Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
I agree that he needs to do the things that you suggest. But I fail to see how nothing can be learned from what other chapters do. I fail to see why it's so terrible to at least look at things have worked in other chapters and them evaluate whether those things, or something inspired by those things, would work in his chapter.
Just because that's how it would be done in your organization does not mean it can't be done differently in other organizations.
Unless his organization discourages it, I simply don't see anything wrong with looking everywhere possible for ideas.
He wants to hear the experiences of those who have been in a chapter when it moved from hazing to not hazing -- something he doesn't have personal experience with because his chapter of initiation was already non-hazing.
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I think it might be a problem for the OP because it seems that he has failed to talk to many others in his chapter, his advisers, alumni, or HQ, instead choosing to look for ideas from anonymous people. Another person's activity idea may be great, but the execution might be entirely different for so many reasons, based on chapter/campus history, culture, fraternity rules, etc. He can get 100 great ideas, but they exist only in a vacuum, devoid of context. Not to mention discussing the pledge program with non-members.
I think that the "what to do" isn't as important here as "how we do it".
For example, I know of several chapters who (back in my day), had pledge classes sleeping in a certain place during H/I wee (whatever you call now). (We didn't have houses, but upperclassmen did live in on-campus apartments.)
Let's assume we are back in that time when "sleepovers" were not considered hazing in and of themselves. Depending on how you executed the "mandate", you can either be doing a lot of harm or a lot of good. For example, not allowing or controlling their sleep, eat, time to do homework, ability to shower, etc. is very different than having the class cook meals and eat together, plan and execute a service project, make a paddle or gift for the chapter room/house, study together, etc.