A third Iowa State fraternity is going dry.

Officials from ISU’s Sigma Nu chapter announced Friday that fraternity members will not be allowed to possess or consume alcohol in the chapter house or on chapter property beginning Jan. 1, 1996.

FarmHouse and the newly formed Alpha Sigma Phi chapter are also considered dry houses.

The Sigma Nu decision comes after its national organization announced last March that all of its 215 chapters in the United States and Canada would become alcohol free by the year 2000.

The local chapter’s shift was heightened by a recent suspension by national officials for violations of its risk reduction policy.

“We decided that it would be best for our chapter to begin following the new policy as soon as possible,” Sigma Nu President Justin Sample, said. “When we become alcohol free next semester we will receive more help from the national fraternity in adjusting to the change than if we wait three or four years until everybody else changes.”

The recent alcohol-related death of a University of Iowa fraternity pledge was not a factor in Sigma Nu’s decision, said Brian Wirtz, the chapter’s vice president.

“We hope that by eliminating the alcohol in our house, we can refocus our efforts in the areas of recruitment, new member education, leadership and academics. FarmHouse has been the top fraternity in grades at ISU for several years and they have a much easier time recruiting than most other fraternities here,” Wirtz said.

“The Alpha Sigs don’t even have a house yet and they have over 40 members,” he added. “People call them asking if they can join.”

Wirtz said the change may initially be a rocky one. He said Sigma Nu officers are expecting to lose some members, but, “It’s an alternative that a lot of people are looking for.”

Sigma Nu will still be able to sponsor events with other fraternities where alcohol is present, but those events must be catered by a third-party vendor.

Julie Hays, ISU’s greek affairs coordinator, said the Sigma Nu decision is an example of a larger, national trend. She said due to insurance and liability concerns, national officials for fraternities are turning more to harsher alcohol policies.

Hays said prohibiting alcohol consumption in chapter houses won’t solve all of a fraternity’s problems, but it is a step in the right direction.

“I think there is a lot of interest,” she said. “We have a lot of students asking about substance-free housing.”

Opposition among some members to Sigma Nu’s new alcohol policy is not unusual, Hays said. “It’s common in that there are students in any organization that focus too much on alcohol.”

Hays said there are more ISU fraternities considering banning alcohol from chapter property. And, she said, though the ISU greek system as a whole has no immediate plans to implement a similar policy, “in the long term, it’s something that we need to be aware of.”