The Frat Pack: Hazing Rituals, Coercion, and Code of Conduct Violations

There was a time when college fraternities had carte blanche to humiliate, abuse, and even harm their pledges—students, usually freshmen, who were applying to join that particular fraternity and who were undergoing initiation as a part of that application process.

Happily, those times are in the past. And while hazing still occurs to some degree on certain campuses across the country, it’s generally much less dangerous. The fraternity members that do engage in harmful practices—and the fraternity chapters that encourage them—are being held accountable to an unprecedented extent.

But what happens when a fraternity member goes along with his brothers and commits an offense that he regrets, either with hindsight or even as the act is in process?

The Why of Hazing Rituals

Before turning our attention to the consequences of hazing, let’s take a quick look at why hazing happens. Older or more established fraternity members, and even adults whose college and fraternity days are far behind them, rationalize their participation in physically and emotionally harmful hazing rituals by saying things like:

• “I went through the embarrassment and discomfort, so now it’s my turn to inflict it on the new guys.”
• “It’s a tradition. Our fraternity has been participating in pledge week since it was first founded.”
• “We wouldn’t let anything really bad happen to a pledge. It’s all in good fun.”
• “You have to let off steam somehow. College is stressful. If we didn’t let loose once in a while, we wouldn’t even make it to midterms, let alone graduation.”
• “There’s no stronger bond than between frat brothers, and that’s because of what we all went through as pledges.”
• “Everyone else was egging him on. If I didn’t participate, they would have come down on me, too.”

This last reason is likely much more common than most people realize, even if far fewer frat members would own up to it.

The Three Main Types of Hazing

The term “hazing” is something of a catch-all. Like “misconduct,” there are numerous specific acts under the umbrella of hazing. Some of these are relatively benign—having to wear an embarrassing costume around campus for a day or addressing older fraternity members by a formal title. The majority, however, fall into one of three categories: subtle, harassing, and violent. Many of those constitute a violation of the school’s conduct code.

Subtle hazing includes behavior like issuing demerits, forcing pledges to maintain silence, or assigning them odious chores like cleaning the frat bathroom with only a toothbrush.

Harassment in the context of hazing could look like shouting at pledges and calling them names, threatening them with negative consequences, or forcing initiates to perform humiliating tasks or stunts.

Lastly, violent hazing can include forced or coerced alcohol or drug consumption, physical abuse such as punching or paddling, kidnapping, burning, branding, or being subjected to extreme conditions, such as freezing temperatures, without adequate clothing or other protection. Forced public nudity, bondage, and even sexual assault are not unheard of, either.

Hazing and the “Pack” Mentality

Due to the group nature of pledge activity, there’s something of a herd mentality or pack. While the concept of free will applies to fraternity members just as much as to anyone else, people who have experienced being coerced by others, especially in a group setting, understand that it’s incredibly difficult to speak up or bow out. It might be not just difficult but downright dangerous. Anyone who raises an objection might fear that the group’s leaders or especially aggressive members will aim the crosshairs at them.

When it comes to that pack mentality, even strong-willed people sometimes find themselves going along with their peers and engaging in distasteful or immoral behavior, or acts that violate their school’s Code of Conduct.

Turn to An Experienced Education Lawyer For Help

If that’s the situation you’ve found yourself in, and if you’re facing disciplinary measures for participation in an activity that you’re not proud of, turn to LLF National Law Firm’s Education Law Team. They understand that the peer pressure involved in fraternity initiation rituals can lead to lapses in judgment, bad behavior, and regrettable mistakes. Thanks to this understanding, they can help steer you toward the best possible outcome in a bad situation.

Contact the LLF National Law Firm team today by clicking here or calling 1-888-535-3686.