Culture

Despite deaths, arrests and lawsuits, fraternities cling to hazing rituals


Maureen Downey | (TNS) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

We have all seen grieving parents clutching photos of sons killed during college hazing, grim-faced deputies leading handcuffed fraternity members to police cars and outraged university presidents announcing tighter policies on their Greek life systems.

Yet, hazing persists, a long-standing tradition that neither student deaths nor threats of criminal liability have led frats to abandon.

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill last week that the parents of hazing victims hope will discourage the practice. The Stop Campus Hazing Act compels colleges to report hazing incidents across student organizations and develop comprehensive programs to prevent it. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for a vote.

Among those advocating for the Stop Campus Hazing Act are the parents of Max Gruver, 18, of Roswell, Georgia, a Louisiana State University student who died in 2017 as a result of a Phi Delta Theta ritual that required pledges chug from a bottle of Diesel, a 190-proof liquor. Max’s cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration.

Had Steve Gruver and his wife been aware of the disciplinary and hazing infractions against Phi Delta Theta, their son would not have been pledged there. Instead, when his parents talked to Max about where he might pledge, all the Gruvers knew from the LSU guide was Phi Delta Theta’s average grade-point average, good deeds and community activities.

“This bill would put all the information out in a public place and give parents the opportunity to do more due diligence,” said Gruver in a telephone interview. “If we had known about all the violations, and that this frat was not a great group of guys, I know for a fact that would have saved my son’s life.”

Max’s case and other hazing-related deaths in 2017 received widespread publicity and prompted promises by national Greek life leadership to reaffirm the ban on hazing and police their chapters.

Yet, earlier this month, the University of Virginia terminated Kappa Sigma fraternity’s organizational agreement after a student was hospitalized last semester following an alleged hazing event at the chapter house. The student reportedly fell down a set of stairs and struck his head after drinking heavily.

Kappa Sigma joins two other frats forced by UVA to close their doors in the last few months because of documented hazing in the last year. The three houses cannot seek reestablishment until 2028.

In its investigation, UVA Student Affairs office cited other hazing, including pouring hot sauce on the genitals of pledges. The report also stated, “New members were coerced or forced to engage in the heavy consumption of alcohol, which included the drunk pledge on duty consuming a large volume of alcohol in a relatively short period of time.” New members suffered injuries that included lacerations, scrapes, bruises and one member being hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Related Articles

National News |

Ford to cover cost of home charger, installation for EV buyers through …read more

Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment

      

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *