Trinity’s dry recruitment (the “red zone”) period is extending from Sept. 15 to Jan. 30 2026, Associate Dean of Students Benjamins Williams announced in an email to Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) members on Monday.
According to the email, “any event where a potential new member is invited or present cannot have alcohol” — an announcement that caused some students to voice their dissatisfaction.
All fraternity or sorority events with alcohol, like open parties, should follow the Safer Parties Initiative (SPIn) and cannot have potential new members (PNMs) present, Williams told the Trinitonian over email.
Every group will have due process for a report, Williams emphasized to the Trinitonian. In the general email, he wrote that If a false report against an FSL organization is made, it will be “taken seriously as an abuse of the reporting process.”
There is a blurry line for some of these circumstances, Williams also wrote. If an organization attends, rather than hosts, an event with alcohol and a PNM happens to be there, the issue becomes more complicated.
Administrators were “required” to take action, Williams wrote. Since Williams’ arrival, he stated that Trinity has had “multiple transports for students to the Detox Center or Hospital for overconsumption of alcohol, many of whom were underage.”
He’s seen a member of an FSL organization die from abusing alcohol, Williams wrote to the Trinitonian. That was the most challenging moment of his career: supporting an organization after an alcohol-related death.
“I don’t ever want to see that happen here,” Williams wrote. “I’m committed to working with the Presidents, members, alumni, and others to chart a path forward.”
Soon after Williams sent the initial email, one “concerned student” made a petition to remove the mandate. The survey has amassed 204 signatures as of Tuesday night.
On Tuesday morning, John Ferretti, senior finance major, sent an email to Williams and Dean of Students Jessica Edonick expressing his worries about the extension. Ferretti questioned why there wasn’t more conversation about the issue before the announcement and called the policy a “complete, and unjust, abuse of power.”
“If our school can’t lead with communication and discourse it is our duty to grab the reins and control our experience at this university,” Ferretti wrote. “I hope our university can do better.”
This is an ongoing story. The Trinitonian released longer coverage on this issue here. Check out our print edition, our website or our newsletter for updates.
*The Trinitonian has updated the headline of his article from “No more partying for the PNMS” to more accurately represent the information in the article.
