Why Colleges Don't Do More to Rein In Frats

Scott Schneider was quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education on March 27, 2015. The article “Why Colleges Don’t Do More to Rein In Frats” discussed how the latest spate of bad behavior has raised bigger questions about Greek organizations’ place on campuses: Why don’t colleges, or the national associations the fraternities represent, hold frats more accountable? Can they, or should they, do more? How?

Scott was quoted on the importance of implementing and enforcing rules with regards to Greek organizations.

"The greater control you set up for Greek life, the more liability you assume," said Scott.

Scott said that the struggles to oversee Greek organizations are part of a bigger conversation about how much colleges should be responsible for students in general.

Since the 1960s, institutions have slowly given students more and more responsibility for their own actions, he said. Now the pendulum may be swinging the other way.

He warned in an article, however, that colleges should weigh the unintended consequences of greater regulation.

"Put simply, it is a mistake for institutions to simply assume that they are under a legal duty to corral rowdy fraternities," he wrote. "To the contrary, there may be instances that such a duty is created solely by efforts to rein these organizations in."

To read the full article, please visit The Chronicle of Higher Education.