In addition to the bars in State College staying open, IFC and Panhel will allow for some social functions this year during State Patty’s weekend.

“This weekend has been referred to in the past as ‘State Patty’s Day Weekend’, but joint efforts from University administration, law enforcement agencies, and Greek Life have made several positive strides over the past few years in an attempt to rid our community of this typically detrimental event,” Panhellenic President Abby Renko said in an email to all sorority presidents.

In keeping with the policy put in place last year, sorority members are prohibited from having guests on sorority floors from Feb. 27-28.

The past few years, the IFC has prohibited any parties, socials, or daylongs during State Patty’s. This year, a social event is permitted on Thursday evening and Panhel delegates will vote this week on whether to allow a Friday social event as well. Day drinking events at fraternities over the weekend will not be allowed. However, 1:1 social events, meaning one fraternity and one sorority, will be allowed in the evening.

“We hope that allowing these 1:1 social events to parallel ‘normal’ weekends will encourage safe and regulated activity, rather than working against the positive strides we have been making to eliminate this event,” Renko said in the e-mail.

A return to normalcy during State Patty’s is certainly good news for the Greek community. The only downside? Members will be expected to refrain from any themed social related to State Patty’s Day, and strongly discouraged from wearing State Patty’s gear to events, Renko said in the email.

The e-mail ended with: “Again, please remember that you are always wearing your letters. [emphasis theirs] This is a great opportunity for us to show the community that we can be part of the solution, not the problem.”

Last year, the university released statistics claiming the end of State Patty’s was near. If crime rates stay on the decline, the end of February will be just like any other weekend at Penn State. Just with a lot more kids wearing green.