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I fed 'em
TO: ABC News
For 40 years, I've written and talked about hazing in fraternities.
When I was a fraternity member at Indiana in the early '60s, the hazing and "Hell Week" was everywhere, but private - often concealed by a "Help Week" community service project.
Now, changing attitudes and insurance rates have forced national fraternities to severely clamp down on hazing - usually the chapter is suspended immediately if there is any hazing discovered.
Another important thing is that the nine "black" fraternities and sororities are the biggest hazers, without question. It seems like you cannot join a black fraternity without severe and repeated paddling. Although these groups have little in common with the 90 or 100 "traditional" national Greek Letter Organizations, their hazing is spread over all of us. For example, when the two girls died/drowned in California last year while seeking membership in a 'black' sorority, which apparently didn't have a charter and wasn't affiliated with the school, it was widely publicized as "two more campus hazing deaths." It was really just two murders near a campus.
Another important thing: I'm sure you have the Alfred Univ. study of Athletic Hazing. The definition of hazing in that phony study included "forced to return to campus before classes start." This means every football player, cheerleader, soccer player (male or female), and other fall sports participant (and even the marching band members) was "hazed" by Alfred's definition, and this distorts the entire study.
Another concern is the double standard. This fall there have been reports of hazing at the Michigan State women's soccer team, Maryland (M &F) lacrosse, Nebraska football, and Texas A&M band and spirit club. In all of these cases, the participants/teams/coaches got slaps on the wrist. In the worst case, at Maryland, the hazers got suspended from games, but the suspensions end before the season starts. Athletics can haze with little fear, but even minor fraternity/sorority hazing is a death knell for a chapter. That's a classic double standard.
Good luck with your efforts.
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