Is Hazing making a comeback?
 

Maybe I am just naive, but I felt like we had made a real dent in the amount of hazing going on in our collegiate chapters. However, lately, I feel like there are more and more incidents of hazing being reported in the media. I'm also hearing more from NPC groups about "paper" pledging. Do you think hazing is coming back, or has there been a low level of hazing continuously that we are just now starting to hear more about with internet access?

This.

Plus I think groups are getting more creative with their hazing. Pushing that line further and further and being sneakier about it rather than doing it almost publicly.

:eek:

wooooooooow

You think it ever went away?

What is this?

I think, if it is an increase in hazing, it could be as a response to the 'everything is hazing!' policies out now. Some chapters could be thinking that if you're going to get your charter pulled for a scavenger hunt, you might as well go the full nine yards.

I will never understand that logic. That's like saying, "Well, if I'm going to be arrested for smoking pot, I might as well smoke some crack."

There has been controversy in the NPHC community about whether or not you "deserve" to be a member of your GLO if you just signed a paper to get initiated rather than having to go through "pledging" (i.e hazing.) If you look around comments on JC about hazing, you will see multiple comments referring to this. I had never previously heard NPC groups complaining of the lack of "pledging" so I was surprised.

Naively...yes! But then again, I previously only had experience with my own chapter that NEVER hazed. I take that back. A small group of initiated sisters did some silly "hazing" one year, they got in so much trouble with the chapter because of it. We had a zero tolerance policy without any input from alumnae. The chapter culture was such that we had completely abandoned any past hazing "traditions."

Just for clarity, pledging and hazing are two different things. Both are forbidden in my fraternity, but they will get you different sanctions.

Then.. what do you classify as "pledging"?

In the NPHC world, those may be two different things, but for the purpose of NPC groups, any "pledging" being discussed by these chapters is essentially hazing. Trust me, they aren't discussing the predetermined New Member education programs of their organizations!;)

Hazing = the crime as defined by local laws
Pledging = pledging

lol

Sorry I can't be more precise than that. :)

I understand that.

If the distinction was made between hazing (as a crime) and organizational membership infractions, then we wouldn't be in the mess we're in with "everything" being considered hazing.

Each organization should have the power to determine their own rules without essentially watering down the meaning of hazing.

I blame Hank Nuwer and them, too.

One of the main problems is that universities don't distinguish between the two. You can get kicked off campus for both, so GLOs don't have the opportunity to handle these things internally.

I can dig it. Many universities don't.

I think it's stupid too, but my chapter is completely non-hazing.

And...I would compare it more to zero tolerance policies at schools. Like...if you're going to get arrested for bringing a plastic knife to school to cut your sandwich, you might as well go ahead and bring the real one, right? Same punishment, even though the crime is different.

And the flip side of that would be that hazing is on the rise because more things are considered hazing.

Exactly. If a sorority says scavenger hunts and interviews are hazing and a chapter gets closed because of that, oftentimes all that gets to the media is "Mu Mu Mu was closed because of hazing." Joe the Plumber (lol) doesn't think immediately of a scavenger hunt, he thinks of girls beating the crap out of each other and forcing each other to drink. The confidentiality with which chapter closings are handled only perpetuates the problem. Not that I think they should put everything out there, but they have to realize if they close a chapter because of something like that "Mu Mu Mu" and "hazing" are going to come up on Google hits everywhere.

In my experience in working with chapters for almost 20 years now, hazing (serious stuff, not the borderline things that didn't used to be hazing) does trend up and down. I think hazing in high schools has increased over the last several years and so that trend is following to college. I will definitely say though, that I think it's becoming more and more prevalent in the sports teams/bands or other organizations and not necessarily in the Greek system.

Yes, indeed.

Yes, indeed.

Well I was hazed, but at least I wasn't beat into my orginization like my dad was many years ago.

Hazing never left.

I think one of the reasons that there seems to be an upswing in hazing is because of the internet.

Now, hear me out: Before the internet, most of our news sources were national/local tv news, radio, and newspapers. With the internet, we now have more access to news sources.

In the past, a hazing incident would be reported in local news. It would only make a national news source if it were particularly horrific. If a hazing incident happened in Florida, I might only hear about it if it were my organization.

Now, with the internet, cnn.com might report it. I might be browsing Alpha Beta's website and see where they pulled a charter due to hazing. There are websites dedicated to anti-hazing where I can read the incident. And, of course, it will be reported on GC. :D

So, while I think hazing trends may naturally go up and down, I think it is our increased access to the information that makes it seem it is on the upswing.

I agree^^^^. All one has to do see this is pick any search engine and place the term "hazing" into the news section. Right now there are at least 3 reports of hazing going around.

oxymoron for 1000 alex?

what is "paper" pledging? You pledge "paper"? (Meaning money, i.e, you just promise to pay dues and you're in?)

I decided to read the Wisconsin state laws definition of hazing, and now I can honestly say my fraternity does not haze.

How are they forbidden in your frat? Hazing is mental and physical abuse to be initiated into an org, and a pledge is your solemn oath to be loyal to that org. So you didnt pledge to be loyal to your frat?

The process never stopped, some chapters choose to haze members, some just do "paper" intake. It is an illegal process and no one should be doing it, people are getting hurt and killed because big bros/big sis take it too far. I had the luxury of being on line and doing my process "above ground" (meaning out in the open for all on campus to see) but its really not all that serious if you were "made" or went "paper". The questions are: Are you financially active? What have you done for your org? How many hours of community service have you completed?
No one is worth me losing my letters that I worked so hard to obtain. Nowadays, people dont want to be on line, they just want to wear a T-shirt with greek letters on it.

You know what he means.