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legacypbs
04-24-2002, 05:35 PM
Sorry So Long for a class

Greek Pledging: Minds vs. Might. Where’s the harm?

How does one go about fixing the Black Greek Lettered Organization (BGLO) system? There is a problem, and though many fail to realize this, without a direct and immediate attention one or all of the organizations will fail to exist. First, one would have to identify what the problems are. The main problems are that over the years, the BGLO method of membership admittance has become synonymous with hazing. The pledge process, once built around African traditions and heritage have lost structure and become somewhat similar to brutal gang rituals. The following is one such example:
“The first time the Qs beat Joe Snell, in late January 1993, they caught him completely by surprise. When he got his formal letter of invitation to join the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) Chi Delta chapter of the black fraternity Omega Psi Phi, Snell was told to dress up in a suit and tie and report to a house in Gaithersburg for an "interview." A few weeks earlier, during the official "smoker," when prospective pledges learned about Omega Psi Phi (they call themselves the "Qs" because the Greek letter Omega looks like a Q), the president of the chapter and its alum adviser had told Snell that "hazing was a thing of the past."
“But in Gaithersburg that January night, Snell learned that the frat's single most important lesson was never to let an unsuspecting pledge know what was going to happen next. Until then, he hadn't realized that joining "the Sons of Blood and Thunder" would involve shedding some of his own blood.
“In a trial for the civil suit he eventually brought, Snell testified that after he and his six line-brothers arrived, they were brought inside and blindfolded—he could hear and feel dull thuds as other pledges were "body-slammed" into a wall. When his turn came, he was also knocked down. When the battered pledges finally had their blindfolds removed, they were made to kneel down and were interrogated with a bright light shining in their eyes. "If your mother, an Omega man, and Jesus Christ were drowning, who would you save?" Snell was asked. "I'd save my mom, then the Omega man. Jesus can save himself," he answered. He was rewarded with a beating, but actually there was no right answer.
“According to his testimony, one of the Qs decided that Snell, who is very light-skinned, needed some more color; he placed a radiant space heater half an inch away from Snell's face. Snell later testified that he could feel his skin begin to sizzle.” (GREEK TRAGEDY)
This story is taken from the cover article of The Washington City Paper. Washington D.C. is the birthplace of many BGLO’s. This is not pledging; nothing is gained through these heinous acts. To truly understand this problem one must analyze history of both, fraternities and pledging, as well as the tie the two have to one another. Finally, one would have to look at other systems in existence and/or ways to make the current system work.
In the year of 1776, a group of friends at William and Mary University formed a bond that would forever change higher education. These men formed the first fraternity in the United States. Fraternities would from this point on become a cornerstone of collegiate institutions, and later many communities society. The strongest schools usually have a strong Greek community and in turn a strong alumnus support. There are many different sects of fraternal orders, ranging from professional to service to social, as well as others. Each entity has smaller groups within them. For the purpose of this analysis, the focus will be placed on BGLO from the National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC) generally known as “The Devine Nine”.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Online Edition defines hazing as the following:
“To harass by exacting unnecessary or disagreeable work; to harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism.”

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, hazing has been legally defined as the following:
§18.2-56. Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials.

It shall be unlawful to haze, or otherwise mistreat so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school, college, or university.

Any person found guilty thereof shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless the injury would be such as to constitute a felony, and in that event the punishment shall be inflicted as is otherwise provided by law for the punishment of such felony.

Any person receiving bodily injury by hazing or mistreatment shall have a right to sue, civilly, the person or persons guilty thereof, whether adults or infants.

The president, or other presiding official of any school, college or university, receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall, upon satisfactory proof of the guilt of any student found guilty of hazing or mistreating another student so as to cause bodily injury, expel such student so found guilty, and shall make report thereof to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which such school, college or university is, who shall present the same to the grand jury of such city or county convened next after such report is made to him.

(Code 1950, § 18.1-71; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15)

In today’s society, in ignorance pledging is categorized as hazing. This is probably the largest error we have in dealing with fraternities and sororities and their rituals. The process that they put potential members through is pledging not hazing. It is clear that for years there was no problem with this process and though it is not perfect, its current alternative does more harm than good. The NPHC has recently come under attack because of reoccurring lawsuits due to injury caused during membership pledging rituals. Rigorous pledging rituals have been part of the NPHC membership process from the conception of each organization in the early 20th century. “There is an account in the history of Alpha Phi Alpha about how the Jewels (founders) were called to a convention to address the subject of rampant hazing in the fraternity. This was around 1921 or 1922”. (Pledging vs. Hazing) Today’s date is 2002. In over 80 years pledging has not only coexisted but was an integral part of fraternities. One member of Alpha Phi Alpha has in interviewing older Greeks, found that though they participated in six-month pledge periods; they did not participate in hazing of the physical sort. Some of these interviewees pledged prior to 1960. Due to the previously stated legal definition and precedent set in court hazing one has to state physical hazing, because so many things can be put into hazing such as having a pledge serenade someone. This image seen for years in films as being identifying of Greeks in college is now considered mentally damaging and therefore hazing. The BGLO system has been categorized by the work of Spike Lee, “School Daze”. This story tells of how the entire focus of BGLO’s is sex, exploitation, and pain. The ironic point is that Lee once attempted to join one of these BGLO’s yet was not accepted. Pledging is a form of rites of passage, a tradition, like many of BGLO’s that hails from Africa.
Scholars such as Charles-Arnold Van Gennep have noted that virtually all human societies use ceremonial rites to mark significant transitions in the social status of individuals. These rites highlight and validate changes in a person's status, particularly on the occasion of such life-transforming events as birth, puberty, marriage, parenthood, and death, but also may occur upon taking a political office or joining a secret society.
Africana.com

Fraternities fit into this category as well. They can be compared to secret societies to the point that many of their traditions and history are privileged information for their members only. BGLO’s are much more than even that fraternity that was founded at William and Mary. The membership into one is forever. Black fraternities were designed to lead their communities in a time of social and economic depression. This is a very privileged position to hold and signifies a change in status. Many of these actions of the pledge process are taken from African rites of passage. It also helps you are taught many things that help to improve time management, and interpersonal skills. Many groups follow one practice where heads are shaved by the big brothers, whereas in Africa “heads are shaved on the first day of the koroseek initiation ceremony among the Okiek of Kenya.” (Africana.com) One tradition known as branding is also honored by fraternities though it is optional and done after completion of the pledge process. Brands as seen to the right are done by many undergraduate members. Like branding most things that pledging partakes is optional. It should be the choice of the organizations what there membership should entail and for BGLO’s pledging is more of respect for traditions than a membership requirement.
Ceremonies marking initiation into adulthood are the most common rites of passage. They often include trials of pain and stamina, periods of introspection, the teaching of sacred and secret stories, and the use of symbolic representations, including dances and masks, as a means of reshaping individuals' identities. Initiations may take weeks or months, during which the initiates often live together in distinct and segregated houses.

If one was to pick up a paper there would be little evidence of good done by BGLO’s yet they are pillars of the community. How often was it stated that Phi Beta Sigma allowed the usage of its headquarters for organization of the Million Man March. This is a large event but in every African-American community near a college campus, you will find BGLO’s involved. Recently in the Norfolk, VA, there was a front-page article that told of charges placed against the Phi Beta Sigma chapter at Norfolk State. These individuals depicted as criminals are in fact the same individuals who have received awards for being outstanding role models in their community for numerous years. Never has a word been printed in the Virginia Pilot concerning positive activities of these individuals or other local fraternities. In doing a search of the archives of the Virginia Pilot there were numerous articles found pertaining to negative activities of both fraternities and sororities, and many eulogies for members of these organizations. It’s amazing that each of these eulogies were of major leaders in the Hampton Roads area. The writer of the latest article, Lou Misselhorn, failed to respond when asked why he feels the lack of coverage of fraternity activities in the last three years, when there were four other articles about Greek hazing incidents in the Hampton Roads area. This shows the level of interest in stories pertaining to the good deeds done by these organizations. In the recent article, the reporter failed to include neither any of the information he received in interviewing the school officials at nearby Old Dominion University nor the advisors of the two chapters. Included was the thoughts of the student body president who said, “I've never seen anything like this -- not in my five years here'', even though this is nearly the same situation that happened with Delta Sigma Theta two years before. In speaking to the ODU officials and advisors, they stated that their comments were positive because this organization does stellar programs on and off the campus. These students are the leaders of tomorrow, and though it is not made known the leaders of today. They are not criminals.
Van Gennep viewed rites of passage as an essential ingredient in the rejuvenation of society. He and other social scientists generally believe that rites of passage serve to preserve social stability by easing the transition of cohorts of individuals into new status and prestige roles; in part, they are a social acknowledgement of aging. As individuals are born and age, their positions in society change. In the absence of rites of passage, society would be fraught with conflict as individuals either struggled to assert new social statuses or resisted these statuses.

Solutions are much simpler than one would think. The major problem with today’s pledge process is that it is being done in secret illegally. When one compares the secrecy now seen with the individuals versus the public scrutiny seen in the past, it is clear that many of the problems would be solved by starting by taking the pledge process above ground. By running away from something that separates BGLO’s from Black Student Alliances and Student Government identities are being compromised. There are many organizations that still participate in an above ground pledge process. One such organization, Sigma Lambda Upsilon, has a very successful pledge process. In this process there is a large amount of participation by graduate chapters and officers. One would not expect newly affirmed men to run rites of passage programs in Africa, so why should neophytes (new members of Greek lettered organizations) be expected to run their pledge process. A large responsibility should fall upon graduate members of these organizations to bring in new members and mentor the undergraduate members as to how to properly pledge. The ways of below ground pledging are dangerous to individuals and organizations. These actions are a cry to elders not of rejection but a cry for help. The youth love and respect their organization and simply ask that of others joining.
Noted anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski feels “Such rituals give individuals social support in confronting the anxiety they may feel facing new social roles or major life changes.” (Africana.com) Not everyone in the black community can or will join a BGLO; it is a task to proud of. There is more to being in a fraternity than good grades and goodwill, because that should be expected of all students. Members should strive to be the best. When looking at fraternities lets look at everything they do. One chapter may get in trouble but most organizations have hundreds of chapters with many members in each. These millions of members are the Presidents of major companies and countries around the world. Fraternity members are not the criminals that they are perceived to be, but instead people very passionate about their organizations and its causes. Inside of the organizations all woes can be fixed by simply remaining that fraternities are not joined for your years while in college but instead for ever. The college members are the heart of the organization and the graduate members are the wallets and brains. One cannot survive without the other; communication is essential between both. Will BGLO’s survive? The only one’s that can answer that are their members and what step they take next.

Works Cited

Kimbrough, Dr. Walter M., Why Pledging Died, http://www.studentorgs.swt.edu/NPHC/aboutpledging.htm
Commonwealth of Virginia Code 1950, § 18.1-71; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15

Smoot, Chuck; Pledging vs. Hating; 16 September 1996; http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5506/essay-pledge.html

Misselhorn, Lou; Ex-student at NSU sues frat, member over hazing;
”The Virginian-Pilot”; A1; 21 March, 2002

Nave, Ari; Rites of Passage and Transition; Africana.com; http://www.africana.com