I often start these meetings off by asking the students
about their greatest fear when it comes to hazing. What is it about hazing that
keeps them up at night? By far, the most common answer I get goes something
like this:
“I’m afraid of a rogue
member doing something that will get us into trouble.”
In some ways, this is a very justifiable fear. In my years
as a fraternity/sorority advisor, a majority of the more egregious hazing
incidents that I encountered were not those organized and sanctioned by the
entire chapter, but rather those conducted by a “rogue” member or small group
of members outside of the established new member education process. These
regularly occur off campus, in isolated settings, and involve a single new
member, or small group of new members, singled out for a special hazing
session. These rogue members often
inflict tremendous damage, both to the individuals they single out and haze,
and to their chapters and organizations as a whole.
But there are two major flaws in the logic behind the fear
of the “rogue” member. Here are two
reasons why the “rogue member” fear is a myth:
1. We already know
who our rogue members are. In a
previous blog post, I made the argument that chapters should do a better job getting
rid of the sociopaths in their chapters, using Miami Dolphins offensive lineman
Richie Incognito as an example. Many
have argued that Incognito was a “rogue” member of the team, and that his
treatment of Jonathan Martin was an “isolated incident.” Here is the problem
with that logic – anyone who looks at Richie Incognito’s past could predict
with a high level of certainty that this sort of thing might happen. He has a long record of abusive behavior. His
hazing and harassment of Jonathan Martin, then, was not an isolated incident, but rather an anticipated incident.
The same is often true in hazing in fraternities and sororities.
The “rogue member” who gets him or herself involved in a hazing incident almost
always has a prior history of bad behavior; getting drunk and out of control at
parties, getting into fights, yelling at their significant others, drug use,
etc. The hazing incident in which they “cross the line” is rarely, if ever, the
first sign of propensity for poor judgment.
When these “isolated incidents” occur, chapter leaders are never
surprised by the identity of the rogue member(s) behind them. Just like Richie
Incognito, the incidents are not isolated,
they are anticipated.
2. The culture of any
chapter gives rogue members permission to do what they do. I like to think about hazing along a 1-10
continuum. Level one hazing involves the most minor things that we might
consider hazing (i.e. new member dress codes, scavenger hunts), and Level ten
hazing would involve the most egregious hazing (physical abuse, forced alcohol
consumption, etc.). Here is the problem
with the myth of the “rogue member” – you can’t accept level seven or eight
hazing as a part of your chapter’s “rite of passage” and then be surprised when
one of your “rogue members” crosses the line and engages in level nine or level
ten hazing that lands the chapter in hot water.
In other words, you can’t tolerate a little hazing in your organization
and not expect that at some point a BIG hazing incident is going to
happen. Hazing is not just a slippery slope
– it is a trajectory. It gets worse over time, as “rogue members” constantly
push the line of acceptable behavior. Today’s Level 7 hazing is tomorrow’s
Level 9 hazing. So, when our “rogue
member” crosses the line and engages in behavior that we deem unacceptable, we
should not stand around and act like we are surprised. The culture of the chapter gave that member
permission to do what he/she did. The
problem is not isolated – it is systemic.
So what can you do
about it?
First, as I have previously argued, get rid of your “rogue
members.” You know who they are. Do not wait for a tragedy to occur before
doing what you know needs to be done. If you don’t think your chapter has the
willpower to expel a member, contact your alumni or your national organization.
There is a way to get rid of them, and your alumni will be happy to help you.
Secondly, it is time to start pushing back the line of
acceptable behavior in your chapter. I do not expect that a chapter can
magically eliminate a hazing culture all at once, but actions must be taken to
begin changing that culture immediately. Where is that line currently drawn in
your chapter? What are the acceptable forms of hazing? How can you begin to
push that line back? How can you push
Level eight hazing back to Level seven and then to Level six hazing? Culture change takes time, but the time to
start is now.
Stop your rogue members and begin changing your culture now, and avoid “isolated incidents” later.
