page 4b
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page 5b
Greeks and pledges :
emerging from haze
Continued from page 4b
activities is one purpose of pledge
training, Danberg said. Sororities not only
inform pledges of organizations they can
join but also stress cultural programs.
Working with members is another goal,
she said. Most sororities have pledges
study house history.
Various community projects are
undertaken by sororities. They collect
money for the All University Fund, go
carolling at the Madonna Care Center,
and have parties for children at the
Malone Center, Danberg said.
Education also is stressed, she added.
Sororities decide for themselves what
grade average their pledges must attain
for activation, she said. Most have chosen
2.0 or 2.2.
Since pledges at most sororities live
out of the house, some houses have study
hours. This helps familiarize them with
the actives, Danberg said.
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Some sororities have Inspiration or
Help Weeks. Danberg said their purpose is
to relate to pledges some of the ideals of
the house. Activities in these weeks are
varied, such as going to dinner with
sorority members or hearing speakers at
the house.
As for hazing, she said, "I've never
heard of any in sororities. I'd be very
surprised to find it."
Senior Lehn Straub of Alpha Tau
Omega has helped institute a model in the
fraternity system. Houses in the program
try "constructive" pledge education
methods, then give feedback to the IFC
office on their success.
He, as well as every new active talked
to, said that there was a trend away from
hazing on campus. There is a realization
that "incoming freshmen are more
mature and hazing is not relevant to
success in life," Straub said.
Kinnan said that John Put man,
national Alpha Tau Omega president,
who recently spoke at UNL, said hazing
had no part in progressive pledge
programs. "If leadership feels that way,
it's only a matter of time," Kinnan said.
According to Wostrel, a reason for the
disappearance of hazing is that
"fraternities aren't really the big thing."
He explained that students didn't need
fraternities enough to subject themselves
to hazing.
"Some people feel hazing builds
character. We feel our pledge class has
enough character without it," Camp said.
Lynn McHugh of Delta Sigma Phi said
that fraternities have to compete with
dormitories, so hazing was discontinued
to appeal to more people. His house has a
policy of "no personal servitude" to
actives. His roommate first semester was
an active.
"In fact, he kept my half of the room
clean," he added.
People won't stand for hazing because
"some of the people haven't been hit by
their parents, let alone a stranger,"
another new active said. John McFayden
of Kappa Sigma said he believes hazing
was accepted ip the past because of the
belief that "you had to be someone real
special to be in a fraternity."
Rumors about hazing in fraternities
are mostly started by other fraternities,
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according to one new active. The purpose
is "to make you feel how lucky you are
not to be in that house."
McBride feels that IFC "shouldn't be a
police force. We act, as a general rule, on
complaints about hazing."
Jayne Anderson, coordinator of
sororities, fraternities and cooperatives
agreed. She said she doesn't see it as her
duty to "stalk the houses at night."
Hazing has been discontinued at UNL
as a matter of survival, she said. "Some
campuses refused to change. Where are
they today?" she added.
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Photos by Gail Folda and Dan Ludcly
All photos in this issue were taken at Gamma Phi Beta and Zeta Tau Alpha
sororities; Kappa Sigma and Sigma Chi fraternities.
