporter Despite the stabbing of two members of the University's chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsi- lon fraternity early November by an angry party-crasher, the Interfraternity Council is con- flicted as to whether existing security measures are sufficient to handle future incidents. The assault at SAE occurred after four individuals were kicked out of the fraternity house, leading to a heated verbal altercation in which the suspect drew a knife and stabbed two sober monitors. Because SAE was expelled from IFC in 2011 for hazing allegations, the chapter's sober monitors were not required to complete University Health Ser- vice's Sober Monitor training, and the chapter was not under jurisdiction of IFC's Social Envi- ronment Management Policy. . SEMP provides a mandatory, 19-page protocol for hosting an IFC social event. Strict SEMP guidelines are enforced by the Social Responsibility Commit- tee, which is composed of 13 Greek-affiliated students. On party nights, members make rounds as "checkers" to patrol for policy violations. During that time, sober monitors must submit to breathalyzer tests by request of SEMP checkers, who also have the right to shut down a party if deemed necessary. Whether SAE was following the SEMP policy the night of the attack is unclear. Brandon Weghorst, a national spokesman for SAE, could not be reached for comment after repeated requests. SRC, however, does not moni- tor events that are unaffiliated with IFC; like parties at SAE. LSA junior Tommy Wydra, the SRC chairman, said there are serious safety concerns for students at unregulated off-cam- pus fraternities, but praised the sober monitor training required of IFC fraternities. "I'm very confident that an incident like this would not occur at any of our fraternity houses because of the training that we go through," Wydra said. Training for sober monitors - the orange-shirt-clad fraternity members who man the doors and serve alcohol at many fraternity parties - includes preparation for dealing with sick party-goers, violent confrontations and crowd control. However, Andrew Koffsky, former president of AEPi, said in a previous interview that he was less convinced the sober monitor training could prevent such an assault. "No 19 or 20 year old knows how to deal with somebody who has a knife and is trying to get into a party," Koffsky said. "None of us are trained to have mortal combat abilities." Stephen Siddall, risk manager for the University's chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity, echoed Koffsky's concerns about the stabbing. "I think it's really scary; it really could have happened at any fraternity," Siddall said. As risk manager, Siddall approves plans for Chi Phi's par- ties, works the front door and coordinates up to 10 sober moni- tors around the fraternity's prop- erty. Siddall said he had little for- mal training aside from shadow- ing the previous risk manager. While Siddall admitted none of his sober monitors are trained to deal with a weapon, he said hir- ing additional security - as some fraternities have - would be overkill, and he put the onus on guests for keeping parties safe. "People just need to under- stand that fraternities are not throwing open parties every night," Siddall said. "Ninety-nine percent of our parties are closed events." But when fraternities plan massive parties - usually with attendance of 500 people or more - some risk managers see a third-party security team as a necessary investment. K-9 Patrol, a risk manage- ment consulting firm based out of Dearborn Heights, Mich., has been employed this year by the University's chapters of Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Sigma Phi and Alpha Epsilon Pi. The company provides pre-event guidance, onsite armed and unarmed guards and post-party consulta- tions. Timothy Schar, CEO of K-9 Patrol, said his guards are pro- fessional and act as a strongvisu- al deterrent to help reduce the chance of an assault. "We're not a company that goes and puts a bunch of 300- pound gorillas out there with black t-shirts that say 'security' on the back, because that's not security," Schar said. The company even deals with angry neighbors through a hot- line designated for complaints. Guards generally cost $280, and most parties need between three and five guards, depending on the number of guests, Schar said. Most fraternities spend between $1,000 and $1,500 upfront on his company's ser- vices, and there are no refunds if a party gets shut down, he said. Without private security, Schar said most fraternity par- ties on campus have serious safe- ty and liability issues. "I would say probably 20 per- cent at best have security that is active and functional," Schar said. Still, the exorbitant costs required to hire a company like K-9 Patrol remain a strong enough deterrent for some risk managers, like Siddall. "We haven't been asked to (hire security), and that's an added cost that we don't neces- sarily need, and I really don't think its necessary from a risk management perspective," Sid- dall said. Mary Jo Desprez, Director of Wolverine Wellness "Alcohol Harm," speaks about the alcohol climate on campus inthe Fleming Administration Building on Monday. SACUA addresses alcohol consumption trends at 'U' Concerns include drinking during Welcome Week, orientation By ANDREW ALMANI Daily StaffReporter The Senate Advisory Com- mittee on University Affairs met Monday with several adminis- trators who are working towards reducing the public health risks of alcohol consumption on campus. E. Royster Harper, vice presi- dent for student life, Chief Health Officer Robert Winfield, director of the University Health Service, Wolverine Wellness director Mary Jo Desprez and J. Ann Hower, director of the office of new student programs, joined SACUA for the meeting. During her presentation, Desprez presented materials on alcohol consumption trends and strategies for combatting high- risk drinking. She said 64 percent of students drink socially, and 61 percent drink to celebrate. At one point, Desprez asked the faculty seated around the table if they were familiar with the "I'm Shmacked" video filmed at the University. No one in the room had seen it, so Desprez proceeded to play the video and explain the role that social media plays on the environment that induces drink- ing for students. "I'm Shmacked"' is a video series that glamorizes partying and alcohol consumption at cam- puses across the nation. There are at least three "I'm Shmacked" productions featuring the Uni- versity. "This (video) has 807,749 views, while the University Cam- pus Tour video only has 63,202 views," she said. "This is recruit- ing students before we get to. I might not play the whole thing, because it sucks your soul." "The social network and the viral nature of the Internet is in some ways is great on college campuses, and it also has aharder time for us to manage in terms of the perception of alcohol use," Desprez said. Hower spoke about the chang- es the University is considering making to the orientation process due to concerns that new students have easy access to parties and alcohol, posing a high risk of irre- sponsible drinking. Another concern expressed is the time students have before classes start, while many are moving to Ann Arbor. Several speakers expressed concerns that Welcome Week fosters an unsafe drinking environment-especial- ly for new students. Several SACUA members said they were concerned about the issue,, and requested addi- tional meetings to discuss ways in which the administration is working to make progress. The last SACUA meeting of the term will take place April 28. IFC votes to ban hard liquor at Tier 3 fraternity parties COLD From Page 1C sory Committee for University Affairs meeting Jan. 13 to discuss the University's decision to not cancel classes. "By the time it became clear that we were facing an extraordi- nary weather event, we realized that we didn't have appropriate mechanisms to close the Univer- sity even if we wanted to," Pollack said. During that meeting, Pollack said the University planned to establish a committee to address emergency situations, including weather, that merit the cancella- tion of classes. Though that committee was formed and held one meeting last week, Fitzgerald said the deci- sion to cancel classes Tuesday was made independently of that com- mittee, in consultation with the the office of the Provost, Winfield and Thomas. "This is a decision that was made based on the unique circum- stances that are being presented with the weather forecasts for tomorrow," Fitzgerald said. "This is not a reflection of any new pro- tocol." Business senior Michael Proppe, CSG president, said he believes the dangerous conditions Tuesday warranted the historic measure. "It's really going to be cold tomorrow, I think the University made the right call," Proppe said. "When it's -25 degrees out with the wind chill and you have stu- dentswalking10, 15, or 20 minutes to class, it can be dangerous to have skin exposed in that kind of weather." Proppe said he was surprised becausesuch adecisionis"unprec- edented," but added that he knows the University has students safety at the forefront. I "Though CSG did not play an active role in today's decision, executive members brought up the school's lack of a severe weath- er policy in their last few meetings with the dean of students, Laura Blake Jones," Proppe said. While many students may spend tomorrow binge-watching Netflix or enjoying some other form of leisure, Proppe said his cold day will likely consist of catching up on homework and CSG related projects. Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community Col- lege also have canceled classes for Tuesday.Accordingto the Twitter of the State News Twitter, Michi- gan State University spokesperson Kent Cassella said that MSU is expected to "continue operations as usual." St. Joseph County in Indiana, where Notre Dame is located, is under a state of emergency and driving after 7 p.m. is subject to a $2,500 fine. Decision lauded as step towards higher on-campus safety By YARDAIN AMRON Daily StaffReporter Some fraternity parties will now be a little easier on the liver. In a nearly unanimous vote Wednesday night, the Interfraternity Council amended its Social Environment Management Policy to ban hard liquor at fraternities' open parties. The new policy will be effective immediately. Business senior Michael Proppe, Central Student Government president, first announced the policy change at the meeting of the University's Board of Regents Thursday. "This is a proactive step that Michigan students are taking to improve our safety on campus, and I commend the IFC leadership," Proppe said. The new policy comes less than two months into IFC President Tommy Wydra's first term as the organization's leader. Proppe said Wydra is getting off to a successful start. The SEMP amendment applies to Tier IIIA and Tier IIIB parties, known as "open parties," which are limited to 200 guests, along with the hosting fraternity members. "Due to the elimination of hard liquor at Tier IIIA and IIIB events, students will enjoy a safer social scene at the University of Michigan for years to come," the IFC stated in a press release. The policy will not apply to National Pan-Hellenic Council or Multicultural Greek Council parties because SEMP only applies to the IFC and Pan- Hellenic Association. Wydra said the new policy extends only to open parties and not lower-tier parties because the former tend to be the riskiest, such as those during Welcome Week or on Halloween. "Many of the Greeks get so much training, whether it's sober monitor training or alcohol awareness, so we feel they can manage those Tier II parties much more easily," Wydra said. "I have absolutely no plans to expand it to Tier II or Tier IIICs." Proppe said the amendment will help improve safety at the larger parties. "The nice thing about a Tier II party is you know who is going to be there and so it's a little bit more of a controlled environment," Proppe said. "At a Tier III party that's open to students who are not necessarily a part of the Greek organization, it's harder to control and hold people accountable." Kinesiology junior Elive Likine, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, better known as Pike, said the policy might do the opposite of its intention. "I think it's going to turn into people pre-gaming harder and drinking faster in preparation because they'll know they won't be able to have it at the party," Likine said. "Some people just don't like beer. When you prevent something like this, I feel like it will end up blowing up in their own face." As for enforcement, Wydra sai d the Social Responsibility Committee - a group of Greek members who enforce current SEMP policy - would be able to take on the amendment. "When SRC comes they hit the bathroom, they hit the bar, wherever people are SRC goes and checks," Wydra said. "They're going to be interacting with guests at these parties and randomly checking three to five guest IDs. As long as there is no hard alcohol, it will be ok." Wydra added that he believes the amendment will be accepted without much controversy among members of Greek Life. "Once every Greek member completely understands the policy they will be on board with it," Wydra said. "It's a lot different if the Greeks think we're taking away something just to take away something rather than doing it with good intentions." CAMPAIGN From Page 1C country are carrying out similar fundraising drives - but the Uni- versity's goal is closer to many private schools than public peers. Harvard Universityis currentlyin the midst of the largest fundrais- ing drive in the history of higher education - with an ambitious $6.5 billion goal. The campaign launched earlier this year and will conclude in 2018. LSA Interim Dean Susan Gel- man wrote in an e-mail that her priorities for the campaignfocus on financialaid,includingscholarships dedicated to assisting students pay for study abroad and internship experiences, as well as undergradu- ate research opportunities. "We are committed to the lib- eral arts, and we have evidence from the stories of our alumni that scholarship support makes a tre- mendous difference, not only for an individual student - maybe the first in his or her family to attend college - but also for siblings, relatives, and entire communities who are inspired and encouraged by seeing dreams become reality," Gelman wrote. The University has received $1.7 billion in gifts in the twoyears leadingup to the officialkickoffon Friday. In the last few months, dona- tions from philanthropists includ- ingStephenRoss, Charles Munger, Penny Stamps, Helen Zell and the Rogel and Frankel families have donated gifts earmarked for an array of new facilities, scholar- ships and programs. Coleman said these leadership gifts highlight diverse areas of the University - ranging from arts and humanities to the Business School, student support and ath- letics. She added that the flagship donations serve as examples for smaller benefactors. Ross, who donated $200 mil- lion in September to his namesake business school and the Athletic Department, serves as chair of the campaign. On Wednesday, the University announced a $50 million donation from Richard and Susan Rogel - which will benefit the Medical School and the Center for Chinese Studies. Richard Rogel served as chair of The Michigan Difference campaign and will serve as vice chair of the Victors for Michigan campaign - spearheading the overall push for studentsupport. Three students attended the press conference to answer ques- tions about how the campaignwill support them. LSA senior Kather- ine Man, a non-resident student and a member of the Global Schol- ars program, said without her financial aid, she would not have been able to attend the University. "This opens the opportunities for students who are good stu- dents but don't have the financial means," Man said. The Victors for Michigan cam- paignkick-off will begin Friday at 5 p.m. with a community festival in Ingalls Mall, the main event in Hill Auditorium and an after-par- ty, ending at 10 p.m. AST From Page 2C Sierra echoed Anderson's points about financialization at the University - one of SUM's main issues. As the University's Black Student Union recently made national news by bringing the experiences of Black students - who constitute 4.65 percent of enrolled students - on cam- pus to light, Sierra said college affordability for students from diverse backgrounds should be the University's top priority. While the University's enroll- ment does not directly relate to the fight against AST, Sierra said it reflects a larger issue of who has the decision-making power on campus. "I think this initiative is part of a larger effort to really address those diversity questions in a way that is not an empty buzz- word (like) the University wants to paint in their pamphlets, but that if you're actually interested, you actually need to have people be a part of the process." PESCOVITZ From Page 6C said the Health System under Pescovitz has recorded "the high- est-ever scores in patient satisfac- tion." The University Hospital was rated as the number one hos- pital in the state, according to the U.S. News and World Report 2013 to 2014 rankings. "I have relished my time here and will forever be grate- ful for the growth, experiences and relationships made possible by this opportunity," Pescovitz wrote. "UMHS is a community of extraordinary people who do extraordinary work. I have been honored to lead this organization, which is what made this decision very difficult for me."