Policies and Standards

Updated Drug and Substance Use Policy: Adopted March 2023

WHEREAS, the coercive use of drugs and other substances is wholly inconsistent with the founding principles of the Alpha Delta Phi Society (the “Society”); 

WHEREAS, the Society’s knowledge of medicine, drugs, and substance use is constantly evolving with time, scientific research, and stories of lived experiences; 

WHEREAS, the Society aims to continually evolve and adapt accordingly in response to new knowledge; 

WHEREAS, the Society aims to update and develop policies that reflect our values; 

WHEREAS, drug policy in the United States historically and contemporarily discriminates against people of color, particularly Black and Indigenous people, and has contributed to their imprisonment and disenfranchisement; 

WHEREAS, punitive and carceral drug and substance use policies perpetuate these societal inequities and do not increase the safety of Members or their communities; 

WHEREAS, the Society desires cultural and federal, state, and local policy changes that prioritize health and human rights rather than criminalization; 

WHEREAS, the Society values individual responsibility and mutual and community support; WHEREAS, the Society firmly believes in Members’ agency and self-determination, especially with respect to identifying support needs; 

WHEREAS, the Society promotes the provision of collective and mutual aid by its Chapters and Graduate Organizations and seeks to encourage its furtherance; 

WHEREAS, the Society recognizes the principles of harm reduction and the importance of centering the needs of people who use drugs and other substances; 

WHEREAS, the Society seeks to promote a culture of responsible drug and substance use that prioritizes harm reduction and community accountability; 

WHEREAS, the Society wishes to develop policies that limit the legal risk of its Members; 

WHEREAS, the Society is always available and accountable to support Chapters in addressing concerns raised by Chapters; 

BE IT RESOLVED, the Society and each Chapter and Graduate Organization solemnly commits to respect any individual’s desire to abstain from the use of drugs or other substances and will not tolerate activities involving pressuring, coercing, or forcing, however subtly, any Member, participant in rush, or any guest attending a Society or local function, to use drugs or other substances; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each Chapter is strongly and acutely encouraged to participate in a drug, chemical, and substance abuse education program for both current and new members that focuses on the health and medical effects of drug and substance use, harm reduction principles, and strategies for minimizing negative consequences; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Chapters, with support from the Executive Director or their designee, are strongly encouraged to make readily available to all Members a list of: a) campus groups, b) community organizations, c) college or university administrators, and/or d) trained individuals that specialize in the treatment of and rapid response to drug, chemical, and substance misuse that expressly avoid punitive and carceral responses; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all Members take reasonable, affirmative steps to follow campus policies and applicable laws, and all Members are encouraged to take reasonable, affirmative steps to prevent individuals from driving whose driving may be impaired from the use of drugs or other substances, as informed by all individual needs and applicable laws and regulations; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Society, Chapters, and Graduate Organizations shall commit to support and encourage drug abuse-free and substance abuse–free activities and alternatives; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Executive Director and the Board of Governors, or their designee, are encouraged to develop, with optional input from Chapters, and distribute to all Chapters recommended risk management and community accountability plans and processes that incorporate harm reduction principles and center the needs of people who use drugs or other substances and incorporate the needs of people who do not use drugs or other substances; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, all Chapters are encouraged to adopt the above proactive risk management and community accountability plans regarding drug and other substances use; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, every Chapter is empowered to handle matters relating to drug and other substance use according to their own policies and to request advisory input from the Society and delegate to the Society in cases where the Chapter does not have the bandwidth or deems it necessary for the safety and wellbeing of self, community, Chapters, and Society; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Society shall allocate material resources to Chapters and Graduate Organizations to meaningfully realize the aims of this policy, including resources for harm reduction supplies, training, and support for people who use drugs; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Society expressly discourages drug and substance use that is in violation of any applicable laws and regulations and that priority is given to such laws and regulations that are applicable to individual Chapters to the extent that they contradict any provision within this resolution; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall supersede previous resolutions in matters of drug and other substance use, excluding alcohol; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall only be in effect until the next annual Convention and shall the next annual Convention not pass a resolution relating to drug and other substance use that this resolution is thereby repealed.

see PDF version here

Updated Alcohol Use Policy: Adopted March 2023

WHEREAS, the coercive use of alcohol is wholly inconsistent with the founding principles of the Alpha Delta Phi Society (the “Society”);

WHEREAS, the Society aims to update and develop policies that reflect our values;

WHEREAS, the Society seeks to promote a culture of responsible alcohol use that prioritizes harm reduction and community accountability;

WHEREAS, the Society values individual responsibility and mutual and community support;

WHEREAS, the Society firmly believes in Members’ agency and self-determination, especially with respect to identifying support needs;

WHEREAS, the Society promotes the provision of collective and mutual aid by its Chapters and Graduate Organizations and seeks to encourage its furtherance;

WHEREAS, punitive and carceral alcohol and alcohol use policies do not increase the safety of Members or their communities;

WHEREAS, the Society desires cultural and federal, state, and local policy changes that prioritize health and human rights rather than criminalization;

WHEREAS, the Society wishes to develop policies that limit the legal risk of its
Members;

WHEREAS, the Society is always available and accountable to support Chapters in addressing concerns raised by Chapters;

BE IT RESOLVED, the Society and each Chapter and Graduate Organization solemnly commits to respect any individual’s desire to abstain from the consumption of alcohol and will not tolerate activities involving pressuring, coercing, or forcing, however subtly, any Member, participant in rush, or any guest attending a Society or local function, to consume alcohol;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each Chapter is strongly and acutely encouraged to participate in an alcohol use education program for both current and new members that focuses on the health and medical effects of alcohol use, harm reduction principles, and strategies for minimizing negative consequences;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each Chapter, with support from the Executive Director or their designee, shall make readily available to its Members a list of: a) campus groups, b) community organizations, c) college or university administrators, and/or d) trained individuals that specialize in the treatment of and rapid response to alcohol misuse that expressly avoid punitive and carceral responses;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all Members take reasonable, affirmative steps to follow campus policies and applicable laws, such as those regarding underage drinking, checking identification, and refraining from serving impaired individuals, and all Members are encouraged to take reasonable, affirmative steps to prevent individuals under the influence of alcohol and other substances from driving;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Society, Chapters, and Graduate Organizations shall commit to support and encourage alcohol–free activities and alternatives;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Executive Director and the Board of Governors, or their designee, are encouraged to develop, with optional input from Chapters, and distribute to all Chapters recommended risk management and community accountability plans and processes that incorporate harm reduction principles and center the needs of people who use alcohol and incorporate the needs of people who do not use alcohol;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, all Chapters are encouraged to adopt the above proactive risk management and community accountability plans regarding alcohol use;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, every Chapter is empowered to handle matters relating to alcohol use according to their own policies and to request advisory input from the Society and delegate to the Society in cases where the Chapter does not have the bandwidth or deems it necessary for the safety and wellbeing of self, community, Chapters, and Society;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Society shall allocate material resources Chapters and Graduate Organizations to meaningfully realize the aims of this policy, including resources for harm reduction supplies, training, and support for people who use alcohol;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Society expressly discourages alcohol use that is in violation of any applicable laws and regulations and that priority is given to such laws and regulations that are applicable to individual Chapters to the extent that they contradict any provision within this resolution;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall supersede previous resolutions in matters of alcohol use;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall only be in effect until the next annual Convention and shall the next annual Convention not pass a resolution relating to alcohol use that this resolution is thereby repealed.

see PDF version here

Policy Statement on Protecting the Safety and Respecting the Dignity of Pledges, Members, and Guests: Adopted October 2003

WHEREAS, violence, harassment, intimidation or abuse against any person is wholly inconsistent with the founding principles of the Alpha Delta Phi Society;

WHEREAS, violence, harassment, intimidation and abuse, particularly in the recruitment and pledging of new members, have been reported problems at fraternities and sororities nationwide;

WHEREAS, sexual assault and intimate partner violence are criminal activities that are widespread in society as a whole and on college campuses specifically;

WHEREAS, harassment based on group identity is a violation of an individual’s dignity and personal respect and may be a violation of federal and state civil rights laws; and

WHEREAS, the coeducational chapters of the Alpha Delta Phi Society are not immune from these problems and have a special obligation to ensure the equal participation of men and women in educational institutions;

THEREFORE, be it resolved in Convention this 4th day of October, 2003, that

(1) the Alpha Delta Phi Society and its member chapters and graduate organizations commit to making the recruitment and pledging process at all chapters free from all forms of violence, harassment, intimidation or abuse, including any form of physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse;

(2) the Alpha Delta Phi Society and its member chapters and graduate organizations will not condone any form of physical violence or sexual, emotional or psychological abuse in its undergraduate living environments or at its official functions;

(3) the Alpha Delta Phi Society and its member chapters and graduate organizations will not condone any form of harassment — including sexual harassment or harassment based on race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability — in its undergraduate living environments or at its official functions;

(4) the Alpha Delta Phi Society and its member chapters and graduate organizations commit to providing education to pledges and members on sexual assault and intimate partner violence and all forms of harassment, including associated risk factors such as alcohol and substance abuse; and

(5) to ensure that the principles of this resolution are carried out, the Alpha Delta Phi Society and its member chapters and graduate organizations commit to developing reporting and appropriate investigatory process to be presented for approval to the 5th Convention.

See PDF version here