Rushees interested in living in an alcohol-free fraternity will have another option at Iowa State in a couple of years.

ISU’s Alpha Kappa Lambda, along with the rest of the AKL chapters, has voted to become completely substance-free by August of 2001.

“We decided to do this when we voted on it in August,” said Chad McFadden, president of AKL, 2635 Knapp St.

McFadden said the fraternity’s decision to go substance-free is actually part of a bigger picture.

“It’s actually not only about the alcohol,” McFadden said. “The fraternity has decided to participate in a program called Select 2000 that deals with … leaderships on campus, and the agreement to go substance-free is a small portion of it.

“We also want to return to the basic principles of AKL, which include things like scholarships and leadership,” he said.

McFadden said he does not think AKL membership will decline as a result of the no-alcohol policy.

“Traditionally, we have never been a big party house anyway, and nationally, the fraternity has never had an alcohol-related incident,” McFadden said. “Also, if that’s what people are actually here for, then they really shouldn’t be here at all.”

Stu Sorrel, president of the Inter-Fraternity Council, said he thinks AKL made the right decision.

“If the fraternity made the vote to do it, then they made the best decision for their chapter,” Sorrel said. “Also, by voluntarily doing this, they are showing that they are leaders on campus. We definitely support it.”

AKL may not be the only fraternity to go alcohol-free. Other fraternities on campus may soon follow suit, Sorrel said.

“I think that there is a definite trend of alcohol-free fraternities,” he said. “I think that in the next five to eight years, all of the fraternities on campus will go alcohol-free on their chapter grounds.”

Dave Cook, member of AKL fraternity, said the new policy helps in other ways as well.

“When you have people drinking in your house, stuff gets broken a lot, especially during parties, and the new policy helps prevent that,” he said.

McFadden said he feels the policy is a positive step for the house.

“I think it will be a success in our house. It’s not really going to hurt us,” McFadden said. “It’s good for us because it’s about returning to the principles the fraternity was founded on and about taking a more active role on campus.”

Cook said even though the policy does not actually take effect until 2001, there should not be any future problems in terms of finding members.

“I foresee less trouble about it in the future because by then, current members and new members will know that the fraternity is going dry, and new members will know that before they join,” he said.

Cook said alcohol-free housing is a trend, but it might encounter a little resistance.

“There may be a couple of fraternities that will hold out and resist it, but I think that for the most part, all the national fraternities are looking at this,” Cook said. “[They] are starting to lean toward this for insurance purposes, and because they feel the need to go back to what fraternities were started for.”