I dreaded it before and I still do: fall rush. When it swept
along Gayley and Hilgard avenues, I couldn’t stand idly, an
outsider to it all.
Rather, I felt appalled. Hushed stories told by friends and
family genuinely bothered me last year. And now, as a second-year
student, I was again left just as stupefied. The pledging and rush
processes can be so arbitrarily cruel, so riddled with bullying
that I’m amazed students endure them.
Many people cherish joining the Greek system, but just as
importantly, it’s the duty of all students to enhance ““
rather than denigrate ““ the campus’ social
environment.
My introduction to Greek life was truly bizarre. It was Zero
Week of my freshman year, and some dorm friends of mine had decided
to rush. Greek life provided ample social opportunities and the
parties looked great. Housing seemed affordable and some houses
boasted professional chefs. I understood their reasons for rushing,
and I fully supported them.
But upon observation, my attitude lost enthusiasm. For one, the
male pledges looked absolutely horrible. I remember waiting for the
Sproul Hall elevator one morning and outright staring at two young
men whose eyes hung ““ loose and tired ““ above darkly
circled hollows. They both wore pledge T-shirts.
And then there were the girls whose self-conscious fashion
statements appeared so overwhelming. They had smiled, charmed, and
giggled for days, and then, after all their efforts, they were to
be judged by their potential sorority sisters. True, the girls may
not have endured the physical tests of their male counterparts
throughout their pledging, but they could have felt just as
mistreated or manipulated. That’s when things changed for
me.
I’m disturbed that people often ignore these issues. After
discussing my observations and accompanying misgivings with the
same friends mentioned earlier, some seemed defensive. Their
struggle strengthened their devotion to the Greek system, many
claimed. Others merely brushed off my concerns as petty
complaints.
There were a few exceptions, of course, including those who
admitted to exaggerated obligatory regulations of the process or
dropped their rushing or pledging entirely. But the majority of
those I spoke with did not act this way ““ they defended the
process entirely. And I couldn’t believe it.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I firmly believe that good
things came out of their Greek lives, too. But regarding the
overdone rigors of pledging, I couldn’t stop wondering,
“Why did they put up with it?”
Contrary to my friends’ beliefs, it’s a big deal.
It’s a national problem, too. Just last week, Blake Adam
Hammontree, a Sigma Chi pledge at the University of Oklahoma, died
in his fraternity house with a blood alcohol level of 0.42. The
Oklahoma Daily reported that the pledges drank heavily the night of
his death because, as one former fraternity member who wished to
remain anonymous explained, “They’ll force you into it
if you won’t stand up to them.”
True, hazing is an illegal practice. Both California and
Oklahoma (where Hammontree attended school) prohibit hazing and
other comparable acts. Still, as Hammontree’s death
demonstrates, these humiliating and disrespectful traditions
continue today.
So while some people defend these traditions as age-old
necessities, I wholeheartedly disagree. There’s absolutely no
excuse for bullying people prior to granting them acceptance and
friendship. Hammontree, just like all of us, deserved a long life.
He didn’t need to drink himself to death.
At the end of the day, I’m fine with the Greek system.
Many fraternities and sororities treat pledges with respect. I am,
however, gravely concerned for those that do not.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, of course ““ and I
don’t expect it to. But perhaps one day students like myself
won’t need to dread or question rush season. Instead, we can
just feel proud of our friends.
Fried is a second-year history student. E-mail her at
ifried@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.