Fitting in will never be worth risking your life.
Even though this is common sense, more and more teens all across the United States seem to be taking part in a variety of activities and rituals involving harassment, abuse and humiliation just to become part a desired group or club. Some call it initiation, others call it fun—Illinois, along with 43 other states, calls it illegal.
It’s hazing. And whether it be taking place in high school or, as more commonly seen, on college campuses—it’s a topic that barely ever makes the headlines of major media outlets. Although it is becoming more unacceptable and states are cracking down with laws, that doesn’t seem to make a dent in the ignorance surrounding the topic.
Each year, the number of students who “rush” for a certain sorority or fraternity in their college or university seems to be increasing. For those who want to be involved in Greek life, there’s a week at the beginning of the school year where pledges have to do the so-called rushing. During these days, pledges must prove to the houses they’d like to join that they are indeed living up to the “expectations” put forward.
Instead of proving themselves by taking a simple test, or maybe even reciting the sorority’s or fraternity’s history, they are sent to do tasks much more daunting. Much of the time the odd jobs include breaking the law, and it’s not uncommon that they put the pledges into harm’s way.
These tasks are usually ridiculous—alcohol-drinking challenges, risky scavenger hunts or even food-related competitions that have been known to end in expulsion, serious injury or even death. Hazing involving alcohol is the most common kind, and 82 percent of deaths related to hazing involve alcohol.
Over the years, there have been hundreds upon hundreds of hazing incidents that have ended in death.
In 1970, Donna Bedinger of Eastern Illinois University died from head injuries after being driven miles off campus by her sorority members and left in the countryside by herself. In 1994, Michael Davis of Southeast Missouri State was beaten to death by fellow fraternity members during a two-week period of physical beating and abuse. In 2005, Matthew Carrington of California State University died from hypothermia, brain swelling and water intoxication after a late February night pledge prank. Just this March, 19-year-old Aman Partamia, a student at the State University of New York, was found dead after a binge drinking episode that lasted three days. His fellow fraternity members later admitted to giving him all the alcohol and encouraging him to drink as part of an initiation, which resulted in an alcohol level seven times the legal limit.
In all of these incidents, a group of other students egged the victim on. No one used common sense. No one said no. It’s scary because our youth is our future. So the question we pose is: if hazing stays acceptable, how will that affect the world later on?
If putting others into danger is considered fun these days, what other extreme things will become acceptable as we grow up and become adults?
Sororities and fraternities were originally formed to create sisterhoods and brotherhoods for students. They’re supposed to be based on friendship, service, leadership, morality and excellence. How does hazing fit into that picture?
Hazing is about power and control over others, it’s humiliating and degrading, and it’s harmful to relationships. It’s not only illegal, but it’s stupid. It’s setting an example that doing morally wrong and illegal things might be okay as long as it’s “fun.”
Proving yourself worthy just isn’t worth it at a certain point. Fitting in shouldn’t mean risking danger.
Although Kaneland’s students aren’t in college quite yet, this year’s class of almost 300 will be entering that world in just a few months. And every year afterward, more students will be joining them. About 55 percent of college students decide to rush a sorority or fraternity. And although most hazing happens under the radar, most of these sisterhoods and brotherhoods require at least some kind of pledge initiation.
Many students are naïve about the risks of alcohol binges and other hazing challenges; we want so badly to fit in that we’ll engage in wild and risky behavior. That’s why a lot of universities have created policies concerning hazing. Many give lectures at the beginning of the year to students who are considering the Greek system, and many use prior incidents as examples. That’s also why the government has stepped in. In Illinois, hazing is a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless it results in great bodily harm or death—in which case, it’s a Class 4 felony. This law was only implemented fairly recently, so it’s obvious there’s a movement against it; we just wish it worked better.
Just because hazing’s “tradition” doesn’t make it right. We need to realize this—we shouldn’t have to prove ourselves to fit in.