Is hazing the best way?

[33girl]

Too often (esp if other Greeks are doing them) study hours at the library or other campus buildings turn into social hours. There isn't always a place conducive to studying in the house.

Regardless of national rules, the way I determine hazing is whether an activity has ANYTHING to do with learning things about the national org, the local chapter or the national and local Greek community - or is it something that they're just being made to do for the hell of it, so the initiated members can have "power" over them? Unless your founders include Jack Daniels, Jack LaLanne and the Marquis de Sade, that lets out drinking, physical hazing and beating. OP - maybe look at your pledge program in that way and then go from there.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Unless your founders include Jack Daniels, Jack LaLanne and the Marquis de Sade

Best. Fraternity. Evar.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Best. Fraternity. Evar.

LOL.

However, for national organizations, there is no such thing as "regardless of national rules." Generally speaking, collegiate chapter evaluations as they pertain to hazing should be based on the national GLO's policies and procedures, the school's anti-hazing policies, and any laws that are in place.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

LOL.

However, for national organizations, there is no such thing as "regardless of national rules." Generally speaking, collegiate chapter evaluations as they pertain to hazing should be based on the national GLO's policies and procedures, the school's anti-hazing policies, and any laws that are in place.

I know that. I just think that given what he's said so far, if he comes in saying "well these are our national rules and blah blah blah" he'll get nowhere, if not make things even worse. I'm suggesting he come at it from the back door, as it were.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I know that. I just think that given what he's said so far, if he comes in saying "well these are our national rules and blah blah blah" he'll get nowhere, if not make things even worse. I'm suggesting he come at it from the back door, as it were.

If his national organization doesn't do "inake training," his chapter can discuss conducting an intake training where they remind themselves of their organization's policies and the proper ways to teach and reinforce those policies. Expousing personal opinions of the utility of some of the (hazing) practices can fail miserably--and people can end up trading one form of hazing for a perceivably less harmful form of hazing that is still hazing. Instead, I think that communicating organizational rules in a brotherly fashion is the context in which all of this should be done because those who can't grasp the brotherhood of it all will hopefully grasp a deterrence effect.

One of the problems that I have with what you said "the way I determine hazing is whether an activity has ANYTHING to do with learning things about the national org, the local chapter or the national and local Greek community" is that there has always been hazing that was done to get people to learn/memorize and relay information. For instance, getting pledges to jog around a track for 5 miles while reciting the Greek alphabet and chapter information works wonders for some people because some of them NEVER EVER forget that experience and what they learned. Then they have the next sets of pledges for years to come do it because it works for learning stuff. Then it's a slippery slope because someone will eventually refuse to do it, complain, or get hurt from doing it.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Too often (esp if other Greeks are doing them) study hours at the library or other campus buildings turn into social hours. There isn't always a place conducive to studying in the house.

AGDee, what 33girl says is exactly the trouble I encountered. We always did study hours at the house- which has obvious problems. At one point, my chapter starting using a classroom after hours- but with just pledges and a couple of actives in there, it quickly devolved into "social time".

If we had been at the library- different story potentially.

My issue with study hours in general, however, was something that is core to my personality- as long as I am getting the job done I absolutely resist any effort by others to force me into some kind of management of my time etc. It is more genuinely problematic for science or engineering majors who may do all of their studying in labs where they have instant access to classmates or to online systems to facilitate their work.

I do agree however with the mentoring idea- be it actives or alumni. When I was an advisor, we had an alumnus who was a college professor and served as the academic advisor. He made a huge difference for the chapter- presentations once a semester on tips for studying, career advice and also general academic mentoring. It had a profound impact on the chapter's GPA.

To the OP- hope we have not scared you off. I am being aggressive with my questions because what you want to do is something that someone in every chapter wants to do every year. It is a common, and noble goal. But most of the time it never gets anywhere because the person taking the initiative is not considering some of the factors already discussed here and ends up discouraged- which is bad for that person and a loss for the chapter.