Hazing Horrors

Karla Cortes Persuasive Essay English 401 Prof. H

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You have no idea how bad pledging has gotten with these girls. Tomorrow were going to have to eat a full onion while answering questions about the sisters and facts about the sorority in general. Theyre probably going to yell at me until I cry. Im legit shaking I dont want to go back, but I know I have to. I received this text message on March 17, 2013, at 1:47 am; it was from my best friend from back home, Marissa1. Marissa has always been known as a strong and independent girl that didnt take mistreatment from anyone, and she was now petrified for her life. Marissa was pledging for a sorority that she really was hoping to get into; her older sister had once been in the same chapter. She had to sleep on a basement floor, skip classes to do chores in the house, listen to sisters harass her, and drink nauseating concoctions. On April 7 th I logged into my Facebook and checked Marissas page. The hazing was now over, and she was tagged with all her sorority sisters in pictures. Enormous smiles and hugs were plastered on these photographs. The older girls made comments on the photos So glad you are finally a sister! We love you! I was in complete awe and in shock. The same girls that hazed my defenseless friend were now her best friends and confidants. It seemed outrageous to me that to acquire power and privilege in a group you have to go through meaningless abuse. The only thing that ran through my mind looking at the photos and wall posts was Is it really worth it? Hazing has been around since 387 B.C.E, when Greek philosopher Plato observed young boys committing hazing-like behaviors (Nuwer xxv). Since then,
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Name was changed to protect confidentiality of individual.

hazing has overflown on college campuses, sports teams, and even the military. Hazing is any activity, required implicitly or explicitly as a condition of initiation or continued membership in an organization that may negatively impact the physical or psychological well-being of the individual or may cause damage to others, or to public or private property (Campo 137). Hazing has produced damage

psychologically and physically, and even death (Campo 137). In 2001, Arizona became the forty-third state to pass anti-hazing legislation (Nuwer xxvii). However despite the improvements on anti-hazing legislation, the problem of hazing still has not been destroyed. A reason is that many times when people are hazed or see hazing they do not tell anyone because of fear. The process of joining a sorority or fraternity differs at every school or organization. In some organizations it is a very quick process that consists of interviews, then membership, but most of the time hopeful members have to go through a process called Rush2. Rush is the selection process to see if the individual is compatible or well matched with potential chapters. If the chapter(s) wants the individual to join, they will give them a bid (Nuwer 54). If the rushee accepts the bid (they can refuse the bid, if they get more than one or if the rushee does not find the chapter suitable for them), they move on to the final step, which is becoming a pledge. Pledging is the time when prospective members have to prove to the chapter that they are worthy of being a member, hence this is when hazing occurs the most. After pledging, the chapter usually has

This process of Rush was taken from the fraternity, Iota Nu Sigma. This does not reflect on any other fraternities or sororities Rush process. 3

initiation where the pledges get their chapter letters, and are official members of the organization (Nuwer 54). Pledging is a time where new members begin to get the essence of what it is like being a member in the chapter. Usually during pledging in the Greek system, the pledges need to learn the brothers or sisters names in the chapter, chapter rules, the Greek alphabet, etc. Unfortunately, it is not always this simple and tranquil. Pledging is also the period where new members have to experience hazing for the first time. Hazing methods vary from miniscule little assignments such as cleaning the chapter house or running errands for the members, to barbaric and cruel punishments like branding. Hazardous methods of hazing include branding and cigarette burning; extreme and harmful calisthenics; confinement in restricted areas such as basements or closets; sexual acts; consumption of nonfood or noxious substances; and excessive alcohol consumption (Nuwer 174,175,176). Excessive alcohol consumption is the most predominant form of hazing; about 90 percent of hazing-reported deaths are caused from binge drinking (Hollman 13). On November 2, 2012, David

Bogenberger was found dead at the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) house of Northern Illinois University (Keen). The night of his death he was participating in a pledging event where he had to answer questions from sorority and fraternity members, then had to drink. Davids blood-alcohol content when he was found was five times the legal limit of driving (Keen). Twenty-two members of the fraternity were arrested; five were charged with hazing as a felony and seventeen were charged with misdemeanors (Keen).

Despite the negative light hazing has had, there are still many people that defend this cruel and unjust treatment. Sports Illustrateds Richard Hoffer wrote in an opinion piece supporting hazing saying that it builds camaraderie and teaches humility (Nuwer xxii). Fraternity brothers often defend hazing as well by saying it is necessary for bonding, and that the lifelong bond of brotherhood was worth the mistreatment they faced during pledging (Sanday 209). These statements are inconsistent and hypocritical. How is making someone drink until their body shuts down or branding your brother or sister going to be essential into making them a better-civilized human being? Hazing does not improve

character or will help you move forward in life: the only thing it benefits is growing the cycle of violence that is taking over our society today. Hazing has destroyed the true elements 3 of the Greek system, and has turned it into a cult-like organization. Like cults, hazing organizations appeal to recruits that do not have many friends or are in stress because of an environment change (Nuwer 28). Also like cults, hazing organizations do not look at pledges as members until they prove with tasks that they deserve to be true members; once you are in an organization, it is often times difficult to leave and if you do many times victims feel post-traumatic stress and isolation from others (Nuwer 29). The issue of hazing is not going to be removed if colleges and universities abolish every Greek system. Greek organizations that have not hazed have contributed many positive things to society. These establishments have donated

Common fundamental elements of sororities and fraternities include: mutual welfare, united friendship sustained by honor and led by truth, high moral character, integrity, academic excellence, etc. 5

money and given their time to charities; they also have enlightened students academically and provided them with jobs after college. But these organizations are not the problem; the organizations that keep endangering the lives of innocent young adults are. Colleges and universities need to start being concerned about hazing not only when someone dies or there is a serious issue. A clear message of intolerance needs to begin to be communicated with schools, and monitoring activities after non-campus hours (Hollman 19). Chapters need to also begin to change initiation rites that are constituted to practices of nonviolence and unity. In an ideal world, organizations like the Greek system would not need hazing to initiate members in cruel and barbaric ways. But, maybe oneday administrations and policy makers begin to lock down on these violent events innocent lives will no longer be lost.

Work Cited

Campo, Shelly, Gretchen Poulos, and John W. Sipple. "Prevalence and Profiling: Hazing among College Students and Points of Intervention." American Journal of Health Behavior 29.2 (2005): 137-49. Web.

Hollmann, Barbara B. "Hazing: Hidden Campus Crime." New Directions for Student Services.99 (2002): 11-23. Web.

Judy, KeenUSA TODAY. "Frat Members Face Charges After Death." USA TodayWeb.

Nuwer, Hank. The Hazing Reader. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. /z-wcorg/. Web.

Sanday, Peggy Reeves. Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood, and Privilege on Campus. New York: New York University Press, 1990. /z-wcorg/. Web.

Waldron, Jennifer J., and Christopher L. Kowalski. "Crossing the Line: Rites of Passage, Team Aspects, and Ambiguity of Hazing." Research quarterly for exercise and sport 80.2 (2009): 291-302. Web.

Wood, Sherry. "Concerts on Hold as UNH Organization is Punished." The Union Leader (Manchester, NH), sec. 1A: 1. November 28 2012. Web.