Is this hazing?
 

We ask our pledges to wear a shirt and tie on wedsdays. Also, they are suppossed to meet someone new and get their number. If that person happens to be a girl, they are suppossed to carry that girl's books to her next class. Someone, outside of the fraternity, gave us a "tip" that unless we stopped they were going to report us to nationals. We talked with the pledges and none of them mind(they like the fact that for their weekly meeting we have a contest of who got the best looking girl). The question is, since the pledges like it, and the actives came up with the idea, should we stop or let this unknown person report us to National? I can only assume that we won't get in trouble but is it worth it. What do you suggest?

Man if your pledges enjoy it and there isnt anything wrong with helping people increase their social network, then keep doing what your doing. Your only helping them in the end.

By hazing rules these days I would say they probably would consider it hazing.

its cool... the best way to determine hazing is this...

ask yourself "would i do this in front of this guys mom?"

Im sure their mom would like it... by the way tell Andrew and Lucas they are bitches and ask alex (alpha class) if he has learned to shot gun yet...

Stephen M. Lytle

Steve good to see you are still using the "would i do this in front of this guys mom" example. How are things going up at UMASS?

I don't think this constitutes hazing. By general definition, hazing basically means forcing someone to do something that they simply would rather not do. If your pledges don't have a problem with this small wednesday task, i wouldnt consider it hazing.

Several rules can sort of run into each other:
Would you do it in front of family and freinds vs if you have to ask do not do it,.
http://www.insidehazing.com/definitions.php
http://www.stophazing.org/definition.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazing

As we as a group have seen in the RM section in countless threads, this is a no win, no one answer topic or question.

If you have to ask, it probably is hazing.

There could be some kid out there who hates having to get a girl's number every week, and it causes him all sorts of stress, etc. If the actives don't have to do it, they shouldn't either.

I don't think that's hazing. We had to do something similar accept carry the books for guys.:p

As had been pointed out, many times in the RM group, is does not matter what we think here or in chapter.

What does matter is what the school and National thinks.

As suggested in one of the links I provides, the OP should ask their Dean of Students and/or their National.

I wouldn't worry about it. I would imagine TKE has more pressing issues than fraters asking pledges to dress nicely.

By the way, if you follow the definition of hazing literally then telling a pledge you didn't like his shirt would be considered hazing. I'm telling you, it's turning into sorority land. Pretty soon guys in fraternities will just give their little brothers gifts and eat ice cream together.

Haze
 

Damn right the pledging process has been going to hell in a hand basket

dear god what a bunch of pussies y dont u just initiate pledges on the first day if the pledging process is this pussy.....i loved it when i got hazed because it made us actual brothers who would die for each other until nationals came in and changed our pledge process after it had been the same way for 50 years i went through half way the old way of hazing and haalf the new way of "TKE" im telling u the new way is for fuckin faget pussies who cant earn their letters who wont be real brothers

PUSSY
 

If that kid cant handle it he shouldnt be a TKE he should go join a faget sissy club

Tekes are expected to present ourselves as gentlemen. As such, carrying a girl's books or dressing nicely demonstrate this aspect of TKE expectations extremely well. However, I don't think you can force pledges to do this against their will. I don't think there's anything against strongly recommending that they do it. Pledges should be willing to follow TKE codes to prove they will make strong Tekes.