Is Any Hazing Legal?
 

I KNOW THAT THE NPHC HAS MADE HAZING ILLEGAL FOR ALL OF THE DIVINE NINE ORGANIZATIONS. THE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING THE LAW IS CRUCIAL. ALSO, ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ADDED IT TO THEIR CONSTITUTION.

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH OTHERS?WHAT IS YOUR GOVERNING BODY AND WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HAZING?

Hazing is illegal, immoral, and impractical.

Re: Is Any Hazing Legal?
 

Hi X,

I think it's safe to say that all national fraternities and sororities have outlawed hazing of any kind. My guess is that all or most locals have as well.

Our "board of directors," if you will is called the Arch Chapter. Our Bylaws officially do not allow hazing. We have closed numerous chapters over hazing violations.

I doubt if we've completely eliminated it, but we're trying.

I'd be VERY surprised to see a national office that condones hazing since in most states it is against the law.

That said I'm glad they're against it. It has no place at all in today's society.

I think it all depends on what you personally consider hazing and then what your state considers hazing.


This is what NYS considers to be hazing:

Hazing is defined as "any action taken or situation created, intentionally,whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such activities may include, but are not limited to the following: use of alcohol; paddling in any form; creation of excessive fatigue; physical and psychological shocks, quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips or any other activities carried on outside or inside the confines of the chapter house; wearing in public apparel which is conspicuous and not in normally good taste; engaging in public stunts and buffoonery, morally degrading or humiliating games and activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with fraternal law, ritual or policy or the laws and policies of the educational institution.



By New York State hazing laws, my sorority hazes. If you went by state laws, every moment of my pledge period was hazing, but if you had ever asked me at the time, I would never have considered it hazing. I do not condone what most people consider to be hazing, such as physical, mental, or emotional abuse. However, I think that there is nothing wrong with a scavenger hunt.

State Laws
 

Legaility depends on the definition and how any action is seen to fit or not fit that definition. Most all National organizations have anti-hazing policy. Universities and Colleges also have policies against hazing that effects all organizations on campus, from ROTC, to athletic, to greek. Most States also have laws against hazing.

A good source for state laws on hazing can be found at http://www.stophazing.org

If you have to question "can my action be seen as hazing" you're better off siding with not doing it.

Artimis

Hazing is bad. Don't do it.

We have a general rule that as long as sisters are involved in ANY activity that the pledges do then we are ok. We instated this after we were charged with hazing over having a pledge wash dishes a few years back. Basically, we have never had any problems. Its a school rule that if two sisters are involved then its not hazing.

Your policy is probably not completely necessary although it would probably be a fairly good rule of thumb. Hazing is essentially any activity that makes someone uncomfortable, whether it is on purpose or not. You could probably imagine situations where you could haze and not even realize you were doing it. It's always smart to have whoever is in charge of your risk reduction as well as whoever is in charge of new members well read on this subject.

i got paddled last week ! but ive been in for 2 years :cool: stuff just seems to happen sometimes :D but being paddled isnt that bad...

Hazing is defined in our chapter as anything that ANYTHING that makes a person feel uncomfortable. Not only does this cover the obvious forms of hazing, but it also includes such low-key things as nicknames, or referring to the new girls as "new girls." Oops, I guess I just broke our own rule. Oh well.

P.S
 

Bottom line...


Hazing is wrong. Don't do it.

Our policy on hazing is very simple: We don't tolerate it. Therefore, we reaffirm our opposition to hazing, and we subscribe in policy and practice to the following statements.

Hazing Policy of Phi Gamma Delta

No chapter, colony, student or graduate Brother shall conduct nor condone hazing activities. Hazing activities are defined as:

Any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such activities may include but are not limited to the following: use of alcohol; paddling in any form; creation of excessive fatigue; physical and psychological shocks; quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips or any other such activities carried on an outside or inside of the confines of the chapter house; wearing of public apparel which is conspicuous and not normally in good taste; engaging in public stunts and buffoonery; morally degrading or humiliating games and activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with academic achievement, fraternal law, ritual, or policy, or the regulations and policies of the educational institution, or applicable state law.

fiji, ours policy is exactly the same as yours. I wonder if that's all of NIC?

All I can say is when it comes to a topic like this everyone on the same page is fine by me. Makes questions to different chapters easier to answer if we are all basing off the same rules.

So MSSTCY1, as long as the sisters wash the dishes with the pledges, that's ok? If someone told me to wash their dishes, I'd laugh!! :D

This has been a divisive argument in chapters for a long time. Phi Delt's policy is no hazing much like fiji's. The problem that i see is that sometimes what is and isnt hazing becomes cloudy. if you do the activity with your pledges is that OK? its all so subjective, i know our chapter has somewhat of a soft reputation on our campus because we ask our pledges to do almost nothing. i dont think that making pledges do pushups if they cant learn is bad but our nationals says its hazing so we cant do it. I also dont think mandatory exercise is bad but what does our risk management chair say? Hazing! so what are chapters left to do?

One of the things that comes up from time to time when I discuss this issue with other chapters is the question I pose to them about what is the purpose of your new member program. I don't see hazing as accomplishing anything that a chapter may try to instill in their new members. A friend of mine that is a Phi Mu talked about it today and said she doesn't see the argument that comes up "XZY chapter uses it to break them down so we can build them back up into a true XZY" The thing I say to end many a conversation on the subject is this: "were your founders hazed to recieve the knowledge that is now your organization..." I can say that the founders came together with similar ideals and aspirations and started the organization....why then now must someone with similar ideals and aspirations be made to jump through hoops to become part of an organization. Some have disagreed with me but in my mind this is not "soft" at all actually on the contrary it takes a stronger person to validate their involvement in an organization because of what the organization is and how that is what they seek than it is to say becaused my class did "hazing activities" without getting caught.

I believe that every member of XYZ, should know about their org becauses if they don't how can they truely understand what it means to be a member of XYZ. I think new members can be made aware of the history about XYZ without making then clean or be paddled, etc. A good new member program will be able to do this for them. :)

At my school, EVERY house hazes by the definitions given here. Its fact, but by our definition it isnt really, Our definition is Hazing is anything that we would not do our selves either before or with them at the time. Easy , plus all the things that my house does that could even POSSIBLY be considered hazing have ideas and points behind them that really are inspirational =)

Push-ups
 

As I read your definition, I wonder if push-ups in unison, as seen on MTV fraternity Life, is hazing.

Excessive push-ups surely are, but is doing 20 push-ups hazing?

Is standing in a line while the bros ask questions hazing, or simply an oral quiz?

standing in line and being asked questions is in my opinion a very strong pledging technique and if nothing else convinces the pledges of the importance of learing thier shit, as for pushups, 20 isnt excessive, now excessive means it has no point, but if your doing it to let them see, this isnt a game, not a joke, so dont treat it that way, and you dont do it excessively AND actives do it WITH THEM like on FL then it isnt hazing imo

Is any Hazing legal? Hmm, well technically yes, but that depends on how the state and school definite it.

If your school has a loose hazing policy, and another school has a tight and strict one, then activities that would be classified as Hazing in one school would be legal in another.

Are there general hazing activities that are legal to everyone regardless of their anti-hazing policies? Well no, the very word hazing classifies it as hazing and therefore it is illegal.

A better question is are there any activities out there that you would think of as hazing but really isn't? That one I can't answer, everytime I think of things like a treasure hunt, exercising, learning the greek alphabet, they all come up as hazing somewhere.


Heh, I love it though when all the anti-hazing supporters get all pissy on this subject. I just start thinking "if this was ever face to face, and push came to shove, I think all the pro-hazers would kick the shit out of them." Lol, oh come on, you thought it was a funny notion too...


- RUgreek

Hazing is illegal no matter what you want to call it!!! Why, be cause of Risk Management and the cost of Insurance that has become a burden upon All Greek National Orgs!

Is it funny to get your ass whupped by an active or a Brother! DA!

Horneytoady I know not from where you come so if you are a local with a Greek Name, you and yours are those that throw a bad light on the rest if/when you get caught for actions as such!

Can criminal charges be filed, hell yes they can!

I would suggest unless you have an unusually long nose, try to look beyond it and see the bigger picture!:eek: :p

We're local, not a greek name, been around for about 70 years, we dont beat our pledges or anything like that, but we DO do alot of things that would be considered hazing in many places, but all of them have reasons behind why we do them and all teach lessons, we dont beat them up or even really make them do hard exercise (i think they have a brotherhood run one night...) and there isnt anything we do that is dangerous to them, we take MANY precautions to assure our program runs smoothly from year to year. We dont screw with them just for the sake of screwing with them, the things we do all have points and teach lessons. which in my opinion is constructive and not really hazing.