Flint Journal – April 16, 2009:
FLINT, Michigan — The University of Michigan-Flint suspended the Beta Sigma Phi sorority for hazing, but not the beer-guzzling, toilet-scrubing, head-shaving type of torture most might imagine.
The list of controversial pledge tasks included driving around drunk people, wearing gaudy name tags, taking tests, riding in cars blindfolded and being forced to scrapbook.
“The university has a zero tolerance policy towards any type of hazing,” said UM-Flint Spokeswoman Jennifer Hogan, who would not disclose details of the suspension. “It’s something we are always going to stand very firmly on and we want to send the message that any type of hazing behavior will not be accepted.”
I have to agree with this action taken here. Can you imagine a young woman with PMS being being forced to scrapbook?!? We coulda had another campus sh00ting….
When scrapbooking came up, they just had to put their foot down.
Is this truly the definition of hazing? Or is this activing using your resources to keep people safe, inflict creativity and imagination (which most adults do not have, look it up), and establish trust amongst the new pledges and those already inside the fraternity or sorority. If this were a fortune 500 company no one would be complaining. Aflac’s employees are forced to participate in team building activities on obstacle course, figure out scavenger hunts, and made to rub elbows with a team of people that they may not like. Would this be hazing? Or evidence of building a great company in which employees trust each other and their workers know they can relie on each other to accomplish tasks given by their superiors?
Just a thought…