So I was thinking that we have talked about hazing, it's definition, why it's good or bad, how tough it did or didn't make members, etc. And then I thought that maybe it was time we took the discussion a little further; not just
right or wrong. But also how do you get chapters, even those whose members' have undergone some serious hazing, away from hazing without destroying their pledging/ new member process?
So I thought it was time for us to talk about + share
alternatives to hazing.
Here's my take: GLO's that haze usually do so for lots of reasons. (If you are/were a psych major, you can analyze the power struggle or whatever you want
). I'm going to stick to
some of the common reasons that hazers themselves give for their actions + behaviors:
- builds unity/bonding (within the pledgeclass/line)
- i went through it, so can they
- builds loyalty to the GLO
- proves their loyalty to the GLO
- proves they are a man (fraternities, obviously )
- teaches respect (for the actives, the brother/sisterhood, the GLO, etc.)
- what doesn't kill ya' only makes ya' stronger
- 'tradition'
So here are just some ideas that
accomplish the above goals without hazing - Have the new members (pledges) plan, organize, and run a service project or kind of philantropy. Just for them or with the actives. (teaches them to work together + helps bond them as a team to accomplish something important)
- Have the new members (pledges) plan, organize, and run a party or other gathering (with actives, or all Greeks, or whatever)
- Give the new members responsibilities--> stuff that the entire chapter has to rely on (shows true loyalty + dedication to the chapter when they take on important responsibilitis, not cleaning your room)
- have a new member outing(or include actives) to a ropes course (forming bonds, working together, dedication)
- chapter retreats; do goal setting for the whole chapter, do teambuilding games, etc. (goal setting gets new + old members excited for the present and future + encourages dedication from all, time together always increases your bonds together)
- Naturally, learning history, ideals, etc. is important. Get together with new members + help them learn. Can be a good experience for bigs/littles!
Ok, so those were just a few things that came to my mind as I was typing. I tried to also note the goals these helped meet, but I think
most of us here are intelligent enough to figure it out
Anyone else? Your alternatives to hazing practices?
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Phi Beta Fraternity