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Originally Posted by jon1856
In my experience, if a house has strong and aggressive leaders ( and I will add smart) it should have a spotless record. For they are the ones that will lead the house away from trouble rather than into it. On the other hand, weak, dumb leadership..........
When I was undergrad, good, smart, sharp leaders and great house.
Few years ago, poor, dumb, weak leadership and chapter=house and charter gone.
Jealousy? How about care, interest and concern? Care, interest and concern that any GLO house does not lose its way in this day and age. Care, interest and concern that any GLO member or house does not cause damage to themselfs, itself, its National and the rest of GLO?
I was "brought up" to think, see and understand beyond the four walls of the house.
Was I hazed??? Looking back at it and having looked up TODAYS laws, my class came very close to the edge. BUT we did not go over it nor did we ever get that close again. We also tried to stay on the pro and positive side. Team building. Not able to say that about other house on campus at the time.
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Hi Jon,
I agree 100% with the first part of what you have said above. Strong leadership and clear boundaries which are enforced are vital- especially in Presidents and Risk Management Chairs. I too have witnessed ups and down in my chapter (both during my time as an active and via news I have received as an alum) directly related to strength of leadership.
As for the last part of your post, you indicate your class came "very close to the edge" in the context of today's laws. Did you guys have pledge meetings? Did you have to take lore tests? Did you have house cleaning duties of common areas (i.e. not individual's rooms)? Did you have to collect signatures? These are all technically against the law and considered hazing. Yet I have never seen the Greek House that does not do these things.
Alcohol is what concerns me. Not just because of the risks it creates for a chapter- but because of what it does to people in life who learn bad habits in college.
Bad hazing incidents- or bad decisions resulting from inebriation (which are often mischaracterized as hazing incidents as in a particularly unfortunate UT matter in 1995)- are, in my experience, alcohol-related.
That applies campus-wide however, it is not just about Greeks.
With some exceptions, I see the form and intent hazing takes at a chapter as saying something about the character of that chapter. To me, this is between the chapter, its alumni and HQ provided the chapter is operating on privately owned property.
But when it comes to the dangerous or harmful activities that we should all be working to prevent (i.e. deaths, hospitalizations and things like blackballing someone you pledged with the intention of blackballing from the start), then you and I surely agree Jon- and I would again submit that alcohol is the factor that drives many of these things.
Going to college is about getting an education first and foremost. Greek life should enhance that experience. Greek or not, some kids will die in college- and that is unfortunate. But I think going after "hazing" is not quite the right approach.
It is more about attracting the kinds of members who aren't going to do that in the first place. At least that is my thought process when it comes to being an active alum in my chapter.
Garbage in- garbage out.
PS- Good list Lanesig.