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Survival...
By Billy Smuck, Daily Nebraskan
An issue that was believed to be a fading memory on the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln campus has resurfaced.
Hazing was brought to light after actions by Delta Upsilon fraternity
members were exposed through e-mail.
Once a common practice and recognized tradition associated with the
greek lifestyle, hazing is no longer an ordinary practice but it
still exists. Mitch Walden, Interfraternity Council president and
Alpha Gamma Sigma fraternity member, said while things have changed,
more work needs to be done.
"Although we've looked at hazing as something that's phased its way
out we must still realize that it is taking place to a certain
extent," he said.
Walden said in the past few years University of Nebraska-Lincoln and
its greek system have worked diligently to inform freshman pledges
hazing is not tolerated.
Though the university's hazing policy does not target greeks it does
apply to them.
Through an aggressive awareness approach that educates pledges about
the university's no-tolerance policy toward hazing, Walden said a new
breed of fraternities is emerging.
"It's just become a foolish thing to think that you can treat
somebody that's trying to get into your organization in a way that's
disrespectful to them," he said.
Stuart Voboril, IFC vice president and Phi Gamma Delta fraternity
member, said fraternities today are returning to the principles upon
which they were founded.
"Nowhere in the 1800s did those guys sit around and say, 'We're going
to have all these ideals about treating women right and respecting
people - oh, and we're going to haze and drink,'" he said.
Voboril said hazing had dwindled considerably in the past few years.
There have been more changes in the past three or four years than in
the past 100 years, he said.
"If anybody that would have left the greek system five years ago were
to come back to a chapter house now, they would freak," Voboril said.
Linda Schwartzkopf, director of Greek Affairs, said she would like to
make it easier for pledges to report hazing without feeling they are
betraying their brothers.
One of the main factors involved in hazing is the differential power
difference normally between the people doing the hazing and the
people being hazed, she said.
"If you look at where hazing might occur, part of the problem is the
people who are being hazed want very much to be a part of that
organization," she said.
Many individuals are reluctant to come forward about hazing because
they don't want to give up being included in the organization,
Schwartzkopf said.
"They love the overall experience and they hate this one aspect of
it," she said. "They're not willing to sacrifice the overall
experience for the principle of that one aspect being terribly wrong."
Walden said the Delta Upsilon fraternity incident was unfortunate,
but if there is a silver lining it would be a great learning
experience for other greek houses.
"Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a major issue like this to make
houses snap out of their routine and wake up," he said.
(C) 2002 Daily Nebraskan
My thoughts and concerns, for whatever they're worth:
Hazing must end.
It's illegal, it's immoral, it's wrong. It has no place in this day and age.
As pointed out above, I cannot believe that this is what our founders had in mind when they formed our fraternal organizations. Many of them were founded on principles of justice -- to right real or perceived wrongs in our college society.
There does seem to be a resurgance of hazing incidents. If there is a contention that just more are being reported, that makes the situation worse because it means that hazing is much more widespread than realized. Where there's smoke, there's fire.
It should be a thing of the past.
It's dangerous. On many levels.
People get hurt and sometimes killed due to hazing and alcohol abuse. That's the most important level.
Chapters lose their charters because every single Greek Letter Organization has rules against hazing. And their tolerance level is declining.
Universities take a hard line with organizations out of self defense because they are perceived to be at least a partial protector of students and are often brought into lawsuits along with Nationals, chapters and advisors.
Some alumni (myself included) wonder if it is worth the potential financial and other damage to self and family inflicted by lawsuits, etc.
Necessary insurance is becoming impossible to obtain because of the number of claims. A large number of fraternities and a smaller number of sororities cannot get liability insurance and have pooled money to self insure our organizations. A very few major lawsuits will bankrupt that fund, and potentially the organizations which support it. It is also incredibly expensive to operate in this manner.
Smart college students think too much of themselves to become subject to disrespectful and demoralizing behavior. We lose some of the best and brightest because they simply don't want to put up with any demeaning situations.
There's no really good way of hiding our behavior anymore. Whether it's because of much better -- and more intrusive -- forms of communications, or stupidity on the part of people who share their experiences (like putting pictures on the web), the word gets out.
So what does this all lead to?
Hard line anti-Greek sentiment on campus.
University action against our organizations.
Concern among alumni and loss of volunteer leadership.
Chapter closings in what seem like record numbers.
Terrible public relations and a frightful image of Greek life.
Huge amounts of litigation.
Financial problems for Nationals and chapters due to cost of insurance and waning numbers in many chapters.
Negative feelings amont parents of potential members.
Silly interpretations of just what hazing is or isn't.
And tragic deaths among our Greek brothers and sisters.
Again, I urge you all to read and thoughtfully consider articles in Fraternal News and soberly (no pen intended) reflect on what this means not only to the organizations and people directly involved, but to the entire system.
If it isn't already, it will become a matter of survival.
We profess to love our brothers and sisters and our organizations, but engage in behavior which could deny the benefits to future generations. Do you want to be part of the last generation to be able to enjoy those benefits?
Fraternally,
Delt Alum
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