Hazing dilemma...

[EE-BO]

A tricky question Kevin.

At some level, IHQs have to set a tone. Not only for legal reasons but because any person who associates with any organization in life must adhere to certain standards that preserve the integrity of that organization.

The question is, where do you draw the line?

Of course IHQ has to publish and adhere to the legal requirements for alcohol possession and consumption. That is a no-brainer.

But should there be dry houses? I don't think so. At some point in life, every man has to learn to make his own decisions and suffer the consequences if a bad decision has bad ramifications.

If an underage active member of a fraternity drinks in the house and assaults a female guest- he puts himself in the same position as anyone else who does the same in any setting. Whether he gets in trouble will depend on whether the incident is reported and pursued. At this point it becomes a matter for the legal system- and the fraternity chapter and IHQ would be wise to disassociate someone found guilty just as an on-campus dorm or employer would do in the same situation.

But when you get into the issue of having a dry house to prevent that kind of thing from happening, suddenly you are babysitting- and in the process you are telling every member that you do not trust them. And the more research I do, the more history shows that babysitting accomplishes little if anything.

People have to start growing up at some point. Ideally it should start well before college, but college is certainly no time to revert back to parenting.

The very real fact is that people under 21 drink. Period. And if society really wanted to end that- a way could be found. But we don't- we seek merely to curb it and at least promote a strong sense of discretion about it. Whatever individual people tell you, this is the collective message of society.

Hazing is no different in my view.

Some GLOs have attempted to eliminate it completely- and they are having about as much luck as the GLOs trying to go dry.

An IHQ must have and enforce a hazing policy that reflects the law- but to go further is just creating a nightmare for everyone.

I will not name names (it is not my GLO) but I am personally aware of (meaning I am reporting the facts) a situation where a very strong GLO at a major school was completely shut down because of a political conflict.

Simply put, the chapter did engage in some hazing activities which were not illegal in the state of Texas, but were in violation of IHQ policy. The chapter also had a very clean record- no deaths, injuries or reported incidents.

Two members had a bitter battle for presidency of the chapter that was about personal interests and the general direction of the chapter, and the loser was so upset that he turned his chapter in to IHQ for hazing.

None of the pledges were ever interviewed, and to my knowledge there were few- if any- actives who were in support of such a move.

IHQ came crashing in with a live-in advisor who turned the place upside down.

So, over a 4 week period almost the entire chapter quit. 80% of the guys just left- and they moved out of the house too leaving the alumni who bought it holding the bag for upkeep and property taxes.

So the alumni sold the house. And that chapter has NEVER recovered. They are still around- but they have never come close to what they had before.

And it is all because IHQ set up a mindset of control and fear- and then allowed one disgruntled person to make personal use of that to the ruination of the chapter and a financial disaster for alumni (and how smart is it to alienate a group of alumni who have the money and dedication to pay for a $1 million+ house?)

What a waste. What a complete waste.

But that is what happens when you get beyond your basic legal responsibilities to manage an organization to help young men mature.

What you create is a situation where the guys hide what they do- and then someday someone will come along who will reveal what is going on for personal reasons and then it all comes crashing down.

Advisors and IHQs don't have time to be there every second. Most violations come to light because they are reported- not because they are discovered. That is a key point since it speaks to impracticability of such an approach and also to the fact that enforcement will be reactive and cannot take into account the reasons for a chapter being turned in.

This does not create a better brotherhood. It instead creates mistrust and secretive behavior. My own GLO has a chapter with this very issue- and they are constantly being hammered even though they are about the most saintly and sin-free bunch of guys you can imagine.

JMHO.