1993 Volume 116 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

matter. Rick told us most of what we
needed to know, but in order to
prepare for a campus judicial
hearing, it was necessary to have a
full investigation.
My first hazing investigation
lasted one full week. Two other
members of my staff and a representative
from the fraternity's headquarters
conducted 57 hours of
interviews. We questioned pledges,
actives, and alunmi.
After dozens of interviews, I was
getting kind of sick and tired of
hearing the lurid details of "bows
and toes" (where pledges are forced
to support themselves on their
elbows and toes on the floor for long
periods of time), of eating mixtures of
pet food and sardines, of paddling, of
hanging pledges over doors, of
verbal abuse and endless other
moronic acts of "inspiration."
I'U never forget interviewing Lee,
one of the pledges of the chapter. Lee
told the review board something we
hadn't heard before. He described
one common activity where the
pledges performed pushups in
puddles of urine provided by the
active members.
"Sometimes," Lee told us, "they
come by and push your face in it."
I was incredulous.
"Lee, how in the world could you
let somebody do that to you" I asked.
"Because thaf s what pledges are
supposed to do," he repHed, as if my
question had been absent-minded.
This unanticipated response made
me so angry that n\y ears went hot,
and I had to bite my tongue and grip
the arms of my chair. Not only had
this hazing dehumanized these
young men, it had brainwashed them
into believing the abuse was good for
them. This was my first experience
with how hazing perpetuates itself.
When the board interviewed the
chapter officers, we heard the
infamous Utany of excuses that for so
long has been used to justify hazing:
"it builds unity," "it makes them
men," "if s tradition," "it was done to
me," ad nauseam. The men saying
these things, men who were abusing
and letting their future brothers be
abused, were the best that this
fraternity had to offer. They were the
leaders. I wondered about these men
who would one day be in business
and raising children.
What do you replace hazing with
Once a chapter decides that hazing should be removed from the pledge
program, the most common quandary is "What do we do instead"
The pledge period is seen as a test or obstacle that the Phikeia must
pass in order to eam initiation. If the "teeth" of the program are removed,
how can the Phikeia prove himseU worthy of membership
Since the goal of any good pledge program is to create quaUty members,
pledge activities should cultivate a Phikeia's self-confidence and teach him
how to be a contributing member of the chapter.
With that in mind, a pledge program should contam assignments or
events that foster leadership, scholarship skills, service, values, and teamwork.
Conununity service projects are multipurpose, because they promote
values, require teamwork, initiative, and organizational skUls. Requiring the
Phikeias to be a member of a chapter committee or another campus
organization also teaches leadership and prepares the Phikeia for chapter
leadership. A good set of scholarship requirements also provides a challenging,
but necessary, hurtle for the Phikeias before initiation.
Other activities Uke sports, refreats, brotherhood events, speakers at the
chapter, workshops on study skills, and other campus events can be fun,
educational, and wiU bring the Phikieas together.
There is also a series of exercises published by WiUiam Pfeiffer and John
Jones caUed Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training.
This series of booklets (avaUable in any imiversity Ubrary) provides detaUed
exercises which deal with a variety of issues, including teamwork, confrontational
skills, and relationship buUding. Many of these exercises are perfect
for developing interpersonal skills.
Other ideas for creating a chaUenging pledge program can be obtained
through your campus Greek advisor or through General Headquarters. •
"Didn't you know hazing is
moraUy wrong" 1 asked Chuck, the
chapter president. I had known
Chuck through the Interfratemity
Coundl and from working with his
chapter on several projects. He
evaded the question.
"Nobody got hurt. We keep
everything imder control. The
pledges didn't mind doing it. In fact,
they wanted to," he explained with
the bravado of someone who doesn't
realize he is in serious frouble.
I knew it pointless to press him
further. By not answering my
question, he had answered it.
The alumni didn't understand
what the uproar was about. When it
became apparent the University
would severely discipline the
chapter, a group of them came to the
University armed with the same
empty justification that the actives
had used. The alumni also reminded
the administration of the support the
fratemity had given the University
over the years. But it fell on deaf ears.
The problems with the press, irrate
parents, the faculty, and other
student organizations, which had
manifested because of this one
incident, outweighed the years of
alumni support. The members were
obviously wrong, and they needed
more than a slap on the wrist.
Despite the hoUow argimients and
threats from the chapter's alimini, the
University disbanded the fratemity
for a period of one year. The house
was emptied. Members directly
involved with the hazing activities
were expeUed from the chapter.
There were no parties, no rush
events, no activities at all.
Ifelt empty and befrayed at the end
of the investigation. The kids we
had punished had sat in my office
and worked with me on many
projects. They had assured me that
they didn't haze. Maybe I had given
these young men too much credit. I
was fmsfrated by the alimrmi, and I
sympathized with the freshmen who
would miss out on a year of their
fraterruty experience. I felt sorry for
Lee who had no greater expectations
of pledging than to do pushups in
puddles of urine. But I had great
admiration for Rick who had the
values, the courage, and the foresight
to step forward and stop what he
54 TheScroU * Spring 1993