Why We Should End Hazing in Greek Life

Some people may think that hazing isn’t a problem or might just think it doesn’t happen at all. These opinions are because hazing happens behind closed doors and has become very secretive because of the amount of trouble students can get in if they are caught. I feel that hazing has become a huge problem among universities and really needs to be addressed on to find solutions.
Hazing in general can happen in sports teams, high school and the military, but I feel that it is currently a huge issue in college Greek Life. It is a huge problem among many universities across the country and there have been laws passed in some states to end it, but it always seems to occur in many fraternities and sororities. Hazing does not only affect people physically, but mentally as well. It is an abuse of power that can have devastating and life-threatening consequences. When I think of hazing, I immediately think of forcing a younger student to drink alcohol in a short amount of time. I personally think that a person should not have to drink alcohol or do an asinine prank to become a member of a group. It is a group working towards a certain cause and they shouldn’t be associating alcohol with their induction into the group.
There have been many tragic events that have happened in the past that have been related to hazing in college. Statistics from Hank Nuwer (1990) show that hazing has been associated with more than 50 deaths in college fraternities and countless more physical injuries. (stophazing.org) One tragic story that has happened is of Eileen Stevens and her oldest son Chuck. Stevens lost her son Chuck in 1978 when he was a victim of a drinking related activity at Klan Alpine at Alfred University. The university and fraternity did not take any responsibility for Chuck’s death and did not investigate further. Stevens took it upon herself to find the cause of her son’s death and would not stop until she got an answer. After witnesses came forward and told the authorities what they knew, Stevens finally found out that Chuck and two other pledges were locked in the trunk of a car and was given a pint of Jack Daniels, a 6-pack of beer and a quart of wine and was told to consume it all by the time the car stopped. Later, they were forced to drink more until they eventually passed out. Chuck was placed in a back room by the brothers where he soon passed out. This is one of many tragic stories that have happened to innocent students and their families. No family should be worried about what their child will be forced to do in college. They should feel safe about the new environment they are sending their child to and that other students will respect their decisions.
Hazing occurs in other universities across the country, and it is currently affecting Radford University. A young Radford pledge of Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sam Mason, passed away in the Fall of 2010 from a hazing incident. According to multiple sources, Mason attended a non-alcoholic TKE function at the fraternity’s Calhoun Street house on Thursday, Oct. 14 before attending a party at the same location where he was seen drinking a bottle of liquor. Mason was then walked by his friends to a house on 1100 Fairfax St. and put to bed. Alcohol is strongly suspected, although according to multiple friends, Mason was taking prescribed pain medication for a wrist injury and the mixing of the two substances may have contributed to his death. (https://php.radford.edu/~tartan) This incident is causing the director of Greek Life to crack down on each fraternity and sorority and make stricter rules. I feel that it is necessary for the director to watch over the fraternities and sororities much more because of the things that have been happening lately. The members need to realize that hazing should not be happening and it is affecting students and families in a very negative way. These incidents should not be happening at all and pledges should be able to say no and have the older members respect that.
From this evidence we can see that hazing is affecting Radford’s Greek life. Most students join Greek life to meet new people and get involved. An anonymous Radford student shared their experience with becoming a member of a fraternity as a Freshmen, and how hazing has affected them. The anonymous student explained, “the main activities were dealing with alcohol, but I was also forced to do things like cook or clean for the older members.” (Anonymous student) Pledging can be a very overwhelming time for a new student, and they are unsure of what to expect. This student also mentioned, “Sometimes the process got frustrating but I knew that the older members were aware when the activities were too much, and I also had to remember that soon I would be on the other side.” (Anonymous student) After hearing from a fellow student, I realized that being a part of Greek life is very beneficial with the community work you can participate in, but I have also learned that it comes with a price. It is unethical for students to have to adhere to the demands of older members just to be able to participate with the group.
There are many changes and actions people can do to reduce the amount of hazing that happens in college and in general situations. One main way is to make people aware of what hazing is and see that it is a problem. People need to see this happening and realize that they need to do something and take action. When members see things happening that could lead to an injury or death, they need to stop it first and report it to authority. Although some may be scared of what the consequences may be, they should take the right action to make sure further harm does not happen to a fellow student. An example of a group that works directly with this issue is the Youth For Positive Change (YFPC). This group formed out of Mothers Against School Hazing (MASH) and they use drama to educate students about the harmful effects of hazing. They perform skits that depict what hazing does to the students, the hazers, the schools and the families that are involved in these tragic incidents. YFPC performs their skits at schools, churches and other organizations for various age groups to inform them how it negatively affects everyone. (stophazing.org)
I feel that hazing is a serious problem going on among many universities and needs more attention. I think it’s unusual that some students feel that they have to listen to the older members of the organization when they tell them they have to drink a certain amount or do a crazy prank. The pledges should be able to do what they want and should be able to say “No” and not be forced into a harmful situation that could hurt himself or another. After hearing about the events that have happened recently and in the past, it has somewhat turned me off from wanting to rush a sorority. I feel that these organizations are here at Radford to represent a certain cause and work to make the community better. I feel that involving alcohol just takes away from the main focus that each group is working for.