Fraternity Hazing

A detailed Summary of Fraternity Hazing

Hazing (subjecting newcomers to abusive or humiliating tricks and ridicule) has always been seen as a secretive campus activity when it comes to fraternities and pledging. As a result, Dr. Mark Taff resorted in his article that, "..a series of 168 cases of injuries and deaths related to fraternity hazing activities...[occurred] in the United States between 1923 and 1982" (2113). Young college men are being hospitalized and even worse, dying, just for a couple of friends that give them a sense of belonging. The major causes of hazing are the students' wanting a sense of belonging in a big college campus, the college's infrequent knowledge of what occurs in fraternities, and the unwillingness of fraternities to change tradition. Since hazing has been around for more than a century, one cannot expect the practice of hazing to stop all together. It will probably take years before hazing perishes from the fraternity scene. Nevertheless, until an end is put to hazing, solutions can !

be used to make hazing less common, until it no longer exists. These solutions that may be able to put an eventual stop to hazing, in the long run, are better education about fraternity hazing, stricter

Hazing has been a part of fraternities in the Unites States since 1830. Although warnings about the dangers of fraternity hazing were addressed in the 1980s with anti-hazing laws in some states, and punishments against such activities, the practice of hazing still exists in college campuses today. The causes of hazing, a need of wanting to fit in by the students, no interest from college administrators and the fraternities unwillingness to break tradition, are all making incidents all too common in campuses today. If only there was a way to join a fraternity, without giving away your life in return. Hazing can be stopped if three major solutions are exercised by fraternities and the colleges that they are at. These solutions are better education about fraternity hazing, stricter laws to prevent hazing from occurring, and more intervention from college administrators. Hazing will continue to exist if college fraternities allow it to. One solution that will make hazing less comm!

Certainly, each of these solutions, individually, can prevent hazing from occurring, but if all three solutions are used at the same time, hazing can be put to an end, faster. If fraternities are giving the education about hazing, they should see that hazing has evolved into a big problem. On the other hand, if they do not see hazing as a problem, college administrators can punish and reprimand the fraternities. If hazing incidents still exist, fraternities can be fined and sued since hazing is illegal in 35 states under law. Together, these three solutions are able to prevent hazing now, end hazing in the long run.

Another solution that would restrict hazing, and eventually put a stop to it, is intervention by college administration. Fraternities are, literally, getting away with murder, which is seen by the "reported forty-five to fifty deaths between 1978 and 1990" which include hazing, accidental and suicide deaths (Nuwer 27). For example, in a well-publicized hazing death of Charles (Chuck) Stenzel, Author Hank Nuwer states that, "the then-president of Alfred University, M. Richard Rose, spoke at the memorial service...[and] said that no individual student could be blamed for the death in which Chuck's mother has called a senseless hazing incident" (Preface). Chuck died in a hazing incident from "a cute alcohol poisoning combined with exposure to cold, and severe pulmonary edema..." (Stevens 24). The college expressed that "although they deeply regretted the tragedy, etc., they could accept no responsibility for what had happened" (Nuwer 11). If the college is not responsible, then w!

A third cause of hazing is that the fraternities know exactly what they are doing and they know what they can get away with most of it, since college administrators are not doing anything to prevent hazing. The events that happen in the fraternity world are largely secretive, some even go "underground," just so they do not get caught. This should tell college administrators that the fraternities are trying to hide something, and that something is illegal and wrongful. Many fraternities require their members to take a vow of secrecy and "to expose cri

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2115
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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