Why talk about hazing?
 

Doesn't anyone have anyting to talk about better then fraternities and sororities getting sespended or expelled. I thought greek life was supposed to be something great.

Alpha Delta Phi (Minnesota Chapter) held it's first (annual?) Blood Drive with the Amrican Red Cross. It went over very well and we did it without the help of IFC.

It doesn't go away by ignoring it. GreekChat as a whole has numerous forums that applaud the wonderful things that members of GLOs do. There are more posts about the positive things than there are in this forum. The truth is, MOST GLOs are doing the right things. The few that do the wrong things get a lot of attention from the media. Through our discussions, perhaps we can learn and prevent future occurrences.

Dee

Re: Why talk about hazing?
 

In a perfect Greek world, there would be no such thing as hazing. But we all know that there are a few idiotic assholes out there who continue to give us a bad name. Perhaps if these people quit being so stupid, then we wouldn't talk about it.

Where's the good in ignoring the fact that hazing does happen? I think it's important to be able to freely discuss this and by doing so, just like Dee said, we can prevent unfortunate situations from happening.

Well said. If we talk about it, perhaps we can prevent it.

Personally, I think the whole idea of hazing has been blown way out of proportion. According to stophazing.org, you can't do any type of activity in public with your pledges. Exercising? Nope, hazing. Playing a sport? Nope, hazing. Having a drink (even if you're over 21 and only those over 21 are drinking)? Nope, hazing. Sending you pledges and some actives on a scavenger hunt? Nope, hazing.

how do you figure? the website does not say that. those things could be considered hazing, such as: forcing/requiring/expecting pledges to exercise or do other physical activity or participate in a sport; having a drink? maybe drinking a gallon....

in order to determine if something is hazing, you have look at all activities and ask "what's the purpose?" and "could someone get hurt, emotionally or physically?" don't take it to the extreme side and say that everything can be hazing.

maybe it's different elsewhere... but my chapter got in trouble because we woke up early during our initiation week and exercised on our lawn. it wasn't even hardcore exercising, it was like push ups and sit ups and there was at least one active member per pledge exercising too.

when you have blanket terms like: "'Hazing' refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate."

and: "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 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 fraternal law, ritual or policy or the regulations and policies of the educational institution."

it's gone too far, if you ask me.

essentially, anything can be hazing, because anything can be viewed as "humiliating" or "disrespectful." all it takes is one anal S.O.B. to ruin a harmless activity (like exercising, or going on a road trip, or even *gasp* learning) and brand the participants as "hazers"

Until our new members stop getting injured or dying from activities they've been made to do by initiated members, we haven't gone far enough. However, voluntary participation in sports isn't going to be seen as hazing by any organization. If a chapter can show me how an activity relates to Alpha Gamma Delta's Purpose and it helps integrate the chapter (meaning that both new members and initiated members are participating), then it's going to be very difficult to call it hazing.

People are still dying, people are still being seriously injured. It has to stop or we will disappear as organizations. It's not that difficult to understand.

Dee

well part of the reason i'm so sour towards it is because we weren't hazing in any sense of the word, and it was kind of a bitch move by the person who reported us as hazing.

and it's also kind of annoying because there are other fraternities on campus that get away with so much more (especially the fraternities that hold high positions on the IFC Exec. Board), and we get in trouble for exercising. I understand hazing is a problem in some places, but our situation was B.S. My fraternity does not and will never haze, it goes against everything for which we stand.

if actives and new members were out there exercising together, i would probably not consider that hazing. i think one thing to keep in mind is what you quoted says "the following MAY be considered hazing." 'May' being the imperative word.

i agree there are groups out there getting away with a lot. problem is, those who can take action (greek advisor for example) often do not know that it is going on. if someone does not speak up, then how can it be stopped?

the phrase" your either part of the problem of part of the solution" definitely applies here. if those who think hazing is bad and goes against fraternity values (yours or someone else's), knows it goes on and doesn't say anything to stand up for those values, then that person is part of the problem. complaining that "no one does anything about it" gets one knowwhere and does not allow "no one" to be part of the solution. if that person knows about it and takes a stand, that person is now part of the solution.

i think that is why we talk about it so much. we want others to be part of the solution.

You will never convince me - and apparently the authorities either - that your pledges got up early and did pushups in the front yard - voluntarily. It is just not believeable.

As a frequent poster of hazing stories (easily found with a Google news search for "hazing" or "frat"), I hope that publicizing some of the serious cases will help eliminate hazing, and the horrible problems and horrible publicity it produces.

We can do a million public service projects, and collect a million cans of food for the needy, and dance forever for charity at Penn State, but one dead pledge at Chi Psi at Colorado (or at Chi Tau at Chico) trumps every good thing we do.

Maybe we can claim a little victory this school year, as I've seen no case of a GLO in trouble for "blackface". Did the widely publicized (on GC) cases two prior years get the word out? Probably.

On our campus some Greek organization go way to far, i mean their is a certain fraternity that puts their new guys in a thing of vinger with dip in their mouth. One of my old roommates came home covered in sand and bleeding. It is because of those people that messes things up for a lot of people. My friend from her sorority got in trouble for call a girl pledge. Another girl got in trouble for tell a girl to wear a damn ribbon. An organization got kicked off our campus because a guy who didn't get in and a active memeber report to their national HQ because the guy did not get initated.