The word hazing connotes a variety of different meanings depending on the stance one takes. Some people assume hazing provides the possible prospect of bonding and social acceptance. Others conclude hazing creates a dividend between the society of fraternity and sorority organizations. No matter what direction one takes, both sides have the ability to propose a positive solution that will effectively help the effects of hazing. Once a personal analyzes the positive and negative aspects of hazing then he or she has the ability to propose a solution that will benefit both sides of hazing. The word hazing originates from a time during the 16th century when sailors would taunt new sailors during hazy weather. Hazing made its appearance long before sorority and fraternity members could remember. In fact hazing has existed, “since the medieval universities were founded” (Nuwer 194). Hazing in colleges; however, became more widely known after the Civil War. Men, who fought in the war, felt the need to have a connection to the events that happened to their own fathers or themselves. These men would re-instate themselves into their colleges and begin using military tactics they learned from camp as a means of hazing. Paddling, a method for hazing new fraternity members, comes from a long line of disciplinary punishments made to toughen the soldiers. People also hazed in colleges due to the fact that after the war so many had lost a sense of a tight community and wanted a familial brotherhood or sisterhood bond. Therefore, older fraternity and sorority members continue to haze, if only as means of a bonding experience. When one undergoes the ritual of hazing he or she submits his or herself to ridicule, embarrassment, and trickery. Hazin... ... middle of paper ... ...sorority sisters cannot undergo harmful incidents, but yet still create a sense community Works Cited “Arguments For and Against.” 2012. Hazing. Cornell. edu. Cornell University. N.p. Web. 11 Nov 2013. Chaffin , Ashley. “Fraternity pledge details UA’s culture of hazing” The Crimson White. 16. Oct. 2012 N.p.. Web. 9 Nov 2013. Colbi, Michael J. “On Hazing.” Public Affairs Quarterly, Vol. 23.2 (April 2009): 143-160. JSTOR. Web. 5 Nov. 2013 Ellison, Richard. Moore, Richard H. “On Initiation Rites and Power: Ralph Ellison Speaks At West Point.” Contemporary Literature, Vol. 15. No. 2 (Spring 1964): 165-186. JSTOR. Web. 13 Nov. 2013 Lundeen, Richard. Hazing: Rituals of Bondage. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013. Print. Nuwer, Hank. Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. Indiana University Press, 2001. Print.
Greek organizations, such as, fraternities and sororities have been a part of the college experience for centuries. We pride ourselves in brotherly and sisterly love, academic success, and helping others. There are countless stereotypes and myths that surround the “Greek life” name. Just some myths include: all Greeks haze their members, they only care about physical looks not personalities, and they go to college just to party and get drunk. Kappa Delta Sorority upholds none of these stereotypes. We have a strong no haze policy. Hazing is defined as an activity or situation that can cause emotional, mental, or physical discomfort. If a member is caught hazing or if a new member is caught allowing herself to be hazed, there will be major consequences, such as, national probation or deferral of initiation. Kappa Delta also does not look at physical appearance as the only quality for possible new members. We look at personality and qualifications that can benefit our sorority; instead of having a group of women that are pretty and popular, we like to have women with strong morals, work ethic, and have the willingness to love each and every member of Kappa Delta. Kappa Delta Sorority is like no other fraternity or sorority on campus; we do not waste our time with partying and drinking. We pride ourselves in our historical background, philanthropies, and our values. I know Kappa Delta is the best sorority not only on MTSU campus but in the whole country.
Since 1843 there has over 200 cited college hazing deaths. Fraternities are responsible for the overwhelming majority of those deaths. That is not to say that sororities
Hazing has been around forever. However, up until the last few decades, it was never taken too seriously. Now there are serious cases where death has even occurred. Hazing is something that we need to define, so that we can properly punish the people who commit some of these crimes. Some of the cases throughout recent years prove that hazing can be a serious criminal action, and also punishable by law. The effects that hazing can cause on a person, and a community are numerous. This information is backed up through facts that will support these claims. Luckily, there is ways that hazing can be decreased and possibly prevented entirely. Hazing needs to be taken more seriously
Hazing is defined as “any activity expected of someone joining a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate.” (Rosner & Crow, p. ). While most states have enacted anti-hazing legislation criminalizing the act of hazing, the application of these statutes is still quite rare. Id. at 277. Most lawsuits filed for reported hazing incidents are still reviewed under federal law claims ...
Among the many non-respectable rituals and ceremonies performed by these organizations, hazing is the number one reason why a number of students ha...
Through the use of film, Fogel (2013) examines the “serious social problems that exist within and surrounding Canadian ice hockey” (P.65). Fogel examines the films of Goon (2011), Youngblood (1986), Playing with Fire (2011), Our Guys (1999) and Gross Misconduct (1993) to illustrate the major “social problems of violence, hazing, sexual assault, and drug use in hockey” (Fogel, 2014, p.64). Fogel uses the film Goon (2011) to illustrate the on-ice violence in a comical fashion. Fogel connects instances which have close comparisons of real life on-ice violence, however spun in an entertaining way for viewers. Fogel continues his article with highlighting the use of hazing within hockey as well as connecting to the theme of violence. Using the film Youngblood, Fogel uses the film to illustrate hazing rituals in which have become a common practice within the male hockey game. Fogel (2014) defines hazing as rookie players (who) are forced into non-consensual sexual acts that are aimed to be humiliating and potentially quite painful. Again, Fogel uses real life cases to illustrate how hazing is occurring in Canada and a case as recent as 2011 with a hockey team in Manitoba. With hazing and
Popular types of hazing include forced alcohol consumption, humiliation, running gauntlets, and forced sexual activity. While hazing through groupthink happens within many avenues, the focal point will be college campuses across America. The perplexing reality is that college fraternities haze new members in various forms of condoned behavior where if found in another setting would be considered criminal.
Greek Life, or the presence of fraternities and sororities, exists in many colleges and universities. According to Michael Grandillo in an Encyclopedia article, “there are more than 5,500 chapters on 800 campuses throughout the United States and Canada.” Although Greek Life is so common, participation in such organizations can be a controversial topic, particularly when critics suggest that hazing can be detrimental to students' health and college careers. For those who do not know much about Greek Life, or the process that one goes through to become affiliated with this system, there is first a week called “rush week,” where fraternities and sororities host parties in attempt to cajole students into joining their organizations. If members of a fraternity or sorority like a particular student, they will vote to give that student a “bid,” which gives that student the opportunity to pledge their organization. If the student accepts the bid, his pledge process will begin, which generally lasts between six to ten weeks. Assuming the student sticks it through, he will be admitted into organization and will be rewarded with the benefits of membership for the remainder of his life. Despite the fact that some Greek organizations engage in intense hazing practices that may result in reduced grades for pledges, it is beneficial for students to participate in Greek Life because organizations force students to create strong bonds among one another while learning important lessons, they prepare students for their future careers, and they provide students with great networking opportunities.
One of the many forms of dangerous pressures girls face from their membership in a sorority is body image. Being a member of an organization with typically 100 women opens the door for pressure to conform to a certain ideal look. Forms of hazing often would include activities that brought down the girls’ self-confidence. “During circle the fat, pledges undress and, one by one, stand in front of the entire sorority membership. The sisters (or, in some chapters, fraternity brothers) then use thick black markers to circle the fat or cellulite on a pledge’s body....For many sororities, thinness, as the pledges discover, is a priority” (Robbins 259). These types of activities are not uncommon for sororities. From day one of pledging, the idea of having a perfect body is obsessed over. Even girls with healthy, fit bodies are criticized just as much for the sake of the upper classmen to break them down, so they could build them back up they way they want. Its manipulating and confusing. The pressure to be accepted by the sorority was a common outcome from the priority of perfection, which could also lead to eating disorders. A study was done and found that “the most consistent finding was...
Merriam-Webster defines hazing as: an initiation process involving harassment; to harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism, or by exacting unnecessary or disagreeable work (Merriam-Webster, 2012). The United States Military has had a zero-tolerance policy on hazing ever since then Defense Secretary William Cohen tasked each service with developing guidance. Secretary Cohen was reacting to the outrage following NBC’s Dateline documentary on the Marine Corps’ blood pinning ceremony for jump-qualified Marines (Leppo, 2003). Blood-pinning involves newly qualified service-members having pins or medals, with the back clasps missing, punched into their skin by numerous senior personnel (Landay, 1997).
Rees, Roger C. “Bullying and Hazing/initiation in Schools: How Sports and Physical Education Can Be Part of the Solution.” Journal of Physical Education New Zealand (2010): 24-27. Print.
Hazing in universities across the nation has become a common tradition that develops mostly in Greek organizations. Hazing is seen in many different social groups such as schools, military units, sport teams, fraternities, and sororities. Prohibited by law for unnecessary reasons; hazing is a way to grow with friends in a closer way than independent students will ever have the chance to. Every year there are thousands of teenagers that pledge for a fraternity knowing of the possible chance of being hazed. People that join fraternities join for a sense of belonging and to meet people with similar interests. Trying to fit into a new college campus can be hard for a person to do. Almost every group pressures the new pledges to participate in hazing activities to create a sense of brotherhood. Hazing is a process that creates a sense of unity, also it teaches the one being hazed about himself and his brothers; being hazed into a group will help someone become a well-rounded person and will help them overcome struggles later in life.
These “jokes” have affected the lives of a number of people in a large way. The first article of which I made reference comes from a New York Times writer Lisa W. Foderado, which focuses on recent events at Plattsburg State, a college in Northern New York. A boy entering an underground fraternity was put under “water torture,” where he was forced to drink pitcher after pitcher, and even drain funnels of water. This task made him go into a condition which is called hyponatremia, where sodium levels in the blood drop to dangerously low levels; he died later that night. This article shows the dangers of these “underground” fraternities, and their tainting of the Greek system. The second article comes from P&M’s press, and focuses on hazing that takes place in other types of societies, basing it on squirrel activities, and showing how they can harm themselves from dangerous activities. The third article comes from the University of Florida archives, and ties controlled hazing into good tradition. These freshman hazing rituals created a bond between the classes, and gave interesting activities to all of the students.
More than half of college students are involved in some form of campus hazing, 73% of students participating in social fraternities and sororities have experienced at least one hazing behavior, and since 1970, there has been at least one hazing-related college death each year. Hazing is defined as humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals, especially as imposed on college students seeking membership to a fraternity or sorority. Hazing is a serious crime with serious consequences for both the perpetrator and the victim. 46% of students in high school and college believe that the most important component of hazing is to keep the code of silence which is what leads to injuries and death. There are many fraternities throughout the United States such as Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, etc. that are still active to this day even with their lists of allegations and crimes caused from
Hazing (subjecting newcomers to abusive or humiliating tricks and ridicule) has always been seen as a secretive campus activity when it comes to fraternities and pledging. As a result, Dr. Mark Taff resorted in his article that, "..a series of 168 cases of injuries and deaths related to fraternity hazing activities...[occurred] in the United States between 1923 and 1982" (2113). 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 infrequent knowledge of what occurs in fraternities, and the unwillingness of fraternities to change tradition. Since hazing has been around for more than a century, one cannot expect the practice of hazing to stop all together. It will probably take years before hazing perishes from the fraternity scene. Nevertheless, until an end is put to hazing, solutions can be used to make hazing less common, until it no longer exists. These solutions that may be able to put an eventual stop to hazing, in the long run, are better education about fraternity hazing, stricter laws to prevent hazing from occurring, and more intervention from college administrators.