Hazing Found at U. of Michigan: 3 Fraternities, One Sorority

[AGDee]

There isn't a national organization that condones hazing or irresponsible drinking. It seems to me that those who do believe in hazing simply aren't going to change their minds about it no matter what anybody tells them. You end up hearing people on this board talking about "safe" hazing that creates unity, blah blah blah. There is no acceptable form of hazing, but there are still hazing attitudes out there. Most hazing incidents in GLOs these days are the actions/attitudes of a few of the members, unplanned by the chapter as a whole. It is up to each individual member in each GLO to do the responsible thing when they hear/see things to blow the whistle. Members with hazing attitudes need to be booted. Those who tend to have hazing attitudes also seem to be pretty powerful people and I think members become afraid to blow the whistle on them. I don't know how effective any of the programs are. There have been studies that have shown that even a death due to hazing or drinking on a campus only results in changed behavior of students for six weeks. I really don't know what the answer is. We tend to go through trends of increased hazing and drinking over the decades, then it slows way down again. Do we just have to try our best to keep it in check until it's no longer a cool thing to do?

Hazing is starting earlier and earlier as we're hearing so much about it in high schools. Sadly, I don't think the Greeks can change it on their own, but we have to set the bar high for our members and expect them to be role models for others.

I wish there was an easy answer. Is there anything that hasn't been tried?

Dee

[TSteven]

After thinking about this some, I tend to fall on the side that individual fraternities should decide their own policy *within* the rules and regulations of the campus as well as local, state/province and federal laws. Yet I do agree that something needs to be done system wide or it may be done for us. Frankly, I'm just not sure what that might be yet.

Piggybacking on what Rudy said, I also feel that the campus culture needs to be addressed as well.

Originally posted by Rudey
What it [the fraternity] needs to do is really consider whether it wants to take on the risk of expanding at certain schools. If an entire campus drinks constantly, there is little reason to believe your chapter at that school will attract the "non-alcoholics". And if you do set up shop at a high risk school, then you have to really, really make sure that your brothers there are on track and educated on hazing and the collective shame we all bear when you take part in it.

This ties in with what AGDee stated.

Originally posted by AGDee
Members with hazing attitudes need to be booted.

I feel all too often a whole Greek system is blamed and not the particular chapter that may be at fault. And more often, it's a particular individual(s) of a chapter.

So perhaps this is something every GLO should address. From the inter/national level down to the campus IFC (or other governing bodies) and on down to each individual chapter. How to weed out the bad members - starting with rush. And have in place a clear guideline for removal of those members that should not be a part of your fine organization.