Fraternities Hazing free essay sample

A social problem is qualified as a problem â€Å"if the public or some segment of the public perceive the condition as a problem, and it exists when there is certain objective condition and society define it problematic. † (Nasibov) An on-going social problem among universities across the country involves college fraternities and hazing. Hazing is an issue that consistently reemerges. A large percentage of hazing incidents result in serious injuries, or at times, death. Any event that causes death and despair so often when it could be prevented is a social problem. Hazing individuals is a problem within the community and universities, and therefore society. Each year, millions of young adults apply and attend college to pursue higher education. As they begin a new chapter in their lives, they are exposed to college fraternity/sorority parties, which lead some of these individuals to pledge to become a full-member. Unfortunately, most people have no idea what they are getting themselves into, and for some, it leads to death. We will write a custom essay sample on Fraternities Hazing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This problem has been around for a long time and goes as far back as when colleges and fraternities began. Fraternities have been around as long as colleges/universities have, dating back in the early 1600s. In order to be a part of a fraternity, one has to pledge, to prove himself worthy of the house â€Å"letters† and name. This is the cause of hazing. Vivian de Klerk from Rhodes University defines hazing in her article â€Å"Initiation, Hazing or Orientation? † as a â€Å"form of initiation imposed by the group on a newcomer that leads to harassment, abuse and humiliation. † (Klerk) Such actions include physical abuse, mental abuse, favors, drugs and alcohol. According to the University of Connecticut Greek Life Council, 82% of hazing deaths were alcohol related. (UConn Greek Council) Since 2005, 59 deaths involved college fraternities and hazing, and more than 50% of those deaths were alcohol related. There was an incident in 2012, at the Northern Illinois University involving a 19 year old pledge for the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity who was killed due to alcohol intoxication. His blood alcohol was well over . 22, which is 3-4 times the blood alcohol content of legal limit. Aside from alcohol, there have been other death incidents involving hazing on college campuses. A few years ago at the University of California, Irvine, a pledge of the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity was killed during a pledge event where he and his pledge brothers had to play football against the entire active house. He was mulled to death during the game. Also, in the article â€Å"On Hazing† by Michael J. Cholbi, Matthew Carrington from the California State University of Chico was at a Chi Tau pledging event, he was later pronounced dead after consuming a large amount of water. (Cholbi) He died of cardiac dysrhythmia. These incidents are reflective of a social problem involving young adults. Parents send their children to attend universities in pursuit of their future careers, but these young adults are forced through dangerous, sometimes life-threatening events because of their choices to join fraternities/sororities. University campuses do not condone hazing, in fact 44 states in the U. S. have anti-hazing laws. A small percentage of college students who decide to pledge are exposed to hazing rituals. But the impact of the few who lose their lives is tremendous. The college will eventually be held responsible, as well as the organization and it’s members. The family and friends of the deceased also face great agony and sorrow. Since 1970, there has been at least one hazing-related death on a college campus every year. With these incidents occurring on university grounds, it only takes one death to make it an issue. It raises awareness to other students about these organizations. Greek councils warn students about hazing, and those who are caught face severe consequences; fines, suspension, lawsuits, and the chapter’s charter can even be revoked. It is considered a serious offense. A conflict theorist sees social change as the result of struggles between different groups for power. In this case, the different groups would be the active members of the organization and the members pledging. They believe there has to be conflict in order for there to be change. Active fraternity members have all the power, and exploit the individuals who are pledging because they have no power. They must do as they are told in order to obtain active status. Pledges must earn their way to become a full-fledged member. A conflict theorist would not disagree with that notion of hazing because the ones in power make sure the ones who want the power deserve it; but the possibility of being killed in the process is different. What good will a death do the whole? Is that death benefitting anyone or anything? Did that individual die for a bigger/better cause? A functionalist, on the other hand, views society as a system of interdependent parts whose functions contribute to the stability of the system. They believe societal changes are the result of natural factors. Hazing and hazing related deaths are not natural occurrences. Functionalists believe everyone should work together to maintain social order. It takes everyone to keep the whole group stable. There is none of that when it comes to the pledging process, it is the pledge group against the whole house. Functionalist do not encourage people to take initiative and push for change. They believe everything will eventually work out naturally. After the incident at NIU, the family of the 19 year old individual sought $100,000 in their lawsuit. Functionalists would disagree with that because they believe everything will work out on it’s own, which doesn’t take legal action for it to be fixed later on. Although university students are dying because of hazing, functionalists believe everything will change naturally, of it’s own device, because society tends to do that. Word spreads quickly on college campuses if a fraternity related death happens. It strikes fear in students because fraternities are present to provide a home away from home for students, a group of individuals they share common interest with, a group they can truly call their brothers. All it takes is one incident to push students the other way, giving greek organizations a bad reputation. Not only does it affect that particular organization, it also affects legitimate organizations that do not haze. Since alcohol related deaths have increased, parents have taken it upon themselves to educate students about alcohol poisoning. The parents of a deceased Cal Poly San Luis Opisbo student, who died because of alcohol intoxication, started a group called â€Å"Awake, Aware, Alive. † Their main goal is to basically teach students how to notice the signs of alcohol poisoning, and what to do in such instances. Although the organizations who have had accidents are all suspended, meaning that recruitment is banned, it doesn’t stop them or other groups from continuing their traditions or expanding their house. Colleges and Universities can only do so much because a majority of members do not come forward, nor do individuals who have been hazed. The greek community is a very close-knit community, and nothing is ever mentioned or disclosed. It is considered tradition, and no one speaks of it. Anyone could ask a member for information and they wouldn’t disclose any information. Today, greek councils use social media to trace and track down any possible signs of hazing. They make fake accounts on media sites such as Facebook, and add known fraternity members to keep watch over them. It only takes one mistake on the members’ behalf for the council to start an investigation. Hazing is a serious issue to them, and they will ban organizations from campus or contact law enforcement. At UC Davis, a number of fraternities have been caught for hazing and have lost their charters. However, there are many active fraternities that still carry on hazing traditions, and are very good at keeping everything within their house and not exposing themselves to the public to get caught. As long as fraternities are at our colleges and universities, hazing will continue. This means hazing related deaths are bound to appear again in the future. The statistics clearly show that hazing hasn’t stopped. Until a serious law passes and changes the way fraternities pledge new members, deaths will continue to occur.