LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ridiculous Policies

To the Editor: There was, however, one very large exception -- the installment that examined hazing and pledging. Anyone who opened The Daily Pennsylvanian to page 3 last Thursday would undoubtedly have been mortified by the photos that appeared on the page, and rightfully so. However, it needs to be made clear that those pictures were photo illustrations -- posed pictures that are complete fabrications. In the accompanying feature ("Confessions from an ex-pledge") the interviewee indicated that pledging stories get sensationalized to the point of falsity. After seeing the fabricated picture of a student gagged, blindfolded, and tied to a chair in the campus newspaper, one need not wonder very much how such fallacies are spread. In the "confession", the student stated that "they don't really do anything that bad, they're just annoying." While we don't purport that hazing is not a problem we face, we do believe that the DP's portrayal was unfounded, and influenced by "Animal House" stereotypes. The DP has essentially characterized these pictures as the norm -- we do not believe this is the case. And by printing material which deliberately misled its audience, it is clear that the DP did not hold itself to the standards of journalistic integrity that it supposedly embraces. We must also question the use of rush incidents in the cases of ZBT and Phi Sigma Kappa, in an article that was supposed to focus on the pledge process. There are measures in place to sanction chapters that violate policies and standards of good behavior. Despite their irrelevance to pledging, sanctions were imposed upon each of the aforementioned chapters. There have been sanctions imposed upon chapters who have violated hazing policies -- these should serve as an indication that the system has taken measures to eliminate hazing, and will continue to do so. The Interfraternity Council does distribute information about hazing to everyone who joins a fraternity. This information includes a list of options to take in the event of a hazing incident. Furthermore, we sponsor several educational programs that address hazing issues. In fact, for our November 14 bid signing, we have gone to great lengths to find a keynote speaker, with knowledge of hazing, its dangers, and effective preventive measures. We have also proposed a workshop for pledge educators that we expect to be implemented next year. Such a workshop would address fraternity policies and acceptable pledge programs, and should supplement any ideas that come from the Membership Development Committee of the Greek Task Force. HAYDEN HOROWITZ College '95 President, Interfraternity Council SCOTT LITMAN College '95 Executive Vice President, Interfraternity Council