Taking it too Far: The Effects of Hazing on College Students Across the country, different fraternities and sororities are practicing different initiation acts called hazing. The participants are put through a series of humiliating and painful activities that usually include alcohol consumption at a high rate. This results in the incarceration and sometimes the death of those participants. Recent events has made hazing one of the top issues in America and many are fighting against it. In college, the hazing of a student is common, but many times it is taken too far.
The most common activity of hazing is for the participants to consume large amounts of alcohol for the amusement of others, this activity is dangerous, and often times, neither 911 nor an ambulance is called for medical assistance. Parents with children in college should “urge them too often to make good choices” (“College”). Lives can be saved if students will just make smarter decisions about their actions and what to do. The smart decisions students make can help them avoid activities like this and potentially save their lives. The pressure to participate in these activities is high but can be solved by saying no or walking away, the student should not feel like they have to participate in such acts. In the Chicago Tribune article “College, Death, and Consequences”, 43 students that attended Northern Illinois University are connected with the death of a fellow student, David Bogenberger. During the investigation the authorities reported that David had a “blood-alcohol level at about 0.40” that “helped end David's life at age 19.” (“College”). This is fatally high and is most likely the main reason for his death at only 19 years of age. This is one of many examples that proves hazing to be a very dangerous and potentially fatal activity that shouldn't be participated in. As for the 43 students involved, 22 of them faced criminal charges and each of them will always have in the back of their minds, the proven claim that it was their actions that helped end David’s life (“College”). The students participating in the hazing activities, I believe, are pressured by their fellow students to do whatever is asked of them to gain their trust and loyalty, not thinking about the consequences and the potential outcomes of the choice they are making. The results of these poor decisions can be life changing and or life ending.

Works Cited
“College, death, and consequences.” Editorial. Chicago Tribune 25 August 2013: A18. Print.