Hazing AND Risk Management

[mgdzkm433]

We all know that hazing occurs and none of us want it to go on, but to change the hazing topic for a while, what other things do sororities and fraternities need to watch out for? (Risk Management) What things can we discuss in our meetings and learn from? What kind of 'informative' discussions do your organizations have? Who do you invite to speak to your organizations? What issues have you tackled?

[equeen]

I think the biggest thing(s) to watch for are usually some of the smallest - ie. otherwise innocuous occurrences that then escalate and get out of hand. A good dose of miscommunication (or lack of communication) usually goes hand in hand. It is also important to educate that even though one or two people may not be intending to represent their entire group in a particular situation, they may be seen as representing the group. Sure, this is not fair - but the flip side of that is that we should always bear ourselves (and by extension, our letters) with dignity and respect. Nobody means for anyone else to get hurt; but when people do get hurt, they look for redress, and it's easiest to point the finger at the group (even though the individuals are at fault, not the whole group.)

Risk Management is one of the first policies we go over with our candidates. We talk about accountability for one's actions. Commuication is stressed - especially for times when the last thing you'd like to do is talk. Our chapters are required to have a sexual assault-awarness seminar once a year, and we usually have a mini self-defense training seminar (not required, but it's worthwhile).

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equeen
A Lioness has her Pride!
@>--;--
Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies



[This message has been edited by equeen (edited October 11, 2000).]

We as greek leaders should take a differene stance on Risk Management. To me, Risk Management has always been publisized as what we [bold]can't[/bold] do. Members thus take the attitude that Risk Management is a hindrance that curbs the [italics]fun[/italics] part of greek life. Risk Management should never be treated as a C.Y.A. document, but rather as a way to promote responsible behavior. The idea is to promote a safe enviroment in which we teach our members to make good, solid life desisions. If Risk Managment is done right it should build a solid foundation for responsible citizinship both inside and outside of greek life that extends beyond the college days.

As far as what my chapter does with respect to education and activities, see Equeen's post.

Artimis

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Beta Chapter Alumna and Founder
Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies

Sisters by nature; Friends by Choice

[mgdzkm433]

Not only did our risk management talk about dangers of sorority hazing and other things pertaining to sorority life, but they also talked about things involving just being a woman, such as breast cancer, overian cancer, pregnancy, safe sex, birthcontrols, mamograms, Annual GYN appointments, etc. The also talked about thing that can affect ANYONE, such as depression, learning disabilities and detecting them, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, relationships, pysical/sexual abuse, date rape, muggings, etc etc. There is a lot more to risk management than sorority life, we should bet having all sorts of educational discussions and speakers to inform us of many different dangers. A lot of which I believe should be opened up to campus, not just for sororities. It would be good if once a month a sorority would host a Risk Management seminar on campus for the whole campus to attend. Maybe you can get your school/sorority involved in this--which in turn could be part of a philanthropy project.

[carol c]

Thank you, this is the kind of discussion I like to read. It is the only way to resolve the problems that GLO's have with issues. And you are very right, if you teach values here-while they are in school-they will benefit us all, as they join the larger community in our country. We need contributors not detractors-and any organization can help produce them, if they take up the challenge.

[mgdzkm433]

I disagree with your statement Carol. Values are not something that we should be teaching students in college. Parents should be teaching values, and they should already be in place before college. College and GLO's are only here to build upon those values. College students are NOT separate from the rest of the 'community' they are already a part of the whole. We shouldn't be pushing them away until they are 'old enough' or 'graduated', we should be using their knowledge, values, and talents NOW. Yes, college students might have a lot to learn yet, however, their mistakes/triumphs could potentially help someone else in the community. Risk management is not here to teach values, it's here to build awareness. This society has become lazy, we want to blame everything else for our mistakes instead of putting blame where blame is due. Parents want to keep their children from watching Looney Tunes because it's too 'violent' yet they don't want to take the time to teach their children the difference between fact and fiction. If you feel that college students have little or no values, maybe we should start focusing on our children so that we can change the college students to come.

Risk management should be an awareness message, not a values message.

[carol c]

I disagree with your statement Carol. Values are not something that we should be teaching students in college----

No-let's not teach values, so if they come to the college level with no values and join our sororities and fraternities, we just take them as they are and suffer the consequences? What in the world is that? I've served for years as Chairman of a Community Council on Education for one of the largest school districts in the country, and I have never heard anything so ridiculous. We will continue to have hazing and risk management problems if we don't try to continue the education of our entire nation-not just college aged people, on "VALUES"-and that is not what religion is necessarily based on-it is what the law says our behaviour is expected to be like, in order to be allowed to walk the streets with the rest of society. We need to value the rights of our fellow citizen-not just on a campus, but everywhere!


[This message has been edited by carol c (edited October 26, 2000).]

[DeltAlum]

WOW!! I'm confused.

I think that our moderator wanted to talk about risk management in this thread and get away from hazing a little. There are lots of other hazing threads going. Or did I read the first post incorrectly?

And they're not the same. At least not always.

Hazing, as I understand it, isn't necessarily a risk managment issue -- but it can be.

Risk managment doesn't necessarily have to result from hazing -- but it might.

I think hazing is generally more of a "values" issue than risk management.

I don't sprinkle gasoline on the chapter room floor. That's a risk management issue. But it isn't a value. I'd call it common sense.

If I decide to open the door for my wife (with all due respect to liberated women, including her), that's a value. But it's not a risk management issue.

I go to church often. That's a value.

I don't work on my roof drunk. That's risk management.

Sometimes the two lines may converge, but they are not the same, per se.

Both values and common sense are important and should be taught starting at a very early age and the education should continue indefinitely.

Respectfully,
DeltAlum

[This message has been edited by DeltAlum (edited October 27, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by DeltAlum (edited October 27, 2000).]

[Q-T Pie]

mgdzkm433 & DeltAlum,
I think you oth said it VERY well.

[DeltAlum]

OK, I re-read the first post in this thread. So, to address the issue of what else we can discuss besides hazing...

One of my groups had a most interesting Chapter meeting which I attended last week.

Before the formal meeting there was a short address my the new Greek Advisor on their campus. Kind of an introduction of her to the chapter and the chapter to her -- including a nice subtle little pep talk.

That was followed by a presentation on date rape, sexual harassment and related topics which was led by a young woman student and (by coincidence) one of the chapter members who volunteers for the anti-date rape organization on campus.

During the formal meeting, there was a presentation by the Risk Management chair on the Delt Membership Responsibility Guidelines including a fraternity produced videotape of some very unfortunate happenings at two of our chapters. Neither involved hazing, by the way.

I thought it was a pretty darn good meeting.

DeltAlum

[This message has been edited by DeltAlum (edited October 27, 2000).]

[mgdzkm433]

Carol, you misread my statement, I said that values should be in place BEFORE they reach the college level and Sororities/fraternities and colleges should BUILD on those values. My statement was meant to say that we need to work on teaching children at a YOUNG age values, it shouldn't be left until college, at the college level we should be BUILDING on the values that student already have or SHOULD already have in place. People come from all walks of life, giving them different values, and what your values are might be different from mine. It's a basic arguement of ethics. What is ethically correct, and what is ethically incorrect. A arguement that can never be won because who's to say what's right and what's wrong. And once again, you have managed to get us off topic, this conversation should have nothing to do with values, it should have to do with building awareness of topics that can affect our lives. And why be so rude? I was simply stating my opinion and you have to put me down for it and be rude? You become hostile when people don't automatically share your same opinion. Can we please try to have a decent conversation without it becoming an argument? You should at least try to be respectful of other peoples opinions. That's the least you could do, whether they agree with you or not. You're an adult, act like one.

Risk Management should build awareness to dangering issues, regardless if they are sorority/fraternity related or related in anyway to hazing.

[moe.ron]

Who's value? Judeo-Christian, Budhist, Hindust, Islam? New York, Texas, California? Family value? What is family value? It's value learn in the family, not a sweeping value that we in America seem to think exist. Each of us has our own value. It's the responsibility of parents and the community to teach them. Not the government or colleges. One main reason to go to college is to think for themselve. Using their value they inherited from their parents and the comunity they live in. I'll be damn if a University teaches a value that is different from the one I thought my kids (if I had a kid).

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“If you know anyone who got high on industrial hemp, tell the National Science Foundation and you’ll get a prize for the most unlikely scientific discovery ever. George Bush’s father was saved by a parachute made of industrial hemp."
-Ralph Nader

[mgdzkm433]

Bravo! Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself.

[carol c]

Unfortunately, our society isn't showing that it is teaching it's young people much in the way of values-or morals, if you will. Read some of the subjects on the research done on how people in their 20-30's live their lives. Our organizations didn't start out advocating these standards, so did the standards become a moving target? It is where our organizations get their risk management exposure from. Of course you have to "build" on what you get-but you also need to use the recomendation forms, have alums do a better job, instead of rubber stamping those they take in, and weeding out those who aren't quality people, long before they get initiated, before they ruin the organization. Most of the money that is paid into as dues goes to paying for risk insurance policies, because there is such a problem with this new generation of young people (with their moral system already in place before they got to the organization) not respecting the organization or deciding to make it something other than what it was intended to be. WE are wanting the same things-we are just stating it in different ways.

[OWL PAL]

Originally posted by carol c:
also need to use the recomendation forms, have alums do a better job, instead of rubber stamping those they take in, and weeding out those who aren't quality people, long before they get initiated, before they ruin the organization.

Following that procedure certainly would have saved one particular chapter a lot of turmoil if they have been more enlightened of a rushee's background.