University of Kentucky - Kentuckian Yearbook (Lexington, KY)

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“No alcohol” policy makes fraternity rush Sober Up The bands played, the couples danced and the drinks flowed like . . . Coke. It was rush week at UK, with a difference. The difference was a new regula- tion prohibiting alcoholic beverages on fraternity premises during rush week. The regulation, imposed last year by the Interfraternity Council, was put into effect for the first time this fall. Fraternities at UK had for years been using alcohol as a tool for rush, said Lance Pierce, IFC presi- dent. Last year, we in the greek sys- tem decided to sit down and try to realign our priorities a bit. This realignment resulted in a dry rush for UK fraternities. Alcohol was not permitted on fraternity premises from noon Sunday until noon Friday during rush week, Pierce said. The parties were patrolled by members of the IFC, Pierce said. If a fraternity was caught with alcohol on its premises, they would lose voting privileges at IFC, be put on probation during the subsequent semester and be levied a fine of $20 per member, he said. Fraternities do not stand for alco- hol, he said. I personally don't think you need alcohol to have a good party, and I think some of the parties proved that. Pierce, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said a non-alcoholic rush had one distinct advantage over its alcoholic counterpart. You don't have to spend half the night talking to someone who's only interested in drinking your beer, he said. Mike Jewell, a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, agreed with that sentiment. We didn't have the beer suckers that have always been around before, he said. Jewell, Phi Delt's rush chairman, said non-alcoholic rush presented a challenge to his fraternity. Obvious- ly, it's harder to attract men into your organization in a dry rush sys- tem, he said. We did a lot of new things designed to attract people to our house. The new attractions included a beach party complete with a back- yard full of sand and a performing belly dancer, he said. Jewell said Phi Delt spent consider- ably less money on this rush than in the past. But Paul Haydon, president of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. You'd think it'd be less expensive without having to purchase liquor, but we ac- tually spent more. Haydon said the Delts spent a lot of their rush budget on food and en- tertainment. We had bands three nights this week, he said. We were asking ourselves, 'What's going to bring the guys to our house?' Although Haydon was pleased with the week's events, he had a complaint about operating under dry rush regulations. I don't really like it, he said. I wish we could go back to the old way. I guess I just liked the old parties. Bemie Kruse, rush chairman at Kappa Sigma fraternity, said he liked the new ones. The parties weren't as packed, but meeting people was so much nicer, he said. With no alco- hol there, you talked to them straight and really got to know them. Kruse said the dry rush was more of a personal thing. We really got personally involved with people. Greg Hoffman, rush chairman at Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, said the quality of the guys coming to our parties this year was a lot higher. Guys were interested in the frater- nity, not the beer, Hoffman said. You didn't have to weed through the guys that weren't interested in you this year, said Dave Perry, rush chairman at Pi Kappa Alpha fraterni- ty. We didn't have many problems with that. Perry said he had no complaints about non-alcoholic rush. The whole week was good for us, as far as I'm concerned. He said he also noticed one timeless element at the parties. The girls still came out, Perry said. It shows that the old 'boy-meets-girl' thing still exists at rush parties, re- gardless of whether alcohol is there or not. —John Voskuhl 20 Dry Rush

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There 's no business like Tow Business R.T. Gardner, a business junior, had his car towed from campus about 15 times. You think somebody stole it (your car) for about five seconds, Gardner said. Then you realize where you parked. Gardner said his car was damaged when it was towed and his friend's car was totaled. They (UK police) don't give a damn if they wreck your car or anything. It's a sad, sad situa- tion if they do you that way, he said. David Brewster, assistant director for parking and transportation, said cars were not towed if they did not have outstanding tickets. We try not to tow on a first offense, he said, because some cars belong to visitors who do not know about UK parking regulations. But Betty Wade, office supervisor for parking, said a car can be towed on one violation if it was parked on a yellow line or in a designated tow- zone area. We, being the university police, do not enjoy towing cars, Brewster said. We would rather not tow any cars. We don't like dealing with angry people. According to the police, once a car was towed, there were several steps the owner took to repossess the vehi- cle. First, owners checked with UK po- lice to make sure it has been towed by calling the station between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If the campus po- lice didn't have it towed, the Lexing- ton police may have, Brewster said. If campus police towed the car, the owner reported to the UK Division of Public Safety at 305 Euclid Avenue. Before 4:00 p.m. the citations depart- ment would take care of complaints. After that, owners saw the police dis- patcher, he said. The dispatcher explained why the car was towed, Brewster said, and in- formed the owner that any outstand- ing fines must be paid before it could be retrieved. In addition, the owner paid a $4 parking fine and a $20 towing fee. Checks were accepted for total amounts less than $35; otherwise, cash was necessary. The owner then was be given a computer-printed reciept which had to be taken to the impoundment lot on the comer of College View and Rose Street. A UK police officer es- corted or met the towed car owner at the lot. The Winchester Towing Co. per- formed all university towings, Brewster said. Automobile damages as a result of towing were the re- sponsibility of the towing company, he said. The tow-truck driver was supposed to record all damages on a car before it was hitched to the truck, he said. If an owner claimed damages incurred during towing, the owner was to con- sult the towing company. Students who had been towed, however, were disgruntled over the towing system. Richard Isaacs, a journalism sopho- more, was towed once last August. He parked in the Shively Sports Cen- ter lot at the beginning of the Fall se- mester before parking stickers were on sale. He said there was no saying it was a tow away zone. Isaacs said getting his car back really hectic and embarrassing, not a very good system. I think there's a lot of things could be changed, Gardner said of the UK towing system. He said he be- lieved towing was necessary, but there might have been a better way. —Sandy James sign was It's that 22 Towing