Lesson 2.1.A-Most Gruesome College Hazing Rituals

2. The recent death of Florida A&M band-member, Robert
Champion, has once again put the spotlight on the issue
of hazing on college campuses.
College students seeking membership into fraternities,
sororities — or in Champion’s case, competitive bands — many
times endure physical and mental hazing rituals that are
extremely dangerous to their health. The physical attacks,
rigorous workouts, and dangerous tests often hospitalize
students, or worse– kill them.
Here is a list of the most gruesome and dangerous hazing rituals
that have been reported:

3. Paddling is one of the oldest
traditions in Greek organizations,
and was adopted by many Black
Greek organizations. Although
receiving a swift whack to the
backside with a wooden paddle
may seem harmless, it is possibly
the most dangerous ritual.
Paddling can cause bloodclots, kidney damage, blood in
urine,Rhabdomyolysis, and death
in many cases when symptoms go
unnoticed.

4. Frat brothers at Tulane
University got into hot water after
they poured boiling hot liquids on
their pledges. The young men
boiled water containing pepper
spray and a “crab boil” seasoning
mixture containing cayenne
pepper to pour over their victim’s
backs. One of the pledges suffered
second- and third-degree burns to
his back, chest, buttocks and
genitals.

5. Seven Methodist College
football players were arrested in
2002 on hazing charges for
restraining a freshman player, and
physically assaulting him. Players
stripped Antonio Wilkerson down
to his underwear, smacked him
numerous times, then sodomized
him with a Sharpie marker.

6. In many cases pledges either
are put in physical harm, or are
put in extremely humiliating
situations. In this case, a girl
had to chose between the
two. A female pledge
reported that she was forced to
choose between taking cocaine,
or using a dildo in front of the
other pledges.

7. The elephant walk is a ritual that
requires the pledges to mimic the
procession of elephants,
commonly seen at circuses. As the
elephants do, the pledges hold
each others tails and trunks–
metaphorically speaking that is.
The male pledges line-up in a
straight line and walk as they hold
each others anuses and genitals.

8. A student in California died
from an overdose on water. He
was forced to drink numerous
pitchers of water, often to the
point of vomiting. He ended up
drinking so much that his brain
swelled and he died from water
intoxication.

9. Sorority members have
reportedly been forced to play a
drinking game that involves the
threat of being violated with
dangerous objects. If a
member loses a game, they are
threatened that they will be
penetrated with a knife, a
hammer or a dildo.

10. The dangerous practice of
binge drinking is commonplace
on college campuses, but it’s
even more so risky when
forced. Numerous pledges have
died in recent decades from
alcohol poisoning.

11. An incident took place at
Hartwick College where
pledges of Alpha Chi Ro were
forced to carry feces-covered
rocks through a forest and do
push-ups and up downs in
urine-soaked garbage

12. Pledges have reported that they
were forced to eat dog food,
and many times drink a
mixture called “death.” Pledges
typically vomit and get sick
from drinking or eating these
things, and in some
cases,hospitalized.