1. It IS illegal. 44 states have anti-hazing laws. In fact, of the six that don't, the only one that I would count as "southern" even is New Mexico, and that's definitely not part of the "Old South" as we know it.
Hazing is any act that endangers the physical welfare of a member, initiated or not initiated. It is also any act that includes shaming or humiliation of a member. Forcing one to eat off the floor, I think that would fall under the shame aspect. I'm quoting Pennsylvania law here, but I've seen the laws for many of our Southern friends, and they're very, VERY similar.
"The term shall include, but not be limited to, any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the elements, forced consumption of any food, liquor, drug or other substance, or any other forced physical activity which could adversely affect the physical health and safety of the individual, and shall include any activity which would subject the individual to extreme mental stress, such as sleep deprivation, forced exclusion from social contact, forced conduct which could result in extreme embarrassment,
or any other forced activity which could adversely affect the mental health or dignity of the individual, or any willful destruction or removal of public or private property."
Emphasis mine.
Taking out the trash is CHORES. Everyone does chores. Eating off the floor is a completely different ball of yarn.
Fraternity members, including those that are not yet initiated, should have a sense of personal dignity. In fact, it's those with dignity that we should be recruiting. The greek system itself is supposed to heighten a personal sense of dignity, not tear it down.
ETA: It's easy to find anti-hazing laws. They're all posted at
http://www.stophazing.org/laws.html .
The six states that do not have anti-hazing laws are Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming.