As the general public is acutely aware, hazing by fraternities continues to be an ongoing problem for college and universities. And although some progress has been made in recent years—only six states have yet to pass some form of anti-hazing legislation—the reality is that it is still fairly common on many campuses.
Experience has shown time and again that simply having formal policies in place does not necessarily change behavior. Such is the case with many Greek letter organizations, including the one that serves as the focus of this commentary—Kappa Alpha Psi.
Like most Greek letter organizations, Kappa Alpha Psi has attempted to insulate itself from the inherent liabilities associated with hazing by developing, supporting and publicly advocating the appropriate risk-management position. At the same time, this strategy has not instilled within the membership a valid understanding of why hazing is not an acceptable practice.
There is a huge difference between setting up a system that can withstand a legal challenge and actually pursuing a course of action that will deal with the core problem. It is possible to protect the organization while implicitly preserving and even reinforcing a practice that should be eradicated. In fact, this seems to be exactly what is happening with the hazing issue.
Most of the strategies we currently have in place involve negative reinforcement; i.e., they tell students what they should not be doing as opposed to providing them with appropriate explanations and an alternate avenue for achieving the same end result. In other words, we seem to prefer a punitive rather than an educational approach.
It should also be kept in mind that there are qualitative distinctions between hazing in traditional White fraternities and those that are populated mainly by African-Americans. Complicating matters further is the fact that most studies on hazing have been carried out by Whites who were looking primarily at predominantly White organizations.
This is a nontrivial point. Most hazing incidents in White fraternities tend to be centered around alcohol, whereas hazing in African-American organizations often involves a desire to inflict bodily harm. Furthermore, White students go along with hazing because to them it is simply fun and part of the college experience. Those involved in the hazing may also be the ones who will help them pass an exam the following day.
