Time to get this started again

[mwedzi]

Alright folks, we all emphasize the importance of academics in our other posts, but I noticed the "Academics" forum was the forum that had not had posts in the longest time. So I figured I must have some questions regarding academics to get this forum going again.

About required study hours. There were several posters (people who post, not the big pieces of paper with pictures on them) who mentioned their sorority had set study times. There were others who said that their sorority considered that "hazing."

We never had set study hours at my chapter because most of our sisters had jobs (some of them, *real* jobs) and no one's schedule was the same. (That, btw, also answers someone else's question on why we let new members know when they are to be initiated. Important things always had to be arranged far in advance to make sure everyone attended.) Okay, I'm getting off the subject. The question is, is defining set study hours as "hazing" something individual chapters have done, or have any of you been told by your national offices that it is hazing?

[blu_theatrics]

I think the way that it is/can be consideed hazing is if you tell a group of people that on this day and this time you have to meet here and study.

But that just made me think of something that will probably start far more than I expect.

But if that is "hazing" then are lab hours and idscussion sections for class "hazing"? because I know discussion groups that a teacher reqiure you to go to at a specific time, and place seem like the same thing.

Just wanted to play devil's advocate for a minute there

[Asia2000]

Whoa, so if you force your interests to be at a certain place for a certain amount of time, that's considered hazing!! What about required meetings and "sisterhood" events?

[blu_theatrics]

I don't want to say what every school or chapter or organization considers hazing, but I have heard of forcing study group for "incoming members" is and can be considered hazing at more than one place.

Really it is just that their are too many people with nothing to do but call anything that promotes sister/brotherhood hazing. Sometimes you just don't know what they are gonna call it and what they are not

Originally posted by Asia2000:
Whoa, so if you force your interests to be at a certain place for a certain amount of time, that's considered hazing!! What about required meetings and "sisterhood" events?

[ZetaAce]

Mwedzi- good topic!

I think it is a shame that study hours for pledges is considered hazing! I think that since we do put so much emphasis on education, study hours should be the norm.

In my undergrad chapter, we had a weekly study session for all of the sorors! It was great We got together and just studied for a few hours. We also helped each other out with homework, and the like. It was a great way to spend time together and hit the books.

ZetaAce

[FlyPhi]

we consider hazing as an activity that the whole group isn't doing. So if everyone is required to do study hours, it isn't hazing. How we do study hours is depending on your GPA you have a certain amount of hours per week you have to spend in the library. We don't do group study time, where everyone is required to study together, because it is hard to find a time when most people can be there.

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Don't look to the future
or dwell in the past
But live for the moment
and long it will last

[sctroy]

We do study hours! Everynight - Sunday through Wednesday (most don't have Friday classes) where there isn't another event or meeting at the same time. You are only excused from study hours if you are in class at the time or working. We are also all engineers so we do have daily/weekly homework and most of us are in the same classes anyway so it is a great study group.

[Siobhan]

UBC DPhiE's have a set study time, but it is optional. It's just a time that you know if you go to the library there will be other sisters there. I have never been because I study best at home. I guess it really depends if set hours can be seen as hazing or not. I like that school argument though.

[mwedzi]

Thank you Zeta, and thanks for the replies, everyone. Let me just make sure I've got it, though. No one has actually had any of their national officers tell them, specifically, that set study hours are considered hazing?

[This message has been edited by mwedzi (edited August 02, 2000).]

[equeen]

While I was active, we had study hours that were required for candidates, suggested for actives, and required for anyone with a GPA lower than the Chapter standard. Often times, study hours were "excused" if the individual had to meet with a specific study group for a class project (as long as studying is accomplished, it didn't have to be at the Chapter's study-site).

I've never heard of study hours being considered hazing. Every greek organization I know of puts a high value on academics, and set study hours is a way of making sure that pledges/new members do study, and balance their responsibility/excitement of being greek with their main reason for being in college.

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

[ZChi4Life]

I don't think study hours should be considered hazing at all. That's silly. I think some administrators are taking what is considered to be hazing to a whole other level. But that's another topic. But, no I think study hours are necessary considering all the activities that incoming members have to do during their education process. It's important to make sure that incoming members know that academics and getting your education/degree is the reason they are in college in the first place.

[SilverTurtle]

My chapter didn't have established study hours.

However, all of the athletic teams had them (I know they were required for freshman, but I don't *know* about upperclassmen?). They actually called them "study tables".

And most of the other GLOs on campus had study tables during their New Member Ed period.

Get this: the administration did consider it hazing for the GLOs.. but, of course, not the athletes.

1)How can it be okay for 1 organization and not another? I don't know.

2)How can a college administration discourage new students from studying? I don't know that one either

Anyways, that's not what I was going to post about. As I said, most GLOs did have study tables. But to keep it from being considered "hazing", they had to require it for all members, actives and pledges. So they had set hours every night, and members had to attend X number of hours/ week. If I remember correctly, this was only during New Member Ed, but it's been a while

I think study tables are a great idea. In fact, I wish I would have implemented it into my chapter's New Member Ed process. While our required GPA is a bit higher than what the school mandates (so our members often have good study habits already), it would have been nice to have some study groups and to always know there would be sisters & brothers in the library on any night.

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SilverTurtle@greekchat.com
Phi Beta Fraternity
Phi chapter

[ZChi4Life]

I totally agree w/ all your saying SilverTurtle. The athletes at my school have study table too. Here, they are required for freshmen, but upperclassmen can come if they need help in something.

Like I said, the administration is taking hazing to a whole different level. I know it's very important to keep it from getting out of hand, but saying that study tables are hazing now? That's so odd. Aren't we in college to get an education? Why shouldn't that be enforced when pledging? It's an important principle in most, if not all, GLOs I know. One of the chapters in my org just started doing a progress report system to keep track of everyone's grades/GPA. Now our National Board wants us all to implement that. It's a great idea b/c it's so easy to start concentrating on greek stuff and lose sight of the reason you're in college in the first place!

[KappaGirl2]

At my school set study hours is considered hazing by the college, yet is still enforced by most of the sororities on campus. Under some circumstances the sorority new member leader would let you miss an occasional study hour, but otherwise, you had to be there, even if you had a paper to type.

[Recent Alumna]

I don't know about hazing, but in my chapter, as long as you had someone on LC vouch for your hours, you could do them anywhere... typing papers counted. If you wanted to do them at the house, though, a member of LC was always there during "set" hours to make sure that people were staying "on task".