College Hazing

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate November 2001

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College hazing is a major problem in the world today. There are many definitions of the word "hazing". The most common of them all is: any action or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity or sorority premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule.

There are two specific types of hazing. They are subtle hazing and harassment hazing. Subtle hazing is any action that is against accepted sorority or fraternity standards of conduct, behavior and good tastes. An activity or attitude directed toward a pledge or an act which ridicules. Harassment hazing is anything that causes mental anguish or physical discomfort to the pledge. Any activity directed toward a pledge which confuses, frustrates, or causes undue stress.

Some examples of harassment hazing are verbal abuse, any form of questioning under pressure or in ann uncomfortable position. A few examples of sublte hazing are never doing anything with the pledges, silence periods for pledges, or any form of demerits.

The consequences for breaking an anti-hazing law are not easy. There have been several cases where large amounts of money and banishment from campus have occurred.

Eileen Stevens states in an excerpt, "If you are allowing yourself to be hazed, or looking the other way when someone else is being hazed, you are enabling this ugly practice to continue and jeoperdize the emotional and physical well being of others."