If they would be specific as to what the hazing entailed, that would be one thing. But I doubt any GLOs would make that known, and there's a huge gap between "made pledges wear sorority colors on Fridays" and "made pledges eat animal poo."

Update from Ohio State regarding fraternity suspensions.

http://www.dispatch.com/news/2017121...end-suspension
"Ohio State University’s Office of Student Life has distributed guidelines and requirements to its suspended fraternities, requiring them to identify and address high-risk behaviors to move toward reinstatement.

"The eight-page document, distributed to the fraternity chapters Friday, comes after Ohio State’s decision last month to indefinitely suspend activities at all 37 of the fraternities governed by its Interfraternity Council. The memo sent Friday details action steps regarding recruitment, new-member activities, social culture, monitoring and continuing education, and alumni, adviser and parent involvement. It emphasizes reducing alcohol use and ending hazing."

So for reinstatement, the students have to agree to criminally incriminate themselves? Again, this seems pretty constitutionally suspect.

"Action steps"

:rolleyes:

My godson was “released” 10 days before Initiation because he was “too good”
And would be a drag on the chapter. Not a drinker or party person, honor student,
That wanted to give back to the community...
You would think the perfect member for many reasons but obviously not for them.
My heart just broke when I was told and I’m still so very angry and disappointed.

We know someone that happened to at Georgia Tech, and his dad was a member of the same chapter. :(

I talked with a mom the other day whose son pledged a "popular" fraternity at a very prominent Greek Life Campus. She said that he realized after recruitment that he got caught up in "tent talk" and his values did not align with the fraternity he pledged. He asked for and was granted a release...and soon after pledged a fraternity full of "his people" who were more focused on academics and leadership (not that the other fraternity did not offer that but it did not seem to be the focus or reputation).

This is the other side of the spectrum from your godson but maybe IFC gives young men an opportunity to move on from a potential bad fit even if the pledges or actives do not see it initially. I hope that your godson is not soured on fraternity life and finds a home somewhere that his values will be appreciated.

My youngest son (the one I had given birth to right before I joined GC, lol) is planning to rush this fall. I desperately hope he can find a group with strong values and that he will be a fraternity man, not a "frat boy".

Wow, that's crazy to think about!

Miami University(OH) has suspended all fraternity activities and pledge programs. All current pledges must be initiated into their respective organizations by 5 pm on Feb. 23.

http://miamistudent.net/ifc-suspends...ty-activities/

Six chapters which have not yet been identified are on cease and desist orders and may not initiate any new members
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/new...rts/358432002/

Agree. And binge drinking is a massive trend over the past 10 years or so - yes, college students have always been drinking a lot, but the binge drinking is a newer trend. That and students - not just girls, guys too - not eating before going to parties (to avoid weight gain) so they're drinking on empty stomaches. In the mental health field, a term has been coined for this: "Drunkerexia". Way worse consequences.

A student at my alma mater Case Western wrote a very thoughtful letter to the editor of the paper on this in 2016.

http://observer.case.edu/gurian-greek/

While a large percentage (usually about 1/3 of the 5000 undergrad students) of CWRU students are greek, as a whole it is a much smaller group of students to work with than the larger schools mentioned in this discussion, CWRU had membership reveiws for several fraternities, with one eventually also having charter revoked by nationals in 2016 (though looks like they're set to come back in 2020). From the alum rumor mill this (and an increase in required programming by the GLO) seem to be keeping things in line.

Like everyone else I don't know what the answer is. College kids are going to binge drink. I live near Ohio State and have heard rumors about fraternities or just a group of members going "underground" and off campus to live like they used to. I'm sure most of this is just an expression of frustration, but if the desire to belong to greek institutions exists, students will find a way to do it, so is it better to have it regulated?

I think about the OSU tradition of jumping into mirror lake before the Michigan game. The university did everything it could to try to stop it or try to separate themselves from liability but students still participated and one lost his life in 2015. After that, even with USG saying they wanted to end it, the Univeristy basically had to drain mirror lake and has been redeveloping the entire site for three years with no certainty that once it's reopened students won't go back to jumping in it in late November.

The threat of or actual closing probably still needs to be on the table as a stick in case the carrots don't work, but I don't know if a middle ground exists.