This dissertation draws on the disciplines of cultural anthropology, history, and higher education administration to complete an ethnographic case study analysis of a college fraternity operating under alcohol-free housing policies. Qualitative research methods were used to investigate the primary research question: “How does a college fraternity culture maintain an alcohol-free housing facility?” This study is believed to be the first of its kind in reviewing a critical fraternal case unit operating under alcohol-free housing policies. The study reveals the unique operations and culture of this fraternity chapter as it pertains to the alcohol-free housing policy. Data collection was completed through participant observation of the case unit, document review of organizational archives, and semi-formal interviews conducted with current students and former members.

The literature review for this study revealed that alcohol-free housing policies are a growing trend in higher education. The fraternity observed for this study was successful in maintaining its alcohol-free housing policy over time, but not without complications and attacks from the forces of cultural erosion. The study produced several key success factors for the case unit, including: Environmental Factors, Recruitment, Social Alternatives, Brotherhood and Friendship, and Enforcement. These key factors were used to build a conceptual model for success with alcohol-free housing policies.