WVU Fraternity Recruitment

Hazing

Hazing is defined as the initiation of a disciplinary activity by means of horseplay, practical jokes and tricks, often using humiliating or painful ordeals.

Hazing is not only a violation of the WVU Student Code of Conduct, it is illegal in the state of West Virginia. Prosective members should inquire about these practices prior to accepting a bid to any chapter. If you believe that a chapter of interest for you engages in hazing or plans to engage in hazing, consider another chapter and report any incident(s) to the Student Affairs office.

Hazing has been a tradition of the fraternity system in American universities since 1850 and has continued to be commonly practiced on college campuses throughout the United States. Associated with these rites of initiation are numerous injuries and deaths. Many involve the use of alcohol and revolved around "road trips" and "line ups" or exercise programs.

When fraternities were originally founded, their goal was to build brotherhood. They didn't have systems of hazing to accomplish that goal. However, over time, the original purpose for some fraternities has been lost.

Hazing doesn't build brotherhood as we see in our military system, it builds unquestioning abeyance of any command by authority. Respect is earned, not demanded. And, within a fraternity system, the system shouldn't be built around respect, rather, the system should be built around trust, support, and brotherhood.

Hazing builds dissension, undercutting, and eventual retribution. It strips a pledge's self-esteem and often goes beyond their physical and mental limits. It provides no real or measurable benefit and by participating in hazing practices, the fraternity and it's members often receive much bad press, not to mention retribution and isolation from the local campus administrations, other campus organizations, the non-Greek student body, the local community and the national fraternity. Continued hazing has even caused the elimination of the fraternity system on many campuses. Currently, 35 states have specific laws, with felony charges to those participants who are members of the offending fraternity.

By eliminating hazing, fraternities build stronger camaraderie within the pledge class, build a sense and anticipation of belonging to the fraternity, and build a way that, when initiated, the individual pledge becomes integrated as a brother rather than remaining part of a tight pledge class that remains separate from the rest of the active chapter after initiation.

With all this in mind, the real reason to avoid the practice of hazing shouldn't be because of the fear of a charter being revoked or fraternity members who may end up in prison. Chapters should avoid hazing because without it, they can build an even stronger brotherhood - and with a stronger brotherhood comes a stronger fraternity system.