[EE-BO]

Good question.

For me, the tone of the question and my overall impression of who was asking would dictate my answer.

If I got the sense that it was just a nervous freshman asking a fair question, I would let them know that they would never be physically beaten, forced to drink alcohol, made to remove their clothing or forced to humiliate themselves in public.

And this was the truth. We did not do those things. Pledgeship was most definitely demanding on one's time- but actives shared those obligations as well. We all worked to earn our letters as pledges (as well it should be), but actives lead by example- and so everyone had to do their part and pledges were not asked to engage in activities that would reflect poorly on the chapter.

But I never discussed that second part. Prospective members have no business knowing all the details of what might or might not happen. They just needed to know that in our house they would never be asked to do anything that would put them at risk, violate their privacy or would make their personal reputation suffer on campus.

A pledge may not be a brother yet, but he is still a part of his chapter. A pledge's respect for his chapter and its mission is just as important as that of any brother. Or to put it another way- a fraternity's standing on campus is only as good as its current pledge class. This is the message brothers should impart during rush- the rest needs to be part of the fun once you have been bid and accepted.

On the other hand, I often ran into rushees who asked hazing questions in a more direct and confrontational tone.

In these instances, I just answered as I did above- and then at the appropriate time when the brothers were going over the rushees and comparing notes, I made sure those individuals were removed from invitation lists and not extended a bid.

Sounds harsh- but we have a lot of people to meet and visit with, and those first impressions must inevitably carry greater significance than would be ideal. It is my experience that rushees who repeatedly ask about hazing in a confrontational manner are either undercover snitches or they are coming into the fraternity life with an expectation of what they are entitled to as a brother- but no sense of committment.

Rush for guys is a pretty easy process- really. But I am glad this topic was posted because how a rushee asks about hazing is one thing that can really have a sudden impact on their chances.

For any rushees reading this thread, I would suggest that the best answer to this question will come from the sororities. If you know any ladies at your college of choice who are in the Greek system, ask them about it. If they are your friend they will give you an honest appraisal of the reputation of the houses you are interested in rushing.

But don't be afraid to ask the question during rush (provided you ask it as I suggest above.) If you are not interested in being hazed, then asking the question will let the hazing houses know you are not a good candidate and you won't end up in a place you don't want to be.

But the houses that do not haze heavily will respect your question and if they want you as a member they will make it very clear what you don't have to worry about so that you will be more likely to accept a bid if offered.

Every Greek organization is going to have some rites of passage that must be completed- and that is just common sense. But there is no harm in trying to find out how far it will go. After all, how far it does go is not just about hazing itself- it says a lot about what is important to the character of a chapter.