Hazing is an extremely important issue that needs to be addressed. Personally, I take this topic to heart due to the fact that I am a current member of a sorority here at the University of South Carolina. The most interesting thing about this research question is the emotional aspect that takes a huge toll on the member being hazed. When the word hazing is first mentioned, physical harm is the first thing that comes to mind usually. However, beneath the surface of the battle wounds and scars from paddle whips or a very bad hangover, lies an emotionally distraught person. This research question really hits home and affects my morals. I believe with most colleges in the "no tolerance policy," however, this policy is easily abused and not taken seriously. Too many lives are taken due to having to prove oneself to their "brothers" or "sisters." I believe that there is nothing right about any form of hazing whether it's having to wear makeup on a certain day or being beaten in a closet. Although I have not had any personal experience with hazing, I know of way too many friends at other colleges that experience hazing in their fraternity/sorority. Since I am a current member of one of these organizations, I feel that it makes me a qualified person to investigate more into the hazing issue. 

The first article I investigated that was based off of hazing was an article named, "What is Hazing?" This article was written by the University of Michigan. The overall purpose of this essay is to provide factual evidence that has been recorded over the years. The article goes into depth about the risks of hazing and mentions some types of hazing including kidnapping, whipping, and feeling abandoned. The major interests at stake for this article is to inform the reader of the real-life and true statistics of many different forms of hazing, different cases, and how to get help. This is the one article I have read that does not have any emotional ties attached to it, since it does not mention any incidents that have actually occurred over the years. Since this source is from a university webpage, the source is extremely credible. University websites are known for being well-respected sources. To conclude, this source stands as my factual evidence that hazing is a prevalent issue.

An argumentative source that I found online included an article titled "Her Campus" written by Cara Sprunk. A short summary of this article includes Sprunk's interview of a young woman, who was a senior at an east coast university. This unnamed senior explained her experience with hazing within her university. Hell week was an event that the young girl will never forget; this week scarred her for life. Sprunk made it clear that the girl was not a fan of the hazing rituals that the girl had to go through and made it clear that the girl's morals were being stripped from her. Cara Sprunk's credibility comes directly from the unnamed girl Sprunk interviewed in the article. This girl gave Sprunk a sense of credibility due to the events explained and how these events affected the girl. 

The final article that I researched included an article about what kinds of hazing events occur behind the doors of fraternity/sorority houses. "The 14 Most Brutal College Hazing Rituals" written by Ariel Kana, goes into depth about the different physically harming and sexually abusing acts that are made to degrade the "pledge" of the fraternity/sorority. Two popular acts that are performed include how much alcohol one can consume, which could result in alcohol poisoning, and then whipping one with a paddle, which leaves awful scars and could easily lead to very serious injuries. One of the acts that surprised me the most was that some "brothers" forced their "pledges" to drink two bottles of Tabasco hot sauce, which makes me cringe at the thought of even having a sip of Tabasco hot sauce. This article interests people who are curious about what hazing acts actually occur and it is very concerning how some of these acts are even thought of let alone performed. Ariel Kana struck me as a very credible source since she mentioned these hazing activities were performed by college students, such as two Florida A&M fraternity members, whom were sent to prison for two years for beating a pledge with a paddle. Clearly, this article opened eyes to the powerful acts that are being put against new members of fraternities. 

My research question has many aspects to it. To begin, it is a very arguable topic. At first one might think that everyone in their right mind agrees that hazing is wrong and should be banned, however, many of the members of these fraternities believe that these acts bring them closer together as brothers and are a must in order for initiation. Next, different perspectives on this topic affect mine since I strongly believe that hazing needs to be stopped once and for all. Being a member of a sorority puts my opinion on hazing to a whole different level. Although I do not know what it is like to get hazed, I have heard things from past experiences that are extremely devastating. If I had to revise my research question, I would go into more details about the academic effects that hazing can take part in. Also, to make my research paper even stronger, I should include counter arguments of why some brothers believe hazing is a necessity for initiation into their fraternity. Overall, my research topic holds a huge place in my heart.

