Colin Schlank, a second semester student at the University of Connecticut speaks on an account where “… he was in the backseat of a speeding car with a blindfold over his eyes. Music was blasting as the vehicle swerved from side to side, slamming him against its windows” (Andone).
Armando Villa “… hiked eighteen miles through the Angeles National Forest while blindfolded… At one point, Villa passed out during the hike and never regained consciousness. While at the hospital, Villa’s body temperature rose to 108.8 degrees, and he died. Later, the coroner concluded that heat stroke caused Villa’s death” (Alvarez).
Mortimor N. Leggett was left “… alone in the dark. The darkness disoriented Leggett, and he fell into a gorge” (Alvarez).
By quoting accounts of hazing from different students, a wide variety of voices are heard. The following accounts were results of hazing during the pledge process in order to gain entry into a sorority or fraternity. Hazing can include “paddling, forced runs or calisthenics, forced eating, forced viewing of pornography, blindfolding, sleep deprivation, forced alcohol consumption, forced vomiting, administration of electric shocks, and forced destruction of property, sleep deprivation, constantly being yelled at or subjected to name-calling, stripping, intrusive questioning about sexuality and sex acts, and blind-folding” (Parks). These acts can be disturbing to some while many students are still willing to do it.
On February 4th, ” several members of a Penn State fraternity will face refiled involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault charges at a second preliminary hearing…” (Coard). Another incident occur where “Florida State University suspended all frats and sororities for two months after the November 2017 death of Pi Kappa Phi pledge Andrew Coffey, which has since been determined to have been due to hazing, according to police” (Andone). Voices have arised to speak on these fatal issues. Due to multiple deaths of newly recruited college students caused by excessive alcohol intake for initiation, the topic of hazing has now broaden to a legal standpoint.
Northwestern University took action and “… suspended some members of the women’s soccer team from some 2006-07 regular season games for hazing. Some players also received probation and others unspecified additional disciplinary action. The men’s swim team and the Northwestern Wildcat mascot squad also were punished in separate incidents” (Fine).
Entering college as a freshmen, the environment can be new and frightening. Therefore, many desire to join a group to make friends. This is why hazing is such a controversial topic. Some feel that it causes unnecessary harm while others feel that the process is necessary in order to gain acceptance into the organization, whether it is a sorority or fraternity. Hazing scholar Stephen Sweet propose two theories, the Symbolic Interactionist Theory and Looking-Glass Theory. In the Symbolic Interactionist Theory, pledges consider themselves in forms of the “material self and the social self” (Parks). The material self is the pledge pin or uniform while the social self is the bond created between the pledges. The Looking Glass theory is where pledges gain motivation from the feedback it receives. The members can be extremely nice in order to seek students to join, but they become mean and belittie the pledges once they actually start the process. This relationship is supposed to help rebuilt the pledges once they enter the organization. This conflicting behavior can be a weird process to many.
Alvarez, an attorney proposes a question, “Can you name another social institution, besides the college fraternity, in which 19, 20 and 21 year-old young men have absolute power and authority over the lives of 17 and 18 year-old young men?”. Coard who is an “experienced criminal trial lawyer who specializes in defending against murder and other serious charges” refutes by asking, “Is it always wrong for a parent to yell at a child? No, it’s obviously not. So why do many people consider it always wrong to yell at an approximately 20-something-year-old to get him/her to improve in whatever it takes to become a member of an organization… Is it always wrong for a parent to spank a child? No, it’s obviously not. So why do many people consider it always wrong to subject an approximately 20-something-year-old to roughhousing and horseplay to get him/her to improve in whatever it takes to become a member of an organization…?”. This battle on the topic of power is controversial in the hazing process, even with lawmakers.
While the process of pledging can be harsh and extensive, Aldo Cimino has a stance as an anthropology professor at the University of California, Santa Barva. Cimino mentions that “The costs — temporary discomfort and humiliation — pale in comparison to the potential benefits, which include prestige, a more active social life and a social network that could help students later in life”. He further states that “You’re talking about an entire coalition of individuals who will support and advocate on your behalf… potentially long after the initiation is over” (Andone). Gary Alan Fine, a sociology professor at Northwestern University states, “Initiations require mutual support and bonding among members. The initiates give up some of their dignity, smudge their reputations, because they know that others in the group will have done the same. They gain a confidence that their mates will support them through college and after.” Evidently, there are benefits of joining these organization, regardless of the the hazing process. Therefore, in Fine and Cimino’s situation, the benefits justifies the process.
Michael Coard was able to offer his insight on hazing in the most effective way as an “experienced and longtime fraternity member who has served as a dean of pledges and a chapter president” (Coard). His opinion is genuine because he actually went through the process rather than just telling it through someone else’s experience. His article, “Coard: Can greek hazing be good thing?” was clearly written to combat and justify hazing. From the title, the question of whether hazing can be a good thing is directly asked. Coard states that “…undergraduate fraternity and sorority members are collegians who clearly didn’t go to an institution of higher education with a plan to kill or maim people or with a plan to be wantonly indifferent about conditions that could cause death or serious injury” (Coard). Coard is not denying the fact that the freshmen passed away from the hazing process, Coard is also not saying that what they did was fine. However, he wants to clarify that the hazing process isn’t meant to harm recruiters in general. He continues by stating “Hazing is a good thing. There. I said it” (Coard).
As a college freshmen, I know a lot of friends from different schools that are pledging or have already crossed for their sororities or fraternities. A friend of mine in Binghamton crossed Fall 2018 for a fraternity. When I asked if it was hard for him, he responded with “I guess? Nothing is really easy”. When I asked my Big if she agree with the pledge process, her response was “No, but I think it is necessary. Yes, it is stupid, don’t tell the other sisters, but I think we all need to go through it to have something in common which gives us pride for our sorority”. My GBig then proceed to say, “Yea, I agree. I don’t like it either. I think I would have been able to build the same relationships with the sisters without this harsh process but I guess the process gives a lot of people pride”.
Having to give up one’s reputation and voluntarily be humiliated by the members of a group can be intimidating and challenging. Such acts as “Being told that you’re going to eat worms, strip to your skivvies, or chug a few beers while being paddled is not everyone’s idea of fun” (Fine). The Hazing Prevention Organization offers insight on the difference and similarities between hazing and bullying. It states that the “Motivation for bullying and hazing is often identity-based” and the “Imbalance of power exists” (Hazing Prevention). Hazing is compared to bullying where “Left unchecked each can contribute to an environment where the behavior is acceptable” (Hazing Prevention). Therefore, Jennifer J. Waldron, an assistant professor in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services at the University of Northern Iowa has an important sense on the issue. Waldron argues that “it is common for the media to report hazing experiences to the public only when someone has been injured or hurt” (Waldron). With that being said, there is clearly an issue with the structure of the pledging process. Waldron continues to state that “… 44 states in the United States have laws deeming hazing illegal” (Waldron). However, there are still organizations seeking to follow the traditional ways.
The pledge class for Spring 2019 began with four girls. One girl passed the interview but never showed up to the first official meeting. Therefore, there were three girls who started the process together. One girl left at the end of Week Two. Another girl left at the end of Week Four. Before she left Week Four, she was asked why she wanted to drop. While tearing up, she said these words slowly and quietly, “I was so stressed I wanted to cut myself”. That simple statement is solid enough to show the toxic environment she was placed in.
As a pledge sister who recently dropped out of the pledge process, I’m going to offer my intake. Coming into the process was weird. During my senior year of high school, I was working at Soft Swerve, an ice cream shop located in Chinatown. My co-worker at the time was in a sorority and told me to come out to rush and see if it was something I would be interested in for my college career. I had no clue what it was and took her words lightly. Therefore, this was an exploration of my own confusion at the moment because I want to explore the Greek Community and lifestyle. Going into the second week of my process, I felt disrespected because I had no clue what I got myself into. I am someone who stands up for myself and I confronted the sister who made rude comments. However, I was told to just take it lightly by other sisters because it was only going to make my process more difficult. Therefore, I was in a way forced to apologize.
My email to the sister went like this, “Before I start my greet, I want to apologize. You are a Big Sister and I shouldn’t have said or responded in the way I did. It is just my personality to be defensive and sensitive, that is a weakness I am still working towards. At first, I came into this process having no clue what this was all about. I thought it was similar to a club and the process to get in takes a day so this is why the journey has been a shocker to me, and it still is honestly. After getting my Big, I finally have to reason to stay. Before that, I just constantly question why I keep coming back which is mostly because I already pay the dues so I didn’t want to do things halfway and give up. We have our differences but I was having a bad day so my words came out wrong. I sincerely apologize for my actions and I will strive to become better”.
“Another tacit imperative when participating in hazing is that both hazers and hazees must adhere to the culture of silence. For example, 60 percent of collegiate athletes reported that they would not report being hazed because of the risk of being ostracized. Specifically, many athletes do not speak against the hazing practices for fear of disobeying or challenging the hazers and facing the consequences. Reasons for not reporting hazing activities, cited by 95 percent of students who were hazed, included (1) not wanting to get their team or group in trouble, (2) being afraid of negative consequences including being physically hurt, and (3) being concerned they would become an outsider” (Waldron). This was the situation that I was involved in.
For the record, if you asked if I think hazing is justified, I would say yes and no. I stayed until the end of Week Six for a reason and I also dropped for a reason. The pledging process is a ultimate secret. The process is not for everyone. The pledging process should have a balance, so that it does remain a certain level of difficulty and sacrifice, but not harsh enough where academics as well as a good amount of mental and physical health is being affected.
Works Cited
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Andone, Dakin. “They pledge. Get hazed. The cycle continues.” CNN Health, 8 Dec. 2018.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/25/health/hazing-dangers-fraternities-sororities/index.html
Coard, Michael. “Coard: Can greek hazing be good thing?” The Philadelphia Tribune, 23 Sep,
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https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010691219/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&x
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Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010691220/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=
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