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Well, young Kevin,
My Chapter has and does just that.
Character, Values, Leadership. We do not serve these ideals, we test them. The first two are innate, the later is a learned trait. Our pledge period is designed to allow anyone with character or value flaws to trip, and when they do they are gone. It is run by a very strict script that is not deviated from.
I do not doubt that you feel a bond to your brothers. Just the fact that you wear the same jersey will do that to some degree. Look at any sports team. But you and those like you that condemn the hazing Fraternities by assuming that the Brotherhood in your Chapter is just as good or better have no idea what you are speaking of.
Can you be embarrassed in your house? Is there anything that is so personal that you would not/could not/have not done in front of your Brothers? In mine, by the time you are a Brother, there is not.
"Hazing is the mark of immaturity."
Well, Ignorance is bliss!
"We are in college to become adults and learn to live in the real world."
I got news for you Kevin, the REAL world is not to be viewed through rose colored glasses. Its not on MTV either. Our pledges enter our intake system as 18 year old kids. Ones that we carefully choose. The ones that make it, enter Brotherhood as a 19 year old kid who knows that he never again has to watch his back. They graduate as young men who have Brothers everywhere that will give them the shirt off their back if need be. Since 1987, no Brother of my Fraternity Chapter has withdrawn from College for financial reasons. We, the Alumni, will not let it happen. We now have 7 Brothers in repayment and 3 on tuition subsidy. None of our Brothers have asked a pledge to do something that he hasn't done himself.
"Perhaps you think it's benefited you personally to be put through hazing.. "
No, there's no 'perhaps' to it. I am a MUCH better man because of it. We have many thanks from the parents of our Brothers. Many of them are amazed at what came home for the summer. I have a 'ransom' letter from a few years ago. A father offering to pay us to keep his old son if he can keep the new one that came home for summer break. My chapter also gets unsolicited donations from the parents of our active Brothers. It started about 10 years ago and now has taken on a life of its own. Every Spring we now have a family weekend and we are up to about half of the Brothers' familys participating. As long as things like this continue to happen I know we are still doing it right, regardless of the letter of the law.
My Chapter has done the exact same pledge period for over 30 years. In fact it's almost 40 now. As for taking it too far, we never allow alcohol to be present when any hazing event takes place and its always been that way. My Chapters forefathers had great vision.
Consequences? Well, the consequence of not running our pledge period the way we always have would be the extinction of the Chapter anyway.
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