• Hazing Deaths
  • Blog
  • Storytelling
  • Bio
  • High School Sexual Hazing Incidents
  • Campus Speaker: Hazing & Binge Drinking
  • Hank Nuwer: selected media coverage
  • World Hazing Incidents
  • “Hazing,” “Sons of the Dawn,” “Legend of Jesse Owens”

Hank Nuwer's Hazing Scholarship Site

Follow me on Social Media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

A bold new step: Sigma Alpha Epsilon banishes pledging

March 10, 2014 By Hank Nuwer Leave a Comment

 

 

Her are some of my thoughts on the decision of SAE to end pledging.

I approve wholeheartedly and commend the SAE executive board for a bold decision that may save lives.

 

Some thoughts:

 

The decision to drop pledging was long overdue by a national such as SAE, particularly since it has experienced more hazing deaths than any other fraternity, as well as deaths and serious injuries from other risky behaviors.

 

The organization essentially had to do an end around its undergraduates who have consistently voted to keep alcohol in houses and to continue pledging as the status quo.

 

Expect a blowback from undergraduate chapters.  Right after it was announced a Univ of Connecticut Kappa Kappa Gamma pledge blamed KKG and the SAE chapter of hazing her by forcing her to drink. She was hospitalized and claims she might have died had not someone called 911.

 

Clearly there will be undergraduate chapters defying the national, and the national’s resolve to punish such chapters will be tested.

 

Eventually, meaning in 4 years, all members who went thru the old-fashioned pledging will have graduated, and it should be much smoother sailing for the dropping of the pledge period..

 

As a business, SAE is making a sound decision.  The benefits in fewer payouts for hazing cases  will translate to huge risk insurance savings.

 

There still is a 4-day window from acceptance to member privileges for the new classes of SAE.  School officials would be wise to keep a wary eye on SAE during those four days lest veteran members at some chapters decide it is important to indoctrinate the pledges the old way.

 

Hank Nuwer

 

Filed Under: Hazing News

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Inquiries

Hank Nuwer

Correspondence: Hank Nuwer at Hnuwer@hanknuwer.com   Phone number upon request.  Available presentations USA, … Email to book a date.

Sons of the Dawn

Sons of the Dawn: A Basque Odyssey: Hank's novel is for teens 11-18 but also meant to be enjoyed by … Read More

Hazing Deaths

… Read More

Family alleges Adam Oakes dies from hazing at VCU: ABC

Here is the LInk Virginia Commonwealth University said it shut down Delta Chi fraternity and the police are investigating after a freshman student was found dead this weekend. Adam Oakes, 19, was found dead at an off-campus residence early Saturday morning by authorities, the university and the Richmond Police Department said in statements. The medical examiner’s […]

Hazing of pledge with a gun shuts down Kappa Sigma: ABC News

A New Mexico State University student has been accused of shooting a classmate in an alleged hazing incident that resulted in his fraternity’s suspension. Miguel Altamirano was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly shot Jonathan Sillas in the leg as he pledged the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Recent Stories from […]

Tallahassee police label December FSU fraternity death an accident, not hazing. Deaths involve FSU SAE and Sig Ep.

Here is the story link The death of a popular Florida State University student found unresponsive inside the Sigma Phi Epsilon house in December has been determined accidental, according to an autopsy released late Tuesday. The District Two Medical Examiner’s Office said the death of William Eppes Proctor, 22, was due to “right epidural hematoma due to […]

Pullman Police Chief Jenkins drops the ball in Big-Little death.

The police chief missed the deadline to post hazing charges. Shame on Pullman Police and the Prosecutor for letting the one-year statute of limitations expire in the “Big-Little” death of Sam Martinez, a travesty, at Washington State’s Alpha Tau Omega house. “We had our eyes on a potential more serious offense, that was manslaughter, and […]

Archives


Hank Nuwer's Hazing Scholarship Site is proudly powered by WordPress