Who pledges...who doesn't. Who pledges the hardest...blahzey blah. What's wrong with BGLOs is that we confuse HAZING with PLEDGING. They're not the same. There are few things worse than a member of a BGLO who runs around bragging of the things he/she did on-line...but, still can't tell you anything about his/her organization OR doesn't do anything in his/her organization. This is because that person got HAZED, not PLEDGED. Pledging is all relative...you're ALWAYS going to find SOMEONE who pledged harder than you. You're even going to find members of organizations (that you THINK don't pledge) who pledged harder than you. BGLOs need to stop trying to out-HAZE eachother (in the name of pledging)...because we're only getting lawsuits and we're NOT making better members. That's my $19.13 worth.

Sheesh...long thread...

Okay, I'm new to the forum, but not to Greek Life. I know this has been said before, but I'm gonna rehash and try to organize here.

Mindless, senseless hazing is wrong. Beating pledges, making them run naked through zero degree weather, making them pound shot after shot just for an active's amusement, whatever - that's wrong. There's no point to that.

The message I learned from my fraternity's pledge semester was that my GLO is one unit...and all of the activities we did had a point...they taught us to work together to get something accomplished; they taught us that there's a certain amount of work that NEEDS to be done, and if I don't do it, then my brother will end up sacking up and doing it.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not some tool who pledged an easy house just to claim a greek name - My house has one of the toughest pledge semesters on campus. But we also have a point to our pledge activities. There are no mindless "hey bros, tonight we're just gonna give the pledges four handles of vodka and make them drink it"...that, to me, has no point.

I'm actually very glad I went through my pledge semester. I never imagined what I could do if I were pushed to my breaking point - physically and mentally - and then pushed a little bit further. I wouldn't have been able to handle any of the challenges I've faced since I've pledged, because I would have turned around and given up. Thanks to pledging, I've seen my limits - what I think I can do and what I physically can do - and I'm not afraid to push myself to those limits.

I wouldn't have discovered those limits had I not been pushed to my breaking points...and I wouldn't have been pushed had I not been "hazed."

To reiterate, hazing with a purpose, with some final goal in mind, is great. It teaches a person a lot about themselves and shows them how to overcome the "I can't do it" mentality.

Hazing just to haze...that's bad.

My sorority is notorious for being the "hardest" on my college campus. It's so funny to hear all the rumors about how we make our pledges to bottlesquats and perform oral sex on fraterity bros. . .hahaha! Girls that would do that, in order to belong to a group that would make them do such things, have serious issues!

Granted, hazing sucks and to get beaten overly drunk to maybe die is STUPID! But some of this has gone much to far!

New Assoc. Members should have to learn the history of the local chapter and the International! They should have study time to keep the Grades (After All That Is Why They are in College)!
We use to have a tractor tire painted white and rolled to Soro Houses for Signatures, Paddles made for Big Brothers, and A Large Paddle made by the class with their names on it with their class designation. These Large Paddles are hung on the walls of the House and the Alums love to come back and find theirs to show their kids!
But according to International, this shows a form of Hazing and is verboten!!!!!!

Well, I say BS!
There is a reason for things so that young men can bond but I never found bonding was from getting your ass beat or making one drink until he may die! Stupidity comes in all shapes and sizes!

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Tom Earp LX Z#1
Pittsburg State U. (Kansas)