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Stein
Zachary Stein

Ubaraj Karawal

Writing 111

28 November 2009

Do Onto Others as Others Have Done Onto You

“Hazing is a tradition that has been passed down from generations of brothers that

we have to respect and continue.” That was what my interviewee answered when asked

why fraternities still participate in hazing. Hazing is defined as the initiation into a group

or team by means of practical jokes and tricks, strenuous physical activity, and/or mental

distress. This tradition started in American Universities in 1850 and has been commonly

practiced since then (Fraternity Hazing). Alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation,

sleep-deprivation, and sexual acts are all normal hazing practices across different types of

groups. Fifty-five percent of all college students are hazed at some point by a club, sport

team, or organization. As of November 1, 2007, the number of recorded hazing deaths in

college Greek life stands at eighty-nine. Eighty-two percentof those deaths resulted from

hazing involving alcohol (Inside Hazing).

February 2, 2005, a terrible tragedy occurred Chico State University in California.

While participating in a pledging event for his fraternity, Chi Tau (XT), Matthew

Carrington had a seizure and died. Carrington died from water intoxication and swelling

of his brain and lungs. It was Chi Tau’s hell week and their event that night was to drink

gallons of water while at the same time being blasted by icy air from fans. Carrington

and his pledge brother urinated and vomited on themselves because they were not able to

leave. Then Carrington collapsed and started convulsing but there were no fraternity
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brothers around to help. By the time an ambulance was called and Carrington was

brought to a hospital, it was too late. His heart stopped and he was pronounced dead at 5

a.m. (Korry).

It is important to remember that such a calamity doesn’t happen at most

fraternities and sororities. Carrington was just put into an unfortunate situation with

devastating results. With results like this, why do fraternities and sororities still haze? It

is not simply because of tradition, hazing has a much deeper meaning to many people.

According to an essay posted on “Stophazing.com,” one unnamed, newly-initiated

brother in a fraternity writes about what brotherhood means to him and how hazing

helped him. He claims:

“EVERY FACET of EVERY PLEDGE NIGHT had infinite, priceless

value for me. No night was more important than the next. Each night

allowed for a pledge to step forward as a leader and demonstrate that

because he would do anything to BECOME a brother, he would do

anything FOR a brother. I learned my strength on every level, physically,

emotionally, and academically as they required me to complete my

assignments and study. I would sacrifice anything for my father. I would

sacrifice anything for my mother. And now, I would sacrifice anything for

my brothers and I can trust that they would pick me up from any problem I

have to face. I earned their trust by completing the traditional pledging

process that all brothers before me have completed… I was never in

danger, but I wanted to be. I wanted to be hazed worse… why? Because I

wanted to prove that God forbid, if one of my brothers needed me to risk

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my life to save them, I would. I would donate an organ, I would run into a

burning car, I would take a bullet for them. Hazing is symbolic of that.”

This brother was able to realize from the pledging process that hazing isn’t about

torturing someone, it’s about making better brothers and people. Just like the military

says, “break them down, then build them up.” Hazing is a method of seeing whether an

individual has what it takes to be a brother and look out for one another when times get

tough. My interviewee said “to me, brotherhood means that whatever happens in your

life, there will always be people there for you. It means that if your brother feels pain,

you feel it too.” That is not a type of bond you can create with someone on a normal

basis. It takes an incredible experience or set of experiences that twines people together

for the rest of their lives.

In conclusion, I feel hazing has many pros and cons that have profound effects on

its subjects. I do not think hazing should be eradicated nor kept as it currently is.

Obviously, it is an extremely dangerous practice. On the other hand, it has been shown

that it does have amazing lifelong benefits. I think that hazing needs to be changed,

remodeled, or fixed, if you will, so its benefits are not lost. But it is the intensity of the

process that builds the bonds of brotherhood that are so unique. Ultimately, I believe

hazing serves an imperative purpose, but it needs to be changed so one can learn from it,

but not risk their lives.

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Works Cited

Anonymous. "Was Hazing Helpful For You?" Telephone interview. 23 Nov. 2009.

"Fraternity Hazing." Web. 21 Nov. 2009. http://www.menstuff.org/issues/by

issue/hazing.html .

Inside Hazing. Ed. Susan Lipkins. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. http://www.insidehazing.com

/index.php .

Korry, Elaine. "A Fraternity Hazing Gone Wrong." NPR : National Public Radio. 14

Nov. 2005. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story .php?

storyId=5012154 .

Lipkins, Susan. Inside Hazing. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. http://www.insidehazing.com/ind

ex.php .

StopHazing.org -- "Educating to Eliminate Hazing" Web. 21 Nov. 2009. http://www.sto

phazing.org .