Sigma Chi branding

[radioZTA]

This came from the "Letters to the Editor" section in Sunday's Dallas Morning News. On my campus, the Sigma Chi chapter was highly regarded so I was very surpised to see something like this. What can you say to this father after this?

"My son branded

My son comes home for Memorial Day vacation with a new brand, like they brand cattle. The brand is from his secret society Sigma Chi at Texas A&M Commerce. Is this sadistic degrading behavior still being a part of university life, or is it a function of the new house being funded by Dallas alumni and old members of the fraternity? All withstanding, I consider the branding of children a sick and depraved activity about which the police and university appear to have no control.

Recommendation: Send your child to Texas A&M Commerce. He will come home with an appropriate lifelong disfigurement – a brand – then you will know how to recognize him.

Stephen Oliver,

extremely distraught father,

Dallas "

[Senusret I]

Unless the brandee himself steps forward and complains, it seems to be a matter of personal choice and not necessarily a hazing issue. College students do things their parents wouldn't approve of all the time.

[WCUgirl]

Branding was very common on my campus as an undergraduate (and I just graduated 2 years ago!). We had Sigma Chi, but I don't remember if any of them had brands...but I know of 4 fraternities that absolutely would brand their members. One of them branded their little sisters too. There were one or two more fraternities where I had seen individual members create a homemade brand and brand themselves kind of...but it didn't really catch on w/ the rest of the members.

For most of the brothers (well, I can only say this for 2 of the orgs...only 'cause I witnessed this w/ my own eyes), branding took place "late night" - at 4 am when everyone was drunk and the party was dwindling down to only the hard core people. Then the brand would come out and the smell of burnt flesh would fill the house. Ick!

2 of the other GLOs on my campus I never witnessed the branding, but I did see the boys walking around campus w/ the big puffy brands on their arms or legs. It was so disgusting right after it had been done...it was all red and scabby and they'd pick at it....double ick!

I don't see much of a difference b/w branding and getting your letters tattooed on you somewhere...but I know that w/ branding, sometimes it fades and will eventually just disappear (unless you keep branding yourself in the same spot...which is what a lot of the boys would do).

The thing about the branding of the little sisters..well, you can imagine (and it did happen) if a girl dates a brother, gets a brand, then they break up and she starts dating someone else...and here she has this brand of XYZ in an unmentionable spot...and boyfriend in ABC doesn't particularly like that....

[SigmaChiGuy]

Ditto.

Unless the son is complaining, pops should keep his pie-hole shut.

Originally posted by Senusret I
Unless the brandee himself steps forward and complains, it seems to be a matter of personal choice and not necessarily a hazing issue. College students do things their parents wouldn't approve of all the time.

[Tom Earp]

Get The Point! Sorry, but NO on this!

Oh, just because so and so did it it is okay!

Does it make it right. NO!

Things like this get all of us in trouble!

I am surprised at One Poster who did say what He said!

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Senusret I
Unless the brandee himself steps forward and complains, it seems to be a matter of personal choice and not necessarily a hazing issue. College students do things their parents wouldn't approve of all the time.

Agree. My parents would be irate if I came home with a brand, or a piercing, or a tattoo, but as long as I wanted it, the only person they can be angry with is me.

[SiKeS]

It doesn't say whether he was forced or did it on his own free-will...

Keep in mind, though, that something may be still considered hazing regardless of whether the person hazed gave consent or not.

I think it sounds pretty painful.. Ouch.

[g41965]

What a low rent way to prove loyalty to your org., sigh only in Texas. I am a life long Texan born in Baylor Hospital in Dallas I have seen a lot of stupidity dealing with hazingthat seems very Texas, including cattle prods,trips to ranches for hazing and branding, my chapter branded 18 pledges with a brand fozen in Dry Ice on the last day of hell week, we ended this "tradition" when we cut hazing in 1988. I always regretted getting branded it hurt for several days, and I felt less self esteem because I had let other humans do this to me because "I wanted to belong".
I think charters should be pulled if this was an organized group initiated activity.
I have a seven year old son whom I love very much, I would be absolutely furious if he mutilated himself to prove his "loyalty"to a GLO . Matter of fact I'm not sure I'm going to let my son pledge,as much as I beleve in the ideals behind fraternal living. I agree with the dad!
All the younger GC"s you'll have kids one day.

[dzandiloo]

Originally posted by g41965
What a low rent way to prove loyalty to your org., sigh only in Texas. ....

No...it happens everywhere.

I have a seven year old son whom I love very much, I would be absolutely furious if he mutilated himself to prove his "loyalty"to a GLO . Matter of fact I'm not sure I'm going to let my son pledge,as much as I beleve in the ideals behind fraternal living. I agree with the dad!
All the younger GC"s you'll have kids one day.

All you can do is make sure your son understands that this sort of thing is not necessary--do some research, and research for yourself what kind of reputations the groups at his chosen school have. I would feel OK about letting my son pledge at a school where the Greek system has a good relationship w/the administration.

1 of my younger brothers joined a fraternity at UT, right after a very high profile hazing incident occurred there in the late 80's/early 90's (I can't remember the year exactly, but know it happened after I pledged in 1988). I begged him not to pledge at UT because I figured everyone did what had been done to that young man, even though I was having the time of my life at another school in my sorority. We talked about hazing frankly, and he took it seriously, and asked alot of questions during rush--found a group that touted their (uncool) non-hazing policy as a selling point, and so he joined & had a great time (yes, I know groups can lie about this sort of thing, but this one didn't). After a while, I felt pretty confident that he would never allow himself to be hazed (nor was another brother who pledged the same fraternity at another school).

My 8 year old has been hearing about Greek life since birth. He has 3 uncles and a Dad who tell him about their great experiences, and they all swear they were not hazed, and talk to him about what it means to be hazed (even at 9). Frankly, I am more worried about my youngest brother who will go to college in Fall of 05 because he will probably be playing baseball....I really worry about what they will do to "initiate" him more than I would if he was planning to pledge.

[preciousjeni]

Originally posted by radioZTA
All withstanding, I consider the branding of children a sick and depraved activity about which the police and university appear to have no control.

Ummm...children? When someone comes out and says, "They held me down and burn the mess out of me!" THEN it might be a problem. But when people are doing it as a tribute to their organization, what's the problem?

ETA: Of course, I'm a woman who thinks that brands, scars and tatoos are sexy.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally posted by preciousjeni
Ummm...children? When someone comes out and says, "They held me down and burn the mess out of me!" THEN it might be a problem. But when people are doing it as a tribute to their organization, what's the problem?

Not to mention that the person is most likely 18 which makes him an ADULT.

But yah, there's not much of a difference between a tatoo and a branding.......

[Kevin]

It does have dangers. A brand can get infected. Infections can lead to worse things. If an infection that leads to something bad is caused by a brand of a certain organization's letters, guess whose doors the tort lawyers are going to be knocking on?

It's simply poor risk management if the activity is sponsored in any way by the organization. Especially if it is part their pledge program, official or not.

I was able to sit in on one of my undergrad brothers giving a speach to the active chapter about risk management. He made some damned good points. Among them was that we as a chapter need to have a mentality of safety and "squaring away" (that's military lingo for watching your bro's back [he was in military school]) your brothers. These kids' first thoughts were probably not safety (just a crazy guess).

[g41965]

Don't you think peer pressure might have something to do with this.
Should organizations be proud that their members are stupid enough, even if "free will" is involved to stand for this.
I have a big problem with branding, and don't tell people aren't pushed into it I've seen it.

[g41965]

The late 80's incident at UT was when a Phi Psi pledge, Mark Seeburger died after being taken on a ride handcuffed to a metal bar in a van and being forced to drink until he passed out.
Phi Psi did't even close the chapter. Guess what Texas Alpha is one of PhiPsi's top chapters dating back to 1904 it now has 150 plus members.

[msn4med1975]

Unless you have amazing healing powers most brands don't fade. At least not on any of the men I've seen them on. They weren't forced to get them, everyone in the chapter makes a decision as to whether or not they want them. It's not sponsored by the org and is usually not done in any capacity that is connected to an official fraternity function. Branding may not be your cup of tea but I wouldn't insult an aspect of SOME fraternity culture just because it doesn't line up with your personal values.