[preciousjeni]

Can we define some terms here?

Forced = Initiates: "Pledges always do sit-ups on the front lawn. DO THEM!" (And, the pledges are afraid not to.)

Coerced = Initiates: "Pledges always do sit-ups on the front lawn." (And, the pledges are afraid to disappoint/afraid of repercussions.)

Voluntary = Pledges: "Hey, can we do sit-ups on the front lawn?" (Proper response: "No, that would not be wise as it may look like hazing.")

In my opinion, forced and coerced are equally bad, because the only right response is to do what you're told. They're both psychologically harmful.

I'm really applying this directly to the sit-ups situation, since people could get hurt doing this. What if one of the pledges were too afraid to come forward and say, "I have a serious heart condition," and he dies doing those sit-ups.