OK, some people are going to think I'm off my nut, but I think one of the best ways to prevent or lessen hazing is through deferred rush. I'm not talking about the kind of separation that I've read about at DePauw and W&M, where the freshmen can't even have any contact with Greeks. I mean the freshmen live thru their first semester and then go through rush. I think this helps for the following reasons:
The potential rushees and the Greeks get to see each other as they really are, not on their best behavior or looking their prettiest all the time.
The freshmen are able to develop a group of friends outside their Greek organization, so if any hazing is occuring, they have "outside influences" to help set their head straight. If you are bid before school even starts and your only friends are your sorority sisters, how wide of a perspective are you going to have?
The freshmen have a while to see Greek life and think about it and not have to make a hasty decision in their first days of school.
Questions, comments, flames?
