In about two years, every NIU fraternity will be under its national chapter’s risk-management policy to reduce liability related to alcohol.

Interfraternity Council President Tom Zur said the IFC has a risk-reduction committee working on a risk-reduction policy to “get the best ideas to limit alcohol liability.”

Jeff Cufaude, activities adviser for University Programming and Activities, said five fraternities’ national chapters implemented a risk-management policy this summer.

Zur said that in about two years every fraternity will have a similar national policy. Every two years national chapters hold conventions, and that is when they can change laws and implement new policies, he said.

UP&A Director Michelle Emmett said the object of the risk-reduction policy is to reduce the amount of liability for a chapter. She said a chapter does not want to lose all its assets in a lawsuit.

She said the national policy has guidelines against the sale of alcohol from a fraternity, hazing and physical or emotional sexual abuse.

People do not realize the responsibility they accept when they have a party, Zur said. The risk-reduction policy will put the responsibility of having a safe party on the fraternity, he said.

If a person leaves a party intoxicated and that person is involved in an accident, there is a certain amount of liability connected to the party’s host, Zur said.

Don Henderson, students’ legal assistance director, said that Illinois law states people selling liquor, such as from a tavern, can be held liable for injuries or damages to a third party.

However, if a social host provides alcohol and does not sell it to guests, the host is not liable for injuries to a third person under Illinois law, Henderson said.

Jeff Parker, IFC risk-reduction committee chairman, said the committee has made a rough outline of its policy. He said that at Tuesday’s IFC meeting the committee will “fine tune” the policy.

“Past (IFC) policies have not been adequate,” Parker said. In the past, policies have been vague, and a change is needed to make fraternity parties safer, he said.

Parker said the IFC is taking a leadership position and is implementing new policies.

Zur said, “It is hard to go from one policy to another, but we (IFC) are working at it.” He said several houses already are trying to follow risk-reduction guidelines by arranging rides home for guests.

Zur said the IFC wants to educate all people, not just greeks, on the risks involved with having a party. He said one way to inform students is to sponsor a speaker who would discuss the issue of alcohol and risk-reduction.

He said that at this point, sponsoring a speaker is tentative and the specifics have not been discussed by the IFC. Rather, it is an idea which needs to be planned, he said.