DE Campus Life Editor

Munirah Frye is a greek leader who says she does not have time for alcohol let alone drinking heavily.

Frye, president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., arrives early at her job everyday. She leaves work to attend classes, and during the breaks between classes she squeezes in time to run a sorority. After classes are over, she races to the Recreation Center for exercise and a bit of relaxation. Then she goes home to cook dinner.

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After her meal, more than dishes and suds await. She has a mountain of calculus, statistics and other homework to manage along with her sorority. She often drafts memos and makes plans late into the night.

For Frye, this tough cycle repeats itself everyday until the weekend. Then, she tries to make time for the schoolwork she could not get to during the week.

That is only after she finishes her community service or other sorority obligations. Heavy drinking is not an option for her.

Frye, a senior in management information systems and entrepreneurship from Chicago, is not like a number of greek leaders surveyed in a recent study.

SIUC researchers Cheryl A. Presley and Jeffrey R. Cashin, with Cornell University researcher Philip W. Meilman, surveyed 25,411 students at 61 colleges and universities nationwide, and found that fraternity and sorority leaders may be among the heaviest drinkers on college campuses.

Heavy drinking, or binge drinking, is defined as consuming five or more alcohol drinks in one sitting.

Greek leaders also reported more negative consequences associated with alcohol use, and Frye has a difficult time fitting in with the some of the greek leaders surveyed in this latest study.

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I don’t think I drink as heavily as researchers suggest, she said. I don’t like to drink I barely have time to study for classes with all of the other things I have to do.

Likewise, Tim Richie, president of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, said the only trend he sets for his fraternity members and other students is one of responsibility.

With all the time that I put into leadership activities, I don’t consider myself a heavy drinker, said Richie, a junior in agricultural business and economics from Dwight. Yes, I drink. But growing up as a youngster, with alcohol awareness programs and my family’s upbringing, I just don’t drink a lot.

Nikki Snyder, a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, also was surprised at the research results. She said most greek leaders at SIUC and nationwide are not the people portrayed in the research.

I would have to disagree with those results, said Snyder, a senior in radio-television from Buffalo Grove. That’s very strange. People who are in higher positions of authority would have to watch their backs more than other people.

I think that when people read these survey results, they should sort it out before believing that this is actually the case. I think these survey results are irrational.

Snyder, a member of the Intergreek Council, said she usually drinks on weekends when she does not have classes. And when she does drink, she does not binge drink.

Jay Curtis, president of Delta Chi fraternity, also said he is not a heavy drinker, but more of a social drinker. Like Frye, he believes SIUC’s greek leaders are much too busy to drink more than the average student.

Sometimes I drink once a week, other times I may have three drinks in one day it depends on the event, he said.

But when I think about the Greek leaders on this campus, I see them the same way as anyone else on campus I’m not at home with them, I wouldn’t know if they’re heavy drinkers. But these people have a number of meetings and things to do everyday. I don’t see them having the time for heavy drinking.