Hazing at Fraternities and Sororities

Hazing at Fraternities and Sororities

Many pledges join sororities and fraternities in search of friendships that will last throughout life. However, quite a few young people get caught in life-threatening situations because they are not aware of the commitments to which they are swearing themselves. The idea behind joining a house is to form a relationship in which the members are one big family at heart, yet many sorority and fraternity members – while advocating status, popularity, and togetherness -- have betrayed the ideals of Greek life. Sororities and fraternities should stress bonding relationships among brothers and sisters, and not allow this idea to be neglected and abused by hazing. Plain and simple, hazing is an intentional action taken by active members to inflict physical and mental discomfort, harassment, and embarrassment upon future members of a house.

Of course, there are Greek houses that do not haze, but in reality, most do participate in this sadistic ritual. How can the discomfort and endangerment of pledges be ignored during hazing? The lack of supervision and responsibility has caused hazing to become a seriously dangerous issue that is not always addressed by members. Students who have gained control of these organizations have gone full speed ahead at making up their own rules. As time has passed, they seem to have forgotten the true meaning of brotherhood and sisterhood. These members that choose to imperil pledges take advantage of the pledges’ desire for popularity and status, thereby failing to acknowledge the humiliation and emotional discomfort that pledges can be made to endure. There have been a number of incidents where pledges have been forced to drink too much, and they have died from al...

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...of hazing rituals is to have more supervision and be more cautious about dangerous activities. Alcohol is a common part of the fraternity life and using it to haze can have severe damaging effects; it can even be deadly. More comforting support should be given to the pledges, rather than intimidation and discouragement. Students have to mature and live the values of education and responsibility. Instead of searching for weakness in a pledge, active members should begin to test the hearts of new members. The love and support of a family are the main justifications for the Greek tradition on campus. Cruel initiations have lasted nearly one hundred years; but if hazing does not stop now, administrators are bound to put an end to the Greek system of communal life for college students. Students would then lose a system for forming friendships that ought to last a lifetime.