In March 2016, the Sigma Chi fraternity was closed at the University of South Carolina (USC) due to allegations of hazing.  According to Cassie Cope, the fraternity engaged in "physical and mental abuse of pledges" (Cope).  USC has a strong anti-hazing policy "including those related to mental or physical abuse, intimidation, undue mental fatigue or distress and activities that have foreseeable potentially dangerous or hazardous circumstances" (Cope).  But despite this public and enforced statement by USC, Sigma Chi is still the fifth fraternity to be closed or suspended in less than two years there.  Because of those statistics, USC appears as a hostile environment for potential students who wish to join the Greek community.  An onlooker would then interpret Greek life as a dangerous environment.  However, no onlooker can ever know what truly goes on behind the closed door of fraternities.  The truth is that hazing is so strongly preconceived negatively that it can never be appreciated for its benefits.  Hazing can be beneficial when enforced appropriately and in moderation.

Throughout history, boys have been deemed men through their society's given cultural ritual.  In America's modern society, a large amount of their young boys become men through the very unique, American university system.  As they seek their place on campus and in society they enter the Greek system.  As a result, boys show up on these campuses and are swooped under the wing of upperclassmen, who then begin the finishing touches of those boys' upbringing.  Hazing, though widely looked down upon, is an important part of these boys' shaping and it is not about being simply chosen for a fraternity.  Their journey to earning a spot amongst the actives begins with their pledging, an extended period of time in which they are tested.  These tests consist of demanding tasks that are rooted in the fraternities' history.  As they complete them, the bond between pledges grows as does the bond between the pledges and the fraternity.  What the pledges endure in those months is the same experience that all the fraternity men before them had.  By completing those tasks, the boys have gone through the modern day rite of passage and by initiation they take their deserved place amongst men (Smith).

Why hazing one may ask? According to Emily Smith, a graduate of Dartmouth College and author interested in culture, relationships and psychology, "after the Civil War (hazing) became a regular part of fraternity life" (Smith 63).  It is believed that once the soldier returned from war they brought back hazing practices similar to those endured during their time in the military.  These were done so that the boys could prove their manliness to the actives and upperclassmen.  Thus the practice was continued as young men continually sought after acceptance and initiation into the fraternities.  The upperclassmen supported it as well, as survivors themselves they saw the positive benefits it had on both themselves and the pledges that followed.  The intention was that these tasks and practices would turn the boys into a matured and respected version of themselves and in the best case scenario, the ideal American gentlemen.  Undoubtedly, this ideal standard has changed, just like much of America has in the past 100 years.  Many factors lead to this social change including the introduction of women onto college campuses as well as a heightened image of manliness.  Smith credits the movie Animal House for contributing to the American standard of fraternity men.  The movie depicts a lot of what fraternity ideals have come to be; tough young men that are heavy drinkers.  Though widely popular, the cinematic depiction did not replace all the previously instated fraternity standard including proper dress and a connected business world.  Back then, fraternities were focused on shaping young boys into gentlemen with manners and connections, everything they would need to survive in the business world.  Animal House, introduced another side of fraternity men as the partiers of campus that girls swooned for and outsiders envied.  Thus, hazing is continued today, shaping men into the modern ideal mixed with the traditional gentlemanly ideals (Smith).

Hazing has existed throughout Greek Life but was adapted from military practices.  To this day, the military uses a set of physical challenges to train and shape their men.  An article written by Alex Buscemi details one soldier's strong opinions for hazing.  Buscemi notes that the soldier is now the executive of a clothing line and a successful actor.  His story is highlighted with endearing terms describing his young self aspiring to "be in that unit, and be part of their prestigious heritage and history" (Buscemi).  In his opinion, what many consider hazing was his right of passage.  He learned many important lessons through the experience including the "(break) down of individual egos and the (build) up (of) a cohesive unit" (Buscemi).  He feels that it properly planned him for both his military and business career. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the positive effects created by hazing are only felt by those directly involved.  Hazing has such a negative stigma that it threatens to shut down Greek Life as a whole.  In an article written by Premed Donna, the author explores the extreme out lash against hazing and its negative effects on her Greek life experience.  She states that hazing is defined as "anything that could make a PNM or a current member feel uncomfortable" (Donna).  This harsh definition of hazing has restricted a lot of her chapter's activities, especially their involvement with any potential new members (PNMs).  She then argues that aggressively trying to avoid "uncomfortable" situations is not reasonable and doesn't properly prepare one for the future.  She finishes by stating that she's just a student in college and that deserves to have fun with her sorority sisters.  In the end, the harsh restrictions are too extreme for just hazing and are not only impeding on Greek life but ruining it (Donna).

While restrictions as listed above come off as unreasonable, they were instated due to cases where hazing itself became unreasonable.  A popular and tragic story that affected onlookers is that of Tucker Hipps.  Dan Berrett outlines his story in an article titled "The Death of Tucker Hipps.  The story starts out with a snapshot of an eager Tucker excitedly expressing his hopes for induction into Sigma Phi Epsilon at Clemson University to his parents.  His parents later admitted that this conversation with Tucker made the wary that the fraternity was taking up too much of his time and money. This conversation was the last they had with their son in person while he was alive.  The morning of Tucker Hipps' death, Tucker was supposed to purchase and deliver McDonald's breakfast to some active members.  However, Tucker failed to do so and later that morning, while on a pledge run, Tucker ended up going head first over the bridge, into the shallow waters below.  The fraternity reported him missing later that day and the police found his body floating in the water.  The Hipps strongly believe that hazing was involved and that Tucker's death was not an accident.  After his death, Sigma Phi Epsilon's charter was withdrawn from the University and an investigation ensued.  Tucker Hipps' parents then sued three fraternity brothers, the local chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Clemson University.  All of these events met the public eye and put the existence of Greek Life in question due to this extreme example of hazing.  While this situation is tragic, it was avoidable.  Unfortunately, the public only seem to consider these isolated events when scrutinizing Greek Life (Berrett).

Raymond A. Schrhot, a Jesuit priest, journalist and teacher, also wrote an article, Stop Hazing Now, in hopes to spread an anti-hazing message as well.  His article mentions Tucker Hipps death and that of another fraternity pledge.  Chien Hsien (Michael) Deng, pleding a Asian-American fraternity, died later that same year during a hazing ritual.  Schroth says that Deng was made to carry 20 pound backpacks across the lawn while "(actives) beat and tackled him" (Schroth).  He collapsed during the ritual and was carried inside.  Later, brothers drove him to the hospital where he passed away.  As a result, five students were charged with murder and five others received associated charges.  Schroth then describes ways he hopes that hazing will be extinguished from universities in light of these deaths.  He highlights especially the ethics of hazing and the integrity of those involved.  He hopes that students see that the friendships that spring from Greek life should be rooted in love (Schroth). 

Due to the high emotional impact of the deaths of pledges, many have proposed the idea of banning fraternities altogether.  However, the impact of this would cause more problems than it would solve.  Peter Jacobs speaks to the impact Greek life can have on a collegiate individual in his article "Don't Ban Fraternities  --  There Are Major Benefits To Joining Greek Life".  He says that "Greeks on average have higher GPAs" (Jacobs) and "Greeks are ...  more likely to stay enrolled and graduate college" (Jacobs).  These benefits are very specific and do contain exceptions.  Uwgreek.com explores the national impact that Greeks have on the community through a list of fraternity facts.  Notably, "the Greek system is the largest network of volunteers in the US" (Fraternity Facts).  A strong commitment to philanthropy is a popular trademark of the Greek community and is often the reason they receive positive press.  I believe that emphasis on service and a strict structure lead Greeks onto impactful positions in society following their graduation.  This can be especially seen by the men that have lived in the White House as "Every U.S. President and Vice President, except two in each office, born since the first social fraternity was founded in 1825 have been members of a fraternity" (Fraternity Facts). This statistic is significant as it shows that the Greek system outputs strong leaders, ones that were chosen by the American population to lead a nation.  Additionally, "76% of all Congressmen and Senators belong to a fraternity. 40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 were fraternity men. 71% of those listed in 'Who's Who in America' belong to a fraternity" (Fraternity Facts) and the products of Greek life are shown present throughout the political and judicial makeup of the United States.  Greek men don't just fill positions into which they were elected, "Of the nation's 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by fraternity men" (Fraternity Facts).  The impact of fraternity men on the development and sustenance of the United States of America has been overwhelmingly strong and it would be hard to determine if America would be the same great country it is today if it were not for them.  

Fraternities were founded on structure.  I believe the key to a safer hazing processes is simply structuring it and regulating it through a fraternities' bylaws.  The bylaws can be altered to include both personal and group challenges that new members must complete before they can be initiated.  By structuring them in this was, none of the benefits would be lost.  The pledges would still be taught to work as a time while sacrificing small parts of themselves to a bigger cause.  They would still interact with the upperclassman while bonding with their pledge class.  But most importantly, they would be safe throughout the process and know that their efforts would be guaranteed to pay off.  Good examples of hazing could include upkeep of the fraternity house and grounds, driving active members to fraternity events, or dressing up in silly costumes to entertain active members.  It would be important for fraternities to specifically list out what they constitute as appropriate hazing and to punish what is not.  If it were followed by a document that marked each task completed and video proof, the fraternities' headquarters could see the hazing in action.  This is similar to how fraternity members submit their service hours, on an official document with a signature.  With a rigidly structured system as such, hazing could become more positively involved on campus and interpreted off campus. 

In a video interview, active members shared what Greek life meant to them.  Many listed the expected benefits such as socializing and meeting new friends and planning parties.  However, being held to standards was mentioned by one interviewee and was surprising as many onlookers believe that fraternity life is just one constant party.  However, the strict structure would hold the members to a standard that non affiliated students would not feel.  A popular consensus from the group was the feeling of team or family from their fraternity or sorority.  This strong feeling gave many of them a reason to come back to campus after graduation, it gave them something more to return to.  This being said, the experience one has within their own chapter is unique.  Perhaps they will become a future leader of the U.S.A or maybe the lessons they learned in Greek life will present in smaller ways, such as the ability to collaborate well with coworkers.  Either situation has its benefit affects on the graduate, sometimes in a way that can not be understood by someone that did not experience it themselves.  (TFM & TSM Talk: Why Greek Life Is Great.)

While there are extreme moments of hazing, they should not overshadow the benefits that it brings to those involved.  From a young man's chance to earn his place in society to a girl's ability to enjoy college life with her sisters, Greek Life provides a unique experience to its members and should not be put at risk because of hazing.  I am a member of a sorority and never experienced hazing.  However, I regret that.  A lot of my experience during both pledging and initiation felt shallow and easy, like I was just being handed membership as if it was there for just anyone to take.  While I went through formal recruitment and got a taste of every house on campus, the grand feeling of being chosen soon disappeared as my pledging began.  Hazing forces, the actives to interact with the new members in a way that they don't without it.  A pledging without hazing just seemed too easy.  The actives were too nice and the new members were too uninterested.  Perhaps if one of our new member retreats involved running an obstacle course within a certain time frame or being made to decorate for a mixer by ourselves, I would have spent more time bonding with my new sisters and less time reading over bylaws. I believe that if I had been hazed, I would be closer with my sisters now because we would all have a unique and challenging experience in common that would have undoubtedly bonded us. (ChampageShowers)

 
