Does your chapter haze?

[Ruspa]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

You can understand mentally hazing and slaps or cute friendly () kicks in the butt. Yet, you cannot understand physically hazing someone to the point of bruises all of their body and death. It is all hazing.

It's the way the game is over here. We base our play on verbal challenge. Think of it as a TV debate between two people that actually can't stand each other. In your head you may be willing to rise your middle finger and just turn back as you see a people you don't like, but you cannot refuse a challenge here.
A "bar challenge" starts as soon as someone just picks you and pretend he's offended by some reason. Mostly comically spurious reasons. Sometimes you're called because you've been nasty, or because you're blatantly wrong in something (robes? colours? so many rules to infringe lol ), sometimes just because that guy wants a free drink, or just to know you (especially if you're a cute new girl). Everybody can call anyone, a newbie can call even a city-chief.. I've seen newcomers win (imagine the laughters of other city frats..).
But when you're picked you *must* follow him at the bar, order let's say 2 glasses of wine, and start listening why the hell this frat says is angry with you: at this point many other frats look at the challenge (public, yay!) When (if) you start babbling as reply (it's not a insult race, the debate is usually pretty intelligent and tied up) you're doing a poor showing, and when this happens you actually lose the challenge. Payment is symbolic. No money is involved, never, apart from when the loser has to pay the 2 glasses, of course or the bartender will kill you as everywhere in the world. Payments here are accepted only in Alcohol, Tobacco and well, girls/boys respectively (actually our deities, Bacchus Tabaccus and Venus). Most of the times a newcomer begins a challenge being insulted, he sweats for good 10 minutes.. and comes out with a new friend. Unless you're a total stupid.
All this rigmarole is for saying that some bar challenges are nice and instructive (the guy learns from you new tricks and hopefully some rules) some other times you find a dickhead that just want to blatantly prevail on you, demonstrating you're a poor thing, a babbling stupid. That's obviously not pleasant, but hey, you've got to learn how to face even the worst situations. When these situations come in real life (work/marriage...) it's better be prepared how to handle yourself.
That's why I said we're not scared at all about mental hazing, and many times happens just because history. Old frats from other cities may simply hate your group for historical problems you don't know and as he sees your newcamers they start insulting everyone. You just don't give a fk and stand still and reply back with smarter answers.
But in our perpetual strive to impress, no violence is tolerated, never. One thing is saing "you're worth less than shit" one other thing is being duct taped or beaten hard. No verbal hazing is pointless too, everything is for the good of the game, the most of the old frats agree that they were shy, useless.. gray people unless in greek life they learnt how to fully use their brain potential. You're kinda forced to have balls, and I think that in a way or another, this is the common point in every university fraternity all over the world.
But hey, it's not all a challenge, most of the times is singing, racing, drinking of course, impressing people...

random videos from all over Italy:
a soapbox race here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wjOyo1pZC8

just relaxing (in the comments, someone replied "dorks, you look boyscouts")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtDuQCYCjac

and an official promotion to a city-chief rank here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A-yz3XVbzc

I know many of those guys *makes me feel old*

and I'd really love to learn how the game is in North America. It's very strange that we've never seen anyone of you at our city festivals. Each city which has a large historical University (Bologna, first University in the world , a.d. 1088) has an annual festival and often we see visitors from other nations. Perhaps the Atlantic is a way too large obstacle just for have some fun. In fact I've never heard of anyone of us being hosted in one of your frat houses. In my head I'm starting being nostalgic. But always curious

[astalpha]

Eastern Michigan University has a very strict no haze policy.

[adpimiz]

Originally Posted by sdsuchelle

Absolutely not. I was like, the opposite of hazed.. they showered me with gifts through my whole pledge period.

Same here! I do not know anyone in sororities who have been at all hazed. I do, however, know several fraternities that haze. And not only do they haze, but they are not very tight-lipped about it.. I've seen it done in public.

[kateee]

We had some alumna up during Homecoming and they discussed how they were hazed. I, on the other hand, have not been hazed at all. The two women were plesantly surprised that I wasn't. They didn't seem disappointed, in fact they were like "that's awesome."
They were from a pledge class in the 80's... things have changed a lot in our chapter since then :P haha
From Bid week till Big/Little, I was given a new "Owl Pal" each week, an active sister who would write me a note each day and leave a small gift in my mail on that Friday. It was exciting, and nice to get to know the actives that way. I was showered with gifts!

[tea&krumpets]

I'm still a new member (initiation is very soon!) and I have never been hazed. All of the active sisters were very adamant in saying that if we ever felt uncomfortable in any way, don't hesitate to talk to Standards, etc.

Only one sorority on my campus hazes, and I'm not even sure if they still do because they got caught a few years back and had severe repercussions.

However, even though 66% of those who have taken the poll say their chapters don't haze, hazing is still very much associated with Greek life. Case in point: On Thanksgiving, every single one of my relatives asked me if I had been hazed yet.

[BlueOwl]

My sorority chapter did not haze, my daughter's chapter did not haze...my son's fraternity chapter, where he is currently a "pledge" "new member" whatever is the acceptable title...oh boy, do they haze!! Nothing to endanger life or limb, nor anything publicly humiliating...but mentally and physically very rough. Mind you, my son isn't telling me every detail, but I can tell that it's tough. Still, he is overwhelmingly happy and he fully acknowledges the value of his new member period. He will be initiated soon, and then I can finally have a good night's sleep!

Any other moms or dads want to share how they got through their son's pledge period?

[peppermint23]

Ha I would have dropped out if we did.

We did the opposite of hazing. We shower new members with love.

[peppermint23]

I will say this. When my sister and I were on vacation, we met two fraternity brothers whose chapters I can't recall.

They told us all about their "hell week" part of which involves (a warning to the squeamish here...) pledges sitting in a big trash bins with another pledge in front of them, who has to drink and drink and drink some nasty substance until he vomits all over the pledge. Then they switch and do it again.

They described it as "sick" and "awesome". Now I love psychology, I am fascinated by what makes us tick - including groupthink and mob mentality - but damn, WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Why would you...I just...no.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by peppermint23

I will say this. When my sister and I were on vacation, we met two fraternity brothers whose chapters I can't recall.

They told us all about their "hell week" part of which involves (a warning to the squeamish here...) pledges sitting in a big trash bins with another pledge in front of them, who has to drink and drink and drink some nasty substance until he vomits all over the pledge. Then they switch and do it again.

They described it as "sick" and "awesome".

Just a reminder not to believe everything you hear. They may have been telling the truth, or they may have been . . . embellishing . . . for effect.

[jazing]

Originally Posted by peppermint23

I will say this. When my sister and I were on vacation, we met two fraternity brothers whose chapters I can't recall.

They told us all about their "hell week" part of which involves (a warning to the squeamish here...) pledges sitting in a big trash bins with another pledge in front of them, who has to drink and drink and drink some nasty substance until he vomits all over the pledge. Then they switch and do it again.

They described it as "sick" and "awesome". Now I love psychology, I am fascinated by what makes us tick - including groupthink and mob mentality - but damn, WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Why would you...I just...no.

Surprisingly I find this to be the norm for a lot of chapters I speak to, my fraternity and not. Hell Week activities still go on, but they aren't nearly as "risky" as in the past. This is also why you always hear about some problems at schools. I honestly don't think the hell week culture will end, I just think it will be redefined to be less risky. I know scavenger hunts are hazing, but renaming them and repurposing them to be campus based is not (as in having pledges take pictures of historical places on campus rather than a bunch of random places around town/the state). There needs to be an educational aspect, something I also hear a lot about.

Of course all I am going off of is people's word of mouth, so they could simply be lying. But Hell week I can imagine still exist in some form no matter what.

[peppermint23]

They could have been lying, but they were from different schools and chapters and both were excited to share their similar stories. They seemed...very enthused haha.

Personally I don't consider scavenger hunts with a bit of a challenge and educational aspect to them to be "hazing". As long as there's no risk of injury and it doesn't ruin anyone's day, I think something like that could probably strengthen bonds between pledges while they learn about their school or chapter. I know that when I went to sleep-away camp the girls I had the strongest bonds with were the girls I was challenged with.

I agree there need to be enough acceptable alternatives so the "bad hazing" doesn't become the norm.

I think an outdoor challenge course would be cool to do. It would force pledges to work together and teach them about self-discipline and what they're capable of.

Don't mind me, just pretending I know about being in a fraternity...

[jazing]

Problems with a scavenger hunt is most nationals know they are performed at night, so that causes sleep deprivation. And sadly from the stories I've heard bad stuff happens on these hunts. Our UPenn chapter got in trouble for that very thing (but the hunt wasn't even during "Hell Week"). I would go into details as most of what happened isn't released online but I respect my national brothers to not disclose what happened.

And you are doing just fine pretending you are a fraternity man (except the signature).

A good reason I can think of for the bad hazing to occur during Hell week is that at the end of it all they will be your new brothers and new brothers are so excited about being initiated they won't go out of the way to get their new chapter in trouble for something that happened to them.

[OSUPhantom]

We don't haze. It was eliminated from our programs years ago and frankly I think it makes the experience for everyone better. Everything the pledges are expected to do the actives are as well. Any written tests, memorization, etc all the actives have to do it too.

[Roselove]

Not at all! However, I think some of the fraternities may. From what I heard its nothing dangerous though, just men or near men being boys.

[SAIgirl513]

SAI as a whole is totally against hazing, and our chapter follows that to the letter. We are told from the start to tell our VPM if we feel we have been hazed. I think it just makes for a much more pleasant experience.

Though I don't really understand how family trees are considered hazing....I can see how they could potentially form cliques within the group, but otherwise I don't really get it.

The social frats I know haze, as for the sororities, if they do it is not apparent.