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Originally posted by broomstick
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.
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See, here's where I think you've got to stop thinking, "As long as WE don't think it's hazing" and start thinking "Does this even look like hazing?" If I drove past a fraternity house and saw pledges and actives exercising on the front lawn early in the morning, I would automatically assume they were hazing. Why do it on the front lawn? That's weird. If you want to exercise together as a group, go to the gym. Doing freakin' situps in front of your frat house has a connotation that you're NOT going to be able to shake off, no matter how innocent you insist these activities are. Not to mention that the "equal # of brothers to pledges" thing is a cop-out. If both brothers and pledges are beating each other with paddles, that still doesn't make it appropriate.
I don't see much of a problem with the hazing definition. There are still plenty of WORTHWHILE activities you can do as an organization and as a new member class that are not hazing. You've just got to change your mindset, like GPB said, what's the PURPOSE of your activities?