As of August 2012, fraternities will be able to choose whether students ages 21 and over will be able to drink alcohol on their properties.

MU’s Interfraternity Council revised its alcohol policy last week for the first time since 2003. The policy previously forbade any alcohol consumption on fraternity property.

IFC members reexamined the policy after NPower released MU’s Greek Life Strategic Plan in spring 2010. A task force comprised of students and alumni advisers examined alcohol policies at schools similar to MU, determining how well each was executed and enforced. Members used the task force’s research to create a revised policy, which they presented to IFC President Mike Zeiter on May 4.

“It’s been a process,” Director of Greek Life Janna Basler said. “It isn’t something that just happened.”

The task force proposed to give fraternities the option to legalize alcohol consumption on their properties for students ages 21 and over.

“They can opt in and out of the policy,” said Matt Perkins, IFC vice president of risk management. “It gives chapters more freedom and opportunities.”

Participating fraternities must submit an application annually to have alcohol in their houses. The chapters must meet academic and risk management requirements, and both an alumni adviser and a representative from the Housing Corporation Board must give their written consent. Basler said.

IFC will also hire a third-party security firm to audit the participating houses. The firm will audit each house daily at various times and report its observations to the Housing Corporation Board, the chapter president and the Office of Student Conduct, Basler said.

“If violations have been observed, they can hold the chapters accountable,” she said.

Chapter-funded alcohol, communal alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking games and underage consumption are prohibited. The regulations are consistent with local and state laws as well as the rules of the Fraternity Information and Programming Group and most national fraternities, Perkins said.

Basler said chapter events involving alcohol must still be held off-campus and hosted by a third-party vendor.

A task force will continue to reexamine the policy each year and will propose changes if necessary.

“We will (reevaluate) it every single year so we can get the best policy we can for the community for that point in time,” Basler said.