Frats Get a Manners Makeover

Still, after membership declined throughout the '90s, the number of new SigEp recruits has increased 11% since 1999. Insurance premiums, which have a habit of rising when frat boys burn down their houses or fall off their balconies, have gone down the past two years. The average GPA for SigEp's members has reached the 3.0 mark, which the organization boasts is the highest of all fraternities.

Following SigEp's lead, other national fraternities have rolled out similar programs, from Sigma Alpha Epsilon's True Gentleman to Beta Theta Pi's Men of Principle. According to some members, there's an unexpected bonus from all these reforms: women seem to like them. "They can go to 21 other fraternities to get drunk," says Oregon State SigEp member Cameron Saffer. "Here you find respectful young men."