Days after a Colorado University freshman, Gordon Bailey, died after a night of binge-drinking at the Chi Psi fraternity last Friday, it’s time to start thinking about reforming the moral fiber on college campuses all over America.
Bailey was not the only death in the Colorado college system within the past two weeks. Samantha Spady, a Colorado State University sophomore, died on Sept. 5 after a night where she consumed over 30 alcoholic drinks before dying in the Sigma Pi fraternity house.
Both Bailey and Spady were discovered the following mornings after being “visibly very drunk” according to the Denver Post.
It’s time for Greek organizations to think about reforming.
In the post-Animal House days of fraternities, Greek organizations need to outline a new policy for members. Fraternities all over America preach philanthropy and fraternity among brothers and that’s fine. But drinking and drugs still remain a large part of the Greek society. The rules need to be changed or at least enforced.
I have good friends in the Greek system all across the East Coast. In January of 2001, I became associated with Greek life for the first time when a high school friend invited me to spend a weekend at his fraternity house on the University of Tennessee campus.
After that weekend I became determined to pledge for a fraternity upon transferring to ETSU. Speeding up the story, I met good people in the Greek system and met some very wayward individuals as well.
In fact, I became disenchanted when a pledge friend of mine was drawn back into drugs after pledging with a fraternity.
Creeds don’t seem to mean much after pledging – most pledges do not take them seriously during their pledge semesters. I’m sure there are brothers who take this stuff very seriously, but mixing it up with Christianity or humanism at its base is wrong.
Secularism is produced from the mouths who preach Christian values to pledges who idolize these brothers.
Many college students leave fraternities with a drinking problem, a DUI or worse and end up with their lives like Bailey and Sprady (she was not affiliated formally with a Greek organization) instead of leaving with life-long values.
A constitutional change is what Greek organizations need – especially when it comes to dealing with incoming pledges.
“It’s hard to deal freshman kids who come in and start drinking for the first time,” said a senior ETSU fraternity member who wishes to remain anonymous.
“One of the pledges may pass out but the older guys may think he just needs to sleep it off.”
This anonymous member said shockingly that he is not surprised by the recent deaths in Colorado. Unfortunately, he said it could happen at ETSU or anywhere.
The face of fraternities has been changing by students that look to lawyers, doctors, etc., for guidance and are in leadership positions. Maybe these guys with good, moral leadership skills will change the face of a system marred with yearly deaths from activities sponsored by fraternities.
“But drinking will go on no matter if we try to change our creeds or not. I don’t know how to teach people to be responsible,” he said.

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