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Accidents Happen

What do you do when someone gets hurt during a pleding routine completely by accident? We never hurt our pledges, make them drink, or anything. One night though we were making them stand up straight in a room and something fell off a bookshelf and on to one of the pledges heads? It was very scary and a total accident, and fortunately he was okay. But if he had been hurt it would have been the end of us, or do you think the school would have understood.

Re: Accidents Happen

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Originally posted by epsilon99
What do you do when someone gets hurt during a pleding routine completely by accident? We never hurt our pledges, make them drink, or anything. One night though we were making them stand up straight in a room and something fell off a bookshelf and on to one of the pledges heads? It was very scary and a total accident, and fortunately he was okay. But if he had been hurt it would have been the end of us, or do you think the school would have understood.

You were giving them posture lessons?

-Rudey

Re: Re: Accidents Happen

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Originally posted by Rudey
You were giving them posture lessons?

-Rudey

lol

Re: Accidents Happen

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What the university would do has a lot to do with your relationship with the university and how you handle it internally.

We had a situation arise with one of our brothers and a member of a sorority. It could have become a university issue with our chapter being sanctioned, but we had built up enough credit with the campus, that the Office of Student Life waited to see how we handled the situation. We quickly assembled a judicial board and the brother in question was expelled from the chapter and removed from the house within a week. No action was taken against us, but all that credit is gone now.

Your situation sounds like it would be easily resolved internally, without bothering anyone on campus. As long as the pledge knows it was an accident, nothing else should come of it. From what you said regarding your policy on hazing, no 'accidents' have happed before, so it would take a leap to suggest this was intentional in any way. Either way, I dont think it would have been the end of you.

For a better grasp of what is supposed to happen in those kinds of situations, refer to your fraternity's Risk Management Policy. In there should be an outline of who to contact and what to do in case of an emergency.

Re: Re: Accidents Happen

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Originally posted by SplitzSTG
Your situation sounds like it would be easily resolved internally, without bothering anyone on campus. As long as the pledge knows it was an accident, nothing else should come of it.

It seems to me, though, that there are two issues here.

First is the accident.

Second is whether the pledges were in a lineup or something of that nature, which would be considered hazing by many fraternity nationals.

The comment, "We were making them stand up straight," would be of concern to many.

next time you are yelling and throwing things at a bookshelf, make sure a pledge isn't standing under it....