Life On The Line Essay, Research Paper

On college campuses, hazing is all a portion of fall ining a fraternity or a sorority some people might state. Hazing defined in the Webster & # 8217 ; s Dictionary means to hassle with cockamamie, disagreeable, or take downing undertakings ( 322 ) . How does this definition in footings differ to the manner that hazing is displayed on the many college campuses? I plan on stating you in my essay three things that prove hazing is incorrect.

Ivy Zlotnick, president of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority said, & # 8220 ; I find the university & # 8217 ; s definition of hazing any knowing, negligent, or foolhardy action, activity or state of affairs which causes another hurting, embarrassment, ridicule, or torment, irrespective of the single & # 8217 ; s willingness to take part & # 8211 ; entirely appropriate & # 8221 ; ( Collins 1 ) . There is a difference between plighting a fraternity or sorority and sistership or brotherhood. Pledging means that you have to set into it a batch of attempt and a batch of clip ( Webster 536 ) . Sisterhood is a group, society, or community of sisters ( Webster 646 ) . Brotherhood is the province or quality of being brothers ( Webster 93 ) . The members of fraternities and sororities are considered brothers and sisters, but they don & # 8217 ; t act as though they are. If you are suppose to be a household so you are non suppose to crush each other.

Hazing has been traveling on for over 100 old ages on college campuses. Torahs have been made in 35 provinces saying that hazing is against the jurisprudence ( Johnson A1 ) . Why do fraternities and sororities still do it? I did an unwritten study inquiring people did they think that

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hazing should be legalized, and a bulk of the people answered & # 8220 ; no & # 8221 ; . Their grounds were that people can be harmed physically and mentally, there & # 8217 ; s a batch of emphasis that comes along with the district of suing, and decease could happen. They don & # 8217 ; t think that fall ining a fraternity or sorority is worth that. If sororities and fraternities conducted themselves in the same idiosyncrasy as their definitions place them to be in the lexicon, so there would be no job with any sort of hazing incidents.

A fraternity in the Webster & # 8217 ; s Dictionary is a societal organisation of male college pupils ( Webster 279 ) . A bulk of societal organisations have a no hazing policy. Social organisations are usually full of people who want to hold merriment. Geting your organic structure round and bruised up International Relations and Security Network & # 8217 ; t really many people & # 8217 ; s thought of merriment. For illustration, Joseph J. Snell, 26, was a junior at the University of Maryland when the hazing incident reportedly occurred in 1993. Over a clip of four hebdomads, fraternity members in a black fraternity, beat him with a cock, horse-hair whip, broken chair leg, and coppice. They put a infinite warmer next to his face to darken his tegument because they said he wasn & # 8217 ; t Black plenty. He sued the fraternity in 1995 after 24 members agreed to pay his medical disbursals, but merely half of them did. The jury granted Snell $ 300,000 in punitory amendss and $ 75,000 to counterbalance Snell for his physical and emotional hurts. Omega Psi Phi argued that the whippings were committed by rogue members whose actions were non sanctioned by the fraternity ( Clark 23 ) .

A sorority is a societal nine for adult females, but there was nil societal about the hazing allegations that were brought against the Delta Sigma Theta sorority at Georgia State University. College decision makers say that, & # 8220 ; While sorority hazing is more likely

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to affect emotional or psychological maltreatment than physical force, it is going a more serious job on some campuses & # 8221 ; ( Geraghty A37 ) . In malice of all the allegations that were brought against Delta Sigma Theta, university functionaries and other sorority members said that hazing is non a portion of the induction rites of most of the school & # 8217 ; s sororities. & # 8220 ; I don & # 8217 ; t think you have to haze person to do them loyal if they believe in what they are making, & # 8221 ; said Ivy Zlotnick, who was non involved in the hazing instance ( Collins 1 ) .

There was one unusual instance of hazing brought against som

vitamin E pupils at Texas A & M University. A adult male named John Warren was a pledge for the fraternity Kappa Alpha during his sophomore twelvemonth go toing Texas A & M University. He claimed that Jonathan Culpepper, a member of Kappa Alpha, poured a can of beer on him while he was held down and made to make press-ups. In the procedure of it all, Jonathan Culpepper yanked John Warren up aggressively by his underwear. John Warren could non walk the undermentioned two yearss subsequently due to trouble. When he went to the infirmary he had surgery where the physicians removed one of his testiss. John Warren pressed charges against Jonathan Culpepper and some other pledges, but hazing in considered a misdemeanour. This is chastened by a $ 4000 mulct and no less than one twelvemonth in prison ( Gose A37 ) . After pleading no competition, he received a $ 500 mulct and 80 hours of community service. If he completes an 18-month probation period, the “wedgie” incident will be struck from his record ( Gose A37 ) .

Most of the serious hazing incidents still occur in fraternities. Many fraternity members say softly that & # 8220 ; hazing is valuable, despite the policies censoring it, most hazing

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is mild and creates bonds among those who endure it ( Gose A38 ) . & # 8221 ; Other members site a syrupy rhythm: Once a pupil has been hazed, he wants a opportunity to dole out similar maltreatment ( Gose A38 ) . What I do non understand is how beating each other up and even crushing each other to decease can convey anyone closer. That is like stating a adult male who beats his married woman, or frailty versa, is merely seeking to convey them closer together. If you are seeking to garner brotherhood or sistership, you are carry throughing nil by aching each other. That is merely one less brother or sister that you could hold added to your brotherhood or sistership.

There are those fraternities and sororities that are seeking to acquire rid of hazing. They feel that civil suits are dearly-won, which they are. In February, the parents of Gabe Higgins were awarded $ 1.09-million in a colony against 18 members of the Cowboys organisation and the proprietor of the land on which he died ( Gose A38 ) . If this is non considered expensive I do non cognize what is. There is non really many people in this universe that merely have $ 1.09-million dollars puting around that they would desire to give away.

Other ways of hazing include, doing pledges drink until they are purging or so intoxicated that they can & # 8217 ; t even stand on their ain, but in a few instances the pledges have been so intoxicated that they died. A pupil at Louisiana State University is actioning the school, the fraternity and a local saloon. They are being sued because of a dark of imbibing, where one pupil died. Benjamin Winnie, a fresher at Louisiana State University brought the charges against Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Murphy & # 8217 ; s saloon for amendss that occurred while he was rummy. Murphy & # 8217 ; s was established in 1980. It has been known as the societal nine

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for people who are in fraternities and sororities. The saloon has been closed since Wins decease ( Smith 5 ) .

This is what needs to be done in these hazing state of affairs. Person needs to take a base for what they know is right. No 1 has the right to ache or put on the line person & # 8217 ; s life particularly over something so little as a group or societal nine. If you want this to halt you will make the honest thing and study it if you know that it is traveling on.

Bibliography

Collins, Elizabeth. & # 8220 ; Is Hazing An Appropriate Form Of Initiation? & # 8221 ; The Advocate 13, June 1997, A1+ .

Clark, Matthew. Hazing In Sororities and Fraternities. New York: Lexington, 1993.

Johnson, Gerald. & # 8220 ; Laws on Hazing. & # 8221 ; New York Times 122, Sept. 1996, A1.

Geraghty, Mary. & # 8220 ; Hazing Incidents At Sororities Alarm Colleges. & # 8221 ; The Phoenix 20, June 1997, A37+ .

Gose, Ben. & # 8220 ; Attempts To End Fraternity Hazing Have Largely Failed, Critics Charge. & # 8221 ; The Chronicle Of High Education 18 April 1997, A37+ .

Smith, Deann. & # 8220 ; Histories of Death Conflict. & # 8221 ; The Advocate 29 Aug. 1997, 1-A.