I would guess that getting caught butt chugging effectively did everything that task force could have done and then some.
Alumni, students and current faculty made up the UT Greek Life Task Force. The report initially was released last March. http://www.wate.com/story/21645528/greek-life-group-gives-recommendations-to-ut-on-combatting-underage-drinking The cameras were installed last month. Just this past week several Sig Eps were arrested when they had a small scale party at their house because the cops noticed on camera that a few girls brought beer into the Sig Ep house. The Sig Ep house was raided by a squad of UTPD and the fraternity is now on social probation. Our fraternity was hosting a philanthropy with all the sororities in whic we raised 6 grand for the Jimmy V Foundation. On the last day about 6 cops raided our house unannounced. Our president was cuffed by a female officer because she saw a Starbucks cup filled with tea and was convinced that there was alcohol on it. She called our president a liar when he explained there was no alcohol in that cup and proceeded to start to arrest him. All of us whipped out our IPhones and started to record the incident. When the other cops noticed us recording the incident they intervened and convinced her to let our president go free.
We have to meet as a fraternity every semester to talk about alcohol with UTPD officials. In our last meeting UTPD told us their #1 department goal is to eliminate 100% of underage drinking on campus. They claimed that they will succeed in this mission at all costs and cited the fact that MIPs written on campus have increased in this past year by over 50% as a wild success in their mission's effort.
You should write an article detailing how they raided your house without any indication that anything was amiss and in doing so totally screwed up your fundraising for cancer. Submit it to the Daily Beacon and maybe even the News-Sentinel.
Wonder if you guys should be having parties with glass bottled root beer every night for a month until they get tired of looking like the gestapo.
That they didn't say sexual assault and burglary should be plastered all over campus. That is ridiculous.
Also this year fraternities that couldn't find a full time house dad are forced to use dues money to hire an off duty KPD to monitor their house Thursday through Saturday nights from 9 PM to 3 AM. I'm not a spoiled, cop- hating student by any means. I understand and respect the job that they are supposed to do as law enforcement officers. But UTPD/KPD is creating an animosity towards cops that this campus probably has never seen before. The new policies allow them to show us zero respect, especially on fraternity row. And naturally students campus wide are showing zero respect right back to the officers.
Another tidbit of info, UTPD told us they are coordinating with the city of Knoxville to make the fine of MIPs to increase from a $97 ordinance violation to a $300 fine. Thankfully I just turned 21 but I feel bad for the future generation of students. A lot of poor students and parents are going to be put in a tight spot by a $300 MIP fine. Their reasoning in the increase is that a substantial fine will serve as a notice to the general population and will greatly reduce underage consumption.
They're extremely good at that. I managed to never get an underage or MIP while in school but I didn't start until I was 19 either. It was extreme luck that I never got in trouble, though. It's a cash grab. I would have more respect for them if they just came out and admitted it.
Hell, a multitude of students were arrested and cited for being a part of the snow ball fight at Neyland. MIPs are a campus wide phenomena now. Greek or not, if you are under 21 you are playing Russian Roulette on Friday night with UTPD. You just have to hope you aren't in the wrong place at the wrong time. The drunk tank sucks ass too. I was sent there for being literally three beers deep when I was a freshman. The benches are slanted and they make you wear orange crocs. Not to mention you get a lovely mugshot of yourself on the Internet for all your relatives and friends to see.
Seriously, if you are the house I think you are then you have some notable alums that should get some of this to stop. Also, you should turn that stuff in anyway. Cops need to be called out on their BS.
I didn't drink before I was 21, but the amount of energy put into stopping adults who choose to drink before the arbitrary age of 21 is pathetic.
