What is Hazing?

     With the word hazing being tossed around often, it can be difficult for those that are not knowledgeable on Greek life to have a single clue what this word means.

     Hazing began as a ceremony that was intended for welcoming new members into an organization, society, or other social groups. The idea of hazing dates back thousands of years and can be seen in many tribal, athletic club, and fraternity initiations. While hazing has no universal definition, the definition relative to Greek life is an activity expected of someone joining a fraternity or sorority that causes extreme humiliation or endangerment.

     According to stophazing.org, over 73% of sorority and fraternity members report experiencing hazing. With such a large fraction of individuals reporting experiencing hazing, this issue has only bled its way into Greek life even more than in the past. While some hazing is often playful and mildly embarrassing, there are extreme incidents that take place. The most important thing to consider is that each fraternity has different hazing traditions. Some may be less inclined to haze in extreme ways, while others feel that it is something new members must go through to be welcomed into the arms of a fraternity.

     It is also important to consider that hazing only takes place during a certain time known as pledging. When new members are chosen to join a fraternity, they receive what is called a bid. After receiving a bid, upcoming members must go through several weeks of the hazing process.

     There are multiple ways in which members can be hazed. Bestcolleges.com, a reputable source on collegiate news, reported the most common includes drinking excess amounts of alcohol to the point of passing out or getting sick. This form of hazing is the deadliest, as most of the 40 hazing deaths between 2007 and 2017 were due to alcohol poisoning. With more alcohol in their system, pledges are unable to make clear decisions. Members also reported a large percentage of hazing involves sleep deprivation, sexual acts, and verbal harassment.

     Throughout the first month and a half of the fall and spring semester, stories are tossed around about the brutal experiences of incoming members, such as being struck with golf clubs or swallowing a live goldfish against their will.

     Though these stories and stigmas speak for themselves, it is important to note that not all fraternity chapters haze with a bad intent. Many chapters engage in hazing that is humiliating in lighter ways, such as making pledges go to sororities and sing for them or wearing embarrassing clothing. These acts of hazing are not contributing to the issue and are merely seen as funny and a way to bring members together.

     The issue of hazing is that the fraternities who do it with bad intentions ruin the experience for other chapters. Many of the fraternities who do the extreme hazing often go under the radar, while those who perform minor hazing acts are punished instead. With CNN reporting over 100,000 men joining a fraternity each year, fatal incidents are bound to keep happening on college campuses.