The Interfraternity Council voted unanimously last night to lift most of the restrictions it had imposed on fraternity social events over the past several weeks due to H1N1 concerns. The Council decided to remove its ban on large, open parties but reaffirmed mandatory safety precautions and the prohibition of drinking games.Members of the square table: Interfraternity Council members meet at Willard Straight Hall yesterday where they voted to lift the ban on open parties.

The IFC vote comes after a week of slowed flu-related activity at Gannett Health Services, which had been swamped with calls and visits over the past few weeks.

“The clincial demand at Gannett has diminished considerably since last Thursday,” Sharon Dittman, associate director of community relations at Gannett Health Services, said last night, adding that the demand for the University’s home flu kits and dining hall “sick trays” had similiarly declined.

“It’s safe to assume that there has been a drop in probable H1N1 cases across campus,” Dittman said, though she cautioned that the H1N1 virus is not well-understood and it’s difficult to predict how it will continue to spread.

According to IFC president Eddie Rooker ’10, the Greek community has been communicating frequently with Gannett Health Services about the current situation with the swine flu virus.

“[The staff] was overwhelmed,” he said. “Now that we are all at a point in which we feel it is under control and that people are aware and taking the appropriate measures, it should help in controlling the virus.”

Rooker nevertheless emphasized that although fraternities can once again host all types of events, it is necessary to continue implementing safety measures, such as providing hand sanitizer and pre-packaged snacks.

“We still need to be very, very careful. Just because the moratorium has been taken off does not mean [that the virus] is not serious.”

The IFC first voted to ban all social events at its meeting on Sept. 9. The next week, the Council voted to amend the moritorium, allowing some smaller events to proceed.

Although the IFC received praise from Univeristy administrators and health officials for its leadership in dealing with swine flu issues over the past few weeks, it also received a fair share of criticism, especially from member fraternity members.

IFC council member Steven Wald ’12, who had been outspoken against the moritorium said last night that he was extremely pleased with that the vote passed quickly.

“I applaud the decision. I think it was responsible and that two things contributed. Firstly, the swine flu is now at a level [at] which the fraternities can handle. I didn’t think that was an issue in the first place,” he said. “I also think they realize that it would be quite detrimental if they continued this moratorium due to rush processes.”

Pete Young ’11, another member of the council, embraced last night’s IFC decision, though he supported the previous temporary ban placed on large open parties.

“As long as the numbers don’t go up, I’m happy. The moratorium was a great idea, and I’m glad that the entire Greek system can now go back to normal.”

IFC Also Relaxes Inspection Regulation

In addition to the decision to resume all registered social events, the IFC also passed a resolution last night to suspend Certificates of Compliance requirements, which were necessary to hold a party, for a temporary amount of time. This vote was also unanimous.

The motion was made on account of the difficulty many council members were having in obtaining these certificates from the Ithaca Building Department, and the fact that these difficulties did not stem from serious life safety issues in regard to social events.

While fraternities are still required to obtain an Operating Permit from the Ithaca Fire Department as well as to pass a thorough inspection of the common areas where social events occur, many more chapters will now be able to register events due to the omission of the COC. Furthermore, if no issues follow the temporary suspension, the IFC will most likely renew its decision.

“The [Ithaca Building Department] would check every square foot of your house,” Young said. “This year they have been especially strict with it. A lot of fraternities previously denied will now be able to throw their own parties.”

Members of the IFC expect a rising but not unsurprising influx in registered events that will proceed within the next few weeks. Council member Brian Leibl ‘10 felt that social events previously held by the moratorium would now resume their original plans without hesitation.

“There should definitely be a decent number of parties. We were planning on having a party earlier this fall but were not able to due to the requirements, so we will be having one really soon. I am sure other fraternities are thinking the same.”

Young agrees that the amount of open registered events will most likely be on the rise even more than the beginning of this year prior to the moratorium.

“Everyone unanimously voted. We will absolutely be seeing a ton of social events going on these next few weekends.”

Rooker explained that while no one can ever be sure as to what caused the decrease in numbers of swine flu cases, he believes the environments are considerably safer as long as people keep in mind the necessary precautions. He also made clear that if there were ever another cause for concern, the same steps would be taken as have been these past weeks.

“I appreciate the understanding and cooperation of the chapter members. The ability to make tough decisions has really been shown here. That says a lot about the system and the process of the Greek community,” Rooker said.

Michael Stratford contributed reporting to this story.