College Hazing
Hazing in universities across the nation has become an increasingly dangerous ritual that is seemingly becoming more difficult to put an end to due to its development into an "underground" activity. Though a regular activity in the seventies, hazing, a possible dangerous act of initiation to a group, has now become an activity that is banned in thirty-nine states (Wagner 16). However, this ritual has not been stopped or become less severe. In fact it is becoming more dangerous. Since it has been banned, with many colleges imposing their own penalties against those participating in it, many fraternities and sororities have pursued this activity in an underground fashion. Since these groups have gone underground, some victims of these rituals have been injured and subsequently died. This is due to the "hazers" not seeking medical treatment for the victims, for fear that they may be fined or charged by police or campus authorities. One estimate states that at least sixty-five students have died between the years of 1978 and 1996 from beatings and stress inflicted during fraternity initiation rites ("Greek" 26).Hazing has been defined in the Pennsylvania Hazing Law as "any action or situation whic
The act of hazing may consist of something as subtle as a "pledge", one who is trying to become a part of the group, having to answer phones at a fraternity house to extreme hazing such as being severely beat with paddles or even bricks. Since hazing takes many forms, it is hard for the public to realize that these "pledges" are actually being harmed. It is especially hard to see the mental abuse aspect of this situation. At times, "pledges" may be forced to wear humiliating items such as dog collars or diapers. It may look like an innocent prank, and may actually seem humorous, but stunts like this can deeply affect a person emotionally (Scleifer 42). Hazer's in Greek societies have also been known to play the "buzz-saw" game in which a chainsaw is held inches away from a pledge until he/she screams in terror. This practice is used to instill respect, in the form of extreme fear, into the pledges ("The Persistent Madness of Greek Hazing" 14). "Former Student Wins #375,000 in Omega Psi Phi Hazing Suit." Jet 4 Aug. 1997 : 23.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2254
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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