Fraternity Hazing
...finition of hazing. They define it as: “…any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such activities and situations include paddling in any form; creation of fatigue; physical and psychological shocks; quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips or any other such activities; wearing public apparel which is conspicuous and not normally in good taste; engaging in public stunts of buffoonery; normally degrading or humiliating games and activities; late work sessions which interfere with scholastic activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with fraternal law, ritual or policy or the regulations and policies of the educational institution.” As you can see hazing is much more than making someone do something that you tell them to do. There are many ways someone can be hazed and UT has comprised a long list of what it considers “hazing.” A few of the ones you have probably heard happening could be: Calisthenics such as sit-ups or push-ups; house duties; pledges awakened repeatedly in the night; yelling or screaming at pledges; pledges not permitted adequate time for studies during pre-initiation or initiation periods; and errands being run by pledges for the active members or any personal servitude. There have been many ways in which not only colleges but higher powers have tried to eliminate hazing. On March 19, 2003, the House of Representatives passed an act that threatens loss of scholarships and financial aid to students who have engaged in acts of hazing. Over time, many myths have risen about hazing. One is hazing is only a problem for fraternities and sororities; however hazing, as a whole, is a societal problem. You can find incidents of hazing in athletic teams, marching bands, military, and professional schools. Another myth would be hazing is an efficient way to teach respect and develop discipline. Many say, “How can you respect someone if they had just got done hazing you?”. Respect must be earned and this is no way to earn or gain respect. The last myth is if someone agrees to participate in the activity, then it isn’t considered hazing. In states that have laws against hazing, consent of the victim can’t be used as a defense in a civil suit. This is so because even if someone agrees to participate in this activity, they might not want to do it but feel peer pressure and a desire to belong to that certain group. As you can see there is much more to hazing then what most people think. Hazing has always been seen as a secretive campus activity when it comes to fraternities and pledging. As a result, a series of 168 cases of injuries and deaths related to fraternity hazing activities occurred in the United States between 1923 and 1982. Young college men are being hospitalized and even worse, dying, just for a couple of friends that give them a sense of belonging. The major causes of hazing are the students’ wanting a sense of belonging in a big college campus, the college’s rare knowledge of what occurs in fraternities, and the unwillingness of fraternities to change tradition. The humiliations of hazing are said to build bonds between pledges and fraternity brothers. According to fraternity beliefs, the theory goes, if you and a couple of friends go through fraternity initiations, drinking excessive amounts of beer and being beaten by fraternity members etc., and only you and your friends go through it, then this gives you all something in common. Men are experiencing injuries including those caused by blunt force (beatings, paddling, motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian accidents, and falls from height), cold exposure, heat exhaustion, and electrocution, just to name a few. These supposedly bring the fraternity “together”. One cause of hazing is that fraternity members do not want to change tradition. Hazing has been a part of fraternity initiations ever since fraternities were founded. Hazing was used to test the pledges that wanted to join the fraternity, to make sure that the pledge was “fraternity material.” If fraternity members think this way then how can hazing be prevented so that innocent men do not die just for friends and a “feeling of belonging?” A second cause of hazing is that the fraternities know exactly what they are doing and they know what they can get away with most of it, since college administrators are not doing anything to prevent hazing. The events that happen in the fraternity world are largely secretive; some even go “underground,” just so they do not get caught. This should tell college administrators that the fraternities are trying to hide something, and that something is illegal and wrongful. Many fraternitie...