I think it doesn't matter if you think it's hazing of if your new members think it's hazing.
If ANYONE, brother or new member is uncomfortable it's hazing.
Hazing serves no purpose at all in a fraternity. I was the new member chairman for Kappa Kappa Gamma and I worked very hard to restructure our new member process to elimate hazing. Getting rid of Hazing is difficult, but you have to think - what purpose is it serving? Is this intimidation? Are there better ways to get our values across? Is this really preaching our values? Are we gaining respect from our new members through this?
The "respect" you get from hazing events isn't respect at all, it's simply fear and intimidation. It's not the values you want taught and lived by in your organization. If your organization is hazing, it's not living up to what it could be. It's hard to understand why a scavenger hunt is hazing - but imagine what could happen if it got out of hand...imagine if something was stolen and that new member was arrested...imagine if you lost your chater becuase of a silly scavenger hunt - imagine if you lost membership in an organization that you poured your heart in because of a silly event. This are things you need to think about when it comes to hazing. It's not an issue of losing members because they can't handle the pressure, it's an issue of losing your charter and everything you loved about SigEp, or Kappa or whatever your organization is.
SigEpVegan, I totally agree with the bit about honesty, if you preach honesty and loyalty, how do you expect your new members to learn this if you don't fully embrace it and practice it.
Thanks for the chance to share my feelings! As the old new member chairman for Kappa, I've put a lot of thought into this subject...
Greek Love,
Casey