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I know what James is trying to say, I think. And it doesn't apply to the psychos who think 20 swats a night is the way to go....it applies to the chapters who have had a program that has worked for years and then are told everything is hazing, even though no one ever had a complaint about it before.
Some national programs don't do their job...they have been put together more with an eye toward avoiding liability than integrating the pledge into the chapter or helping them to grow. You can't give college students something that reads like a second grade teacher's lesson plan and expect them to welcome it with open arms or not be somewhat offended.
The reason there used to be so much emphasis on pledge class unity is this: you have to learn how to work with others and commit yourself to a small group (the pledge class) before you can feel committed to a large group (the local chapter) and go on to even larger groups (the sorority/fraternity as a national entity).
It's not about belittling or physically abusing people, but we shouldn't have to feel guilty for asking people to truly give of themselves. Until all the national groups develop pledge programs that do that, we're still going to have problems.
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