Hazing. When people do it, they might think they’re just putting new members through something to “earn their letters. It’s harmless.” Not. So. Much.
Every person is different and how they experience things is different. What might seem harmless might be quite dangerous depending on the person’s experiences.
Here’s an example—a wacky one at that—but you’ll get the idea: The New Member Coordinator wants to make the “newbies earn their letters” by completing some special tasks, so she devises a competition to test their true commitment to sisterhood. “Each new member has to eat 10 hot dogs in 5 minutes … OR ELSE!”
As you can imagine, this might affect new members in varying ways.
Ummm … are those kosher?
This is going to make me look like an idiot.
This makes me feel so anxious.
(I’m in a glass case of emotion!)
Uhhh, I have a gluten allergy.
This brings up some seriously bad memories of high school hazing.
You can’t be serious.
Wait. What … does this have to do with being in a sorority?
Here is more information on the hidden harm of hazing. It’s real, friends.
National Hazing Prevention Week 2013 was Sept. 23-27. To educate our members and others about hazing prevention, Zeta Tau Alpha developed lists (inspired by BuzzFeed) to highlight positive member experiences and combat hazing. While these lists might be funny, hazing is not a joke. Join ZTA to end hazing by doing the right thing, for the right reason, all the time.
