Its All Greek To Me...Hazing Sucks

As someone who is a member/Brother is not just one but two fraternities/Greek organizations, my eyes open a little wider and ears perk up when I here something about hazing. Hazing is often viewed as a rite of passage in many Greek organizations for a new member to truly become a Brother or Sister. Hazing was probably the top reason that I didn't get fraternities too much thought the second semester of my freshmen year at Rutgers. Some of my friends were pledging and I didn't hear too many horror stories, but I am sure things were as they seemed. After some thought, the next semester I checked out a special interest fraternity called Phi Sigma Pi National Honors Fraternity. It was co-ed and hazing was extremely taboo. After eight weeks, I became a Brother and there was not one instance of hazing. My perspective on Greek organizations was greatly changing. The following year I was looking to expand my horizons and fulfill my college experience and rushed another fraternity; a social one. I went to Chi Psi Fraternity with more of an open mind and knowledge that thinks were different there than other organizations on campus. They also did not believe in hazing and only wanted people who were committed to putting in the necessary time.

Being part of two Greek Organizations, I have often become an outspoken supporter for Greek Life. But unfortunately there are times when it makes it tough to fight the stigmas. This week there was an incident involving hazing at an off campus apartment involving the African American sorority Sigma Gamma Rho. A pledge was beat with a wooden paddle so bad that scarred his flesh. She thought she was doing something normal and was told she wasn't being hazed by Sisters. These beatings took place over a week to point where she had blood clots and welts on her rear end. She went to the hospital and the issue was brought forward to the University. Six Sisters were arrested for hazing and beating at least three pledges between the 18th and the 25th of January. That number would be risen to seven pledges. The sorority was immediately suspended locally and nationally. Authorities found out that there was supposed to be another hazing incident, but the arrests prevented that. The pledges were first gathered on the 18th and told to wrap blue and gold tape around wooden paddles, which were a foot long and half a foot wide.

The organizations who believe in hazing preach unity and humbling pledges. But what about a loss of pride, self-respect, and individualism. These are all lost the moment you give into hazing. And just because you go through it, doesn't mean you have to continue it. Hazing is one thing when you spit on someone, make them get you a coffee, or run across campus in your underwear. However, when something like this happens to someone or even worse death; then hazing becomes out of hand and that much worst. I can probably go around both of my fraternities and ask you would still be there if there was hazing involved and I can almost guaranteed that everyone would not be there. I recommend downloading videos and looking up articles to see the dark side of hazing.

Hazing is what is wrong with Greek organizations and it makes "outsiders" want to judge them even more. An "outsider" sees Greek organizations as groups that haze, drink and party, and get by for four or maybe six years cause they are slackers. Well, in reality, most Greeks are some of the smartest and most talented individuals on campus. It would take me forever to tabulate how many service hours Greek organizations put in each semester and throughout the year. Occasional ribbing or jokes here and there in good taste are sometimes part of the pledge process, but at the end of the day can you truly respect and look someone in the eye the same way if they haze you. That to me is the difference between Greek organizations that succeed and those who fail. Look around. Those who do the right things are successful on campus and those who don't hang on until they do something like this and poof they are gone. The thing that sucks is often times you have some people who put in a lot of hard work and they graduate and some times people who inherit the fraternity or sorority makes changes that aren't for the better and erase the past overnight.

I recommend checking out Greek organizations if you aren't in one. If you suspect anything is fishy, get out and go elsewhere. There are many organizations who do things the right way and implore you to look at them and not organizations like Sigma Gamma Rho. Look at Congress, CEOs, and many other high up positions. You will find Greeks among who did things right and succeed. That is why I joined the organizations I did and proud of my decision. Especially since they were void of hazing.