I believe that the posters in this thread agree that hazing is horrible. We're simply discussing what hazing actually is.

What constitute hazing has already been determined by the university and the state. Wether we agree with the definition or not is irrelevant. If we choose to violate them, we are violating the law and put us at risk for either jail sentence or lawsuits.

That's what I'm saying though. The states and schools have broad hazing laws, but individual Greek councils and conferences have much more specific rules. So, things like scavenger hunts aren't considered hazing in many places, but no NPC sorority is allowed to put together a hunt because of NPC hazing rules.

Our insurance company prohibits scavenger hunts for risk management and liability purposes, even for alumnae groups.

I will admit, our hazing policy is more strict than most laws, but then, historically, sororities and fraternities have hazed in different ways. The men's groups tend to do more physical hazing. The women's groups tend to more psychological hazing. It ends up harder to prove damage when it's psychological, but the damage to the self esteem can be horrendous and long lasting.

Dee

but... pledges aren't members yet, hence it would make sense that they would do study hall with thier brothers or sisters and not with the actives.

could it be age, wisdom, or still living on the short bus...
 

i went throught the articles and everyone's comments, and what i still dont get is, if what has happened is true, why????

im having very little sympathy for him. he has a chemical imbalance. how callous of him to treat his condition so lightly.

in addition to the hazing issue i guess i dont get the reason for the lawsuit.

We don't have pledges, we have new members. They are members the minute they accept their bid. They wear letters, begin being educated about the Fraternity, paying dues, and attending all activities. We pay International Dues on them and liability insurance fees on them. They ARE members.

Dee

Our girls are NOT allowed to wear letters at all during pledging . Getting your first set of letters is considered something sacred, important, and something to be savored. And it's a chance for your big to give you something pretty :). Hazing? Depends on who you ask. To us, it is a way to make sure that the girls are going to fully understand the meaning behind those letters and wear them with pride, grace, and true sisterhood. The giving of letters marks your first step into active sorority life.

I should probably leave this thread alone but... (there's that "but"!) Restrictions on letters are not hazing by the general definition. Some sororities have rules against withholding letters because it is safer to keep all "members" together from the start. If the sorority culture is warm to all women affiliated in any way with the sorority, the tendency to create cliques and classes lessens. I can see why large chapters would need to keep this in check, however, smaller chapters may not see the issues to a great extent. (I mean, how many cliques can you have in a chapter of, say, 10???)