Thursday, September 13, 2007 12:38 AM CDT
Greeks fight hazing
New hotline part of plans to put a stop to hazing on college campuses
By LISA BARTELT, Staff Writer
lbartelt@jg-tc.com
It could be as simple as a student requiring another to carry his books, or as serious as bodily harm.
Either way, it’s considered hazing, and 21 Greek organizations recently took another step to eliminate it from college campuses.
The organizations have partnered to establish the Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline, a toll-free number linked to a dedicated voice mailbox at a Cincinnati law firm that specializes in legal issues involving collegiate Greek organizations and higher education.
At Eastern Illinois University, the Office of Greek Life plans to use the hotline in its anti-hazing education efforts. With sorority recruitment just ended, fraternity recruitment ongoing, and “Halt Hazing Awareness” week coming up at the end of the month, EIU Greek Life Director Bob Dudolski said the hotline will be publicized to students.
“I do believe that it provides a safe and confidential opportunity for students to provide a reporting structure of incidents of suspected hazing,” Dudolski said.
This time of year, fraternities often face a lot of questions about hazing, said EIU senior Mike Nowak, a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, a peer adviser for the Greek community, and a past president of the Interfraternity Council.
“When freshmen come in, they’ve heard the horror stories or think it’s like (the movies) ‘Animal House’ or ‘Old School,’” he said. “We look our potential members straight in the eye and tell them we don’t want to break you down and then build you back up. We want to build you up from where you are right now.”
The university also takes preventive steps to discourage hazing.
Dudolski said students accepting membership into a sorority or fraternity sign a form that outlines examples of hazing and the Greek community’s stance against it.
“Each student is expected to not only take a stand against hazing but report any incidents which violate the Student Conduct Code,” he said.
Nowak said all the Greek chapters are aware of the contract new members sign in which they agree to report any incidents of hazing.
“It puts the heat on them (the Greek organizations),” he said.
Educational meetings, in addition to the awareness week at the end of September, are held throughout the year to educate students about the dangers of hazing and strategies to avoid such incidents within their organizations, Dudolski said.
Also, according to Eastern’s Interfraternity Council’s rules and regulations, the university has had alcohol-free recruitment for 22 years.
The policy states chapter members cannot consume alcohol with any potential new members during fraternity or sorority recruitment events and fraternity chapters or chapter members cannot sponsor “after bars” or “open parties” as a means of recruiting new members.”
Nowak said this policy helps potential new members get a realistic view of being a member of the Greek community.
“It’s about giving back to the community, graduating and make yourself more marketable after graduation,” Nowak said. “With alcohol-free recruitment, if you do these events positively it gives them a sense of what really needs to happen when you join an organization.”
If hazing does occur, students have an on-campus avenue to report it as well.
Dudolski said reports can be made to any faculty or staff member of the Office of Student Life, and an investigation will follow.
“If hazing is found to be occurring, there may be sanctions placed on both the student organization or team, as well as individual students participating in the activity,” he said.
That was the case in the spring of 2005, when the university suspended or expelled 14 members of the Delta Chi fraternity for an alleged incident of hazing the previous fall.
“The end result included the closing of the organization and several members of the group being suspended or expelled from the university,” Dudolski said. “The national headquarters of the fraternity partnered with the university in the investigation and exhibited a no-tolerance stance against hazing as they closed the fraternity chapter.”
Delta Chi is one of the sponsoring organizations of the hotline. Other sponsoring organizations with chapters at Eastern are fraternities Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Lambda Chi Alpha and Sigma Pi, and sororities Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Tau and Sigma Sigma Sigma.
Contact Lisa Bartelt at lbartelt@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.
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