Also here’s a question about what is stated in our creed…

“…defining SERVICE, SACRIFICE, and even SUFFERING AND HUMILIATION before the world, bravely endured, if need be, in following THAT IDEAL.”

Now I understand how service and sacrifice can be defined by servicing your fraternity and sacrificing time to dedicate for your organization, but what about the “suffering and humiliation before the world.?!” I’m sorry but that line is not clear to me in the fraternity ideals.

To recap… I stand against hazing for no reason or anything that is dangerous to someone’s health. I stand for small harmless things that bring a group’s bond closer together. I believe if you are thinking about rushing a fraternity just to wear letters and not learn anything about its members or become a closer brother want to be just another face then join a sorority where they give fancy pillows among other gifts. Vir Quisque Vir

He and I dis’cussed’ it for several hours until 4:30 AM. He of course won the debate, LOL!
As can be seen many times over Hazing and Risk Management are still problems not only in other Fraternity/Sororitys but by even LXA which banned it many years ago.
I am not the oldest Alum, but I am not the youngest and after 41 years I have seen a lot of mistakes all around by one and all.

Take heed to the many problems at different campi because of it. Learn or burn. Who does it hurt when a chapter is removed, it hurts all of us in may ways:

1. Gives all Greeks a bad name.
2. Removes a LXA Zeta from a school.
3. Does not let new possible young men an opportunity to become a LXA.

So, what more is there to say?

“Overwhelmingly, the most common types of hazing were related to participation in drinking games, which constituted 21 percent of all people surveyed.

“Among fraternities and sororities, about 40 percent reported hazing related to participation in drinking games. Among varsity sports teams, however, that number climbs to 60 percent.

“The second highest types of hazing — at around 25 percent for fraternities and sororities — were songs and chants.”

Drinking games, songs, chants??? What are you talking about? How are these hazing?

The last big study of hazing, at that “we dream we’re in the Ivy League” Alfred Univ. (?) found huge amounts of hazing in sports teams – and then we learn that if a freshman had to report for football, soccer, cheerleading, band, and other fall sport practices before other freshmen reported to campus, they were victims of hazing. It kinda ruined any value of the survey by defining hazing so illogically.
Another hazing campaigner, Eileen Stevens, also distorted hazing to make her cause look more just. At South Carolina, two non-members were turned away from a fraternity party. They got mad, left, and came back and shot/killed two fraternity pledges. And Eileen added two more “hazing” deaths to her total. Not at all accurate.
We’re all against hazing, and all for the “One strike and you’re out” policy of Sigma Chi and others if some common sense is included.

We’re also against the campus hazing double standard. If a sports team get caught hazing, the administrators deny, ignore, or lightly punish the jocks. At Maryland, where freshmen players were dressed up as bloody kotex and worse, the players were suspended, the coach/AD boasted. But the suspension was for months when there were no team practices or games. On the other side of the double standard, Maryland’s Greek Row has revolving occupants as chapters are suspended. The website http://www.badjocks.com and the other NCAAhazing site have probably documented (many with YouTube and Webshots) 50 college sports hazing incidents this year – and serious consequences in only five or less.
Let’s continue to wipe out hazing, but let’s tell the truth. I hope some exagerated survey of “hazing by song, chant, and drinking games” isn’t given much publicity.

Interfraternally yours,
AC2

Oh, and a pet peeve: associate members can wear letters in any form. I would argue that our associate members understand what it means to be a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha more so than some of the actives and alumni in our bond. Let’s take the letters away from those who abuse their privledge to wear letters and give it to only those men who truly value their association with our great Fraternity…and I’m talking about something bigger than a drinking club here!

I would encourage the Fraternity to consider participating in some way in National Hazing Prevention Week hosted each October. Groups such as Sigma Nu have taken a very proactive and aggressive approach to supporting the CampuSpeak initiative. It would be nice to see Lambda Chi Alpha support the initiative.

During a presentation to recruits, the recruitment chairman perked my ears by advertising the chapter’s “Money-Back Guarentee.” He told interested men that if they join, and ever feel like they’re being hazed, or want to walk away because the chapter intentionally created a discomforting situation…all they have to do is tell their big brother or an officer, and they get their full dues payment back. I think this is great.

Not only does this offer the potential new member a sense of security and comfort about his new friends (increasing the number of quality A.M.’s), but it also keeps the chapter in check.

After hearing this “Money-Back Guarentee” idea, I shared it with many other chapters during my travels, and support it greatly. The only condition is that the chapter has to live up to its promise and truly live “Vir Quisque Vir”…every Zeta needs to improve itself by making sure all elements of hazing, newspaper-worthy or “just the little stuff”, are eliminated from member programming. Great Article , Brother Faulstick!

In the “dark ages” (when I was young – pledge class of 1964 )a young man joined a fraternity as a pledge and was tested to see if he was” man enough and good enough” to become a Brother. It seems to me, that if we do a good job during rush, there should be no doubt as to the qualilfications of a man. Therefore, hazing ought to be unnecessary It also seems strange to me to believe that anyone would seriously believe that the quality of one’s manhood is prooven by the number of push-ups one can do or the the amount of alcohol one can consume. Therefore, hazing is an inappropriate test. I believe that the bonds of Brotherhood can not be based on the ability of one group to demean another. Therefore, hazing is counterproductive. I do not believe that any fraternity that offers the motto Vir Quisque Vir as a public statement of its beliefes could ever haze. Therefore hazing is philosophically inconsistent.

Lambda Chi Alpha led the way in rejecting hazing.
The battle was difficult(and in some chapters may still be being waged),but the point is strong: Lambda Chi Alpha places a high value on Brotherhood – and we begin building that bond as soon as a young man puts on his Associate Pin. Happily, for those of us who have aged a bit, we find that the deeping of that bond never ends. Our Brotherhood keeps on growing.

I object strongly to the term Pledge when used in the negative sense — but there are ways to use this term that I find important to a fraternity.

When “pledge” is used as a verb to mean making a serious promise — such as “I pledge to keep my promises” it speaks to me of one’s willingness to make a strong, and often public, committment.

When “PLedge” is used as a noun to mean solemn promise, I value it as well. The strongest of my Brothers PLEDGED years ago to keep the values of Lambda Chi Alpha visible in their lives; I respect their willingness to keep this PLEDGE.

I am not sure how many push-ups my pledge brothers (class of 1964) can do today ,and most of them have really slowed down in the consumption of alcohol —- but their PLEDGE to remain my Brother has not failed – and in that I take great joy.

While I would not say the Associate system was fully perfect (some guys could be jerks no matter what), it held pretty much true to the mandates of National.

However, sadly, people are people – and sometimes young men will do emotional, impulsive, and stupid things despite hearing repeated warnings. Simply look at driving accident statistics for proof of that.

I don’t know what the solution is besides education, education, education. Hopefully, the message gets through to the majority and the majority can keep any wise guys in line.

When I was in school, the term “designated driver” wasn’t even in our vocabulary … now the concept is fully understood, if not always practiced. So this proves that education (ok, maybe coupled with stiff penalties) can work.

Good luck and best wishes.
Bob Fidler
Pitt – 1985
GE 722