Fraternities Crack Down on Hazing and Underage Drinking, Hope to Change Nature of Greek Life on Campus

Some of the University's Greek life organizations have started taking measures to protect pledges and the school community from the perils of hazing and underage drinking. The Greek letter associations' move toward more stringent anti-hazing and anti-underage-drinking policies comes one year after hazing and underage drinking allegations were leveled against four of the school's most recognized fraternities and sororities.

Last November, four Greek chapters came under fire after being accused of violating the University's no-hazing and no-underage-drinking policies. These chapters included fraternities Pi Kappa Alpha (also known as "Pike") and Sigma Phi Epsilon, along with sororities Delta Gamma and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Other Greek letter organizations expressed their thoughts on the issue and also hope that the allegations leveled at the chapters serve as a learning experience. 

"At the end of the day, unfortunate situations can happen to anyone and have greater consequences," regarded Sigma Chi Public Relations Chairman Cody Scott. "I believe that going forward, fraternities and sororities alike will be working to strengthen their institutions promoting the safety and well-being of all their members."

According to the Center for Student Engagement's website, hazing is defined as "any action taken or situation created, intentionally, with or without consent, whether on or off campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule."

Additionally, any student who takes part in hazing activities faces conviction on a misdemeanor, and may also be subject to a fine of $1,000 or six months in prison.

The allegations leveled at the University's chapters proved alarming given the growing influence of Greek Life on campus. As of 2011, 25% of the University's students are Greek-affiliated, a figure that is growing steadily as the appeal of these organizations increases among the student body.



Fraternity hazing, a longtime staple of the pledging process at many universities, has been the subject of heated controversy in past years. Many fraternities require pledging members to submit to a series of degrading activities, including paddling, branding or pledge sneaks, a ritual which involves leaving potential members stranded in desolate areas.

Hazing has long been considered a rite of passage for many young men and women involved with Greek Life. Unfortunately, however, the effects of hazing have proved disastrous to many families, some of whom have lost children as a result of these often-brutal activities.

In 1959, Richard Swanson died while pledging the Kappa Sigma fraternity at his university. The fraternity's brutal act of hazing required pledging members to swallow whole pieces of liver without first chewing the meat. Swanson attempted to abide by the guidelines of the inhumane ritual, but he unfortunately choked to death on the piece of liver. Swanson's tragic story is depicted in the 1977 drama Fraternity Row.

Time has proven women are not immune to the catastrophic effects of Greek Life hazing either.

In 1970, Donna Bedinger died while pledging the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at Eastern Illinois University. After being tossed out of a car while out on a pledge sneak, Bedinger attempted to throw herself back onto the moving vehicle, after which she fell and hit her head on the ground. Bedinger died several days later after complications from her head trauma.

Even after thousands of hazing-related deaths, these barbarous activities still define the pledging process at many college campuses.

In 2003, Walter Dean Jennings III lost his life while pledging the Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity of the State University of New York. Jennings was forced to drink excessive amounts of water over a ten day period, which ultimately contributed to the swelling of his brain. Thirteen SUNY students were charged with and plead guilty to negligent homicide.

While many universities have since instituted stringent no-hazing policies, these often-detrimental activities still persist on college campuses. This University's is no exception. Some of the Greek letter organizations on campus are taking preventive measures to ensure that their pledges and the University community as a whole are protected from the cruelty of hazing and the dangers of underage drinking.

"Specifically within Sigma Chi, we are working to instill a zero tolerance culture for hazing," noted Public Relations Chairman Cody Scott. "Since the days of being recolonized a few years back, that has been one of our major tenants which has proved to be widely successful with the quality of brothers we attract."

Sigma Chi, as well as other Greek organizations on campus, have also realized the importance of educating its members on the hazards that underage drinking poses.

"Brothers are required to be RAM [Responsible Alcohol Management] trained by the University in order to serve as monitors at social functions to mitigate risk," said Chairman Scott. "We have been tremendously successful in our approach so far."

The University's newly-recolonized chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order also intends to crack-down on hazing and underage drinking. At the induction of the fraternity's first pledge class last Thursday, the Regional Commander of the DC-Maryland-New Jersey area warned new members of the grave punishment that would be distributed if any brothers engaged in either illegal activity.

Brothers were also informed that they would be subject to random drug tests throughout the year, a stern measure the national organization is taking in order to keep brothers and their respective college campuses safe from the reckless behaviors that accompany hazing and underage drinking. The brothers of the Kappa Alpha Order, through the values of reverence, service, and gentility, also hope to change the nature of Greek Life on campus.