
Sure, that can definitely happen in real life, and many women have extremely positive experiences with sororities. However, it does take some effort to get in the door, and most sororities still have hazing rituals. After all, hazing is supposed to bring sisters closer together before they enter their chosen sorority
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities, or Greek letter organizations, are social organizations at colleges and universities. A form of the social fraternity, they are prominent in the United States and the Philippines, with much smaller numbers existing in France, Canada, and elsewhere. Similar organizations exist in other countries as well, including the Studentenverbindungen of German-speaking countries.
Do they have hazing in sorority?
Sure, you’ve heard about all the gross things frat pledges have to do, but the ugly truth is that hazing happens in sororities even more often. According to the National Study of Student Hazing, 64% of hazing victims are girls. Why Do Sororities Haze?
Is hazing still happening in college?
Though hazing comes in many forms, the one constant is the abusive nature of this behavior. Despite numerous high profile hazing cases resulting in the deaths of young students, and despite laws explicitly prohibiting hazing, the issue persists in colleges and universities everywhere.
Does bullying occur on college campuses?
While bullying is less common on a college campus, however, human nature dictates that it will not totally disappear. Prejudice exists at all ages, cliques exist on college campuses, and some people take longer to “grow up” than others. While some individuals might still be bullied, they also have better resources to call on.
Do you get hazed in sororities?
Sure, that can definitely happen in real life, and many women have extremely positive experiences with sororities. However, it does take some effort to get in the door, and most sororities still have hazing rituals. After all, hazing is supposed to bring sisters closer together before they enter their chosen sorority.

What types of hazing Do sororities do?
Some ExamplesForced or coerced alcohol or other drug consumption.Beating, paddling, or other forms of assault.Branding.Forced or coerced ingestion of vile substances or concoctions.Burning.Water intoxication.Expecting abuse or mistreatment of animals.Public nudity.More items...•
What sorority is known for hazing?
Most Popular At Bowling Green, Sigma Gamma Rho was found to have engaged in hazing that included forced alcohol and cannabis consumption, pressure to steal, and physical violence. The sanctions come a little over a year after a Bowling Green student died in a fraternity hazing incident.
How common is hazing in Greek life?
74% of students involved in varsity athletics have gone through hazing, as have 73% of students involved in social fraternities and sororities and 64% of students involved in club sports. Of those hazed, 26% report hazing via participation in drinking games, making it the most frequently reported hazing behavior.
Is hazing allowed in Greek life?
However, Cheryl Drout and Christie Corsoro of State University of New York at Fredonia state, "Hazing, which is officially banned by all national Greek organizations, frequently comes to the public's attention through the popular news media when the activities become fatal” (Drout & Corsoro, 2003).
Is it worth being in a sorority?
Joining a fraternity or sorority is a great way to meet new people and build lasting connections. Many fraternities and sororities offer academic support and leadership opportunities. Greek life requires a significant time commitment throughout the year.
What really happens during sorority rush?
Generally, most sororities do recruitment in four rounds: open house, house tours, skit/philanthropy, and preference. Some sororities may only have three if the sorority doesn't have a house.
How many people have died from Greek life hazing?
There has been at least one university hazing death each year from 1969 to 2021. According to Franklin College journalism professor Hank Nuwer, over 200 university hazing deaths have occurred since 1838, with 40 deaths between 2007 and 2017 alone. Alcohol poisoning is the biggest cause of death.
What colleges are known for hazing?
Below are some of the most well-known hazing scandals in recent years.Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (2011) ... Pennsylvania State University (2017) ... Virginia Commonwealth University and Bowling Green State University (2021)
Where is hazing most common?
Geographic Variations:Alcohol-related hazing was most common on eastern, rural, residential campuses. Athletes involved in only acceptable initiation activities were found to be primarily from midwestern and western, urban, commuter campuses.
Are frat guys more successful?
Being in Greek life coincides with more than a few markers of wild success: 85% of Supreme Court justices, 76% of US Senators, and 85% of Fortune 500 CEOs are fraternity men. The post-graduate benefits associated with Greek life factor heavily into many fraternity and sorority recruitment messages.
What happens if a frat gets caught hazing?
Loss of reputation within the University community and the national community. Loss of recognition for the organization and/or other privileges revoked. Suspension of team and/or loss of privileges. Civil damages may be levied against the organization.
Is pledging a frat hard?
Overall, pledging a fraternity comes with both good and bad, and it isn't for everyone. Being a pledge requires time management skills and resilience. Pledges have to navigate their first semester of college classes, countless hours of fraternity activities and manage to get some sleep along the way.
Does aka hazing?
Hazing has been prohibited in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority since the organization was founded in 1908. In 1999, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority reaffirmed its total opposition to hazing with the publication of a tougher Anti-Hazing Policy and the implementation of new procedures to identify, investigate and punish violations.
Do sororities still paddle?
To most sorority alumnae today, paddles represent sisterhood, pride, and tradition. Unfortunately, paddling continues to be used as a hazing tool in fraternities, and although less frequently, sororities too.
What happens during pledge week?
A pledge can expect to make early morning house calls to the fraternity house. This could be to clean up after the actives threw a party, to have meetings or to even be quizzed. The duties of a pledge include anything from cleaning the fraternity house to driving actives to and from classes.
What is a sorority in movies?
There’s definitely a particular way sororities are portrayed in movies like Legally Blonde and The House Bunny - an awesome house where you can make friends for life, wear fabulous outfits, look gorgeous all the time, and just have fun hanging out with your girlfriends.
What movies have sororities?
There’s definitely a particular way sororities are portrayed in movies like Legally Blonde and The House Bunny - an awesome house where you can make friends for life, wear fabulous outfits, look gorgeous all the time, and just have fun hanging out with your girlfriends.
What happened to Britteny Starling?
No cleaning supplies, no garbage bags, nothing. Things eventually ended up getting physical – when Starling’s legs gave out after she was forced to stand for a long period of time, she was hit in the ankle by a sorority sister and injured. Starling went on to sue the sorority, and it ended up getting shut down. A victory, sure, but at what cost? How many girls went from hopeful pledges to humiliated human garbage cans before starling stepped up?
What sorority uses paddles?
The Sigma Gamma Rho sorority at Rutgers used paddles as part of their hazing – it’s something that countless sororities are rumored to use, and purportedly it’s just a bit of light swatting to haze in pledges. However, Sigma Gamma Rho took it too far. A 2010 pledge ended up in the hospital after the paddle hazing in her chapter involved being beaten up to 200 times, for several days, in a seemingly non-stop assault. The student, who ended up in the hospital from the aggravated hazing, pressed charges. While the girls who had performed the hazing ended up escaping with only a bit of public shaming, as the charges were dropped, the Rutgers chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho was thankfully suspended. Perhaps most shockingly, when a student who was friends with the girls in the former Sigma Gamma Rho spoke to ABC News, she seemed to think the fault lay with the once hospitalized pledge for ‘ratting’ on her sisters, rather than blaming the girls who had beaten a pledge so badly she ended up in the hospital.
What happened to the University of New York at Binghamton?
The University of New York at Binghamton got into some hot water in 2012 when a series of hazing rituals got some public attention. Allegedly, the sorority sisters were throwing the hopeful pledges into freezing showers to recite the Greek alphabet, forcing them to hold burning hot hookah coals, and also feeding them some pills to induce vomiting, just to cap off the experience. The school responded with a thorough investigation of the Greek system at their institution, and they drafted up guidelines that the sorority chapters had to follow. They’ll likely claim to enforce them, but let’s be honest – given the amount of terrifying hazing going around at other schools behind closed doors, who’s to say that the same things won’t continue to happen? The real issue seems to be whether any of the pledges will step forward, as the students who revealed the painful hot and cold rituals did.
What happened to Delta Sigma Theta?
At the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, a pledge who was rushing Delta Sigma Theta ended up in the hospital after some hazing in 2009. The pledge, Jasmine Johnson, says that her hazing included being punched in the face while being doused with ice cold water and having vinegar squirted into her eyes, having eggs smashed on her body while she was repeatedly punched, all of which resulted in a concussion and vaginal bleeding. Johnson, having been hospitalized, realized things had gone too far and spoke up – her sorority sister was charged with assault. The school responded by placing a cease and desist order on the sorority in question until things were sorted out.
How many times was Sigma Gamma Rho beaten?
However, Sigma Gamma Rho took it too far. A 2010 pledge ended up in the hospital after the paddle hazing in her chapter involved being beaten up to 200 times , for several days, in a seemingly non-stop assault. The student, who ended up in the hospital from the aggravated hazing, pressed charges.
What is the secret life of sororities?
Okay, if you’re fascinated by sororities and Greek life in general, you absolutely need to read Alexandra Robbins’ Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, which details her journey as she went undercover to pen an insane expose on sorority life. One of the stories she tells particular stands out because of how awful it was. Robbins talks about the hazing experience a sister named Arika detailed to her, which involved answering trivia questions and taking a shot of straight vodka whenever they got it wrong. Dangerous if you’re worried about binge drinking, but drinking games are something that lots of regular college students do, right? Well, it gets worse — if the pledges were wrong too many times, they wouldn’t just be forced to take more shots — they’d have to choose which of four objects they wanted to be violated with. Insane!
What is sorority sisterhood?
Sororities are all about sisterhood. After all, most sororities have their sisters all living within the same house , they have big sister/little sister assignments to form even stronger bonds between particular members, and they spend an insane amount of time together, between simply hanging around the house and working on the chapter’s events and fundraisers and similar activities. However, just because it seems all friendly sunshine and daisies doesn’t mean it actually is. Before an individual is granted access into that immediate sisterhood and feeling of belonging, they have to pledge to the sorority — and that can involve a lot of stuff.
What happened to Britteny Starling?
Back in 2012, a pledge named Britteny Starling experienced such horrendous hazing that she actually ended up suing the sorority that hazed her — and even leaving the school altogether because of how traumatic the experience was. What exactly was she put through? Well, her hazing involved becoming a literal trash can — cleaning up the floor using her back as a cleaning implement, and taking garbage from her sisters and carrying it around in her pockets for goodness knows how long. She was also tortured by being forced to stay awake all night without being able to use the bathroom (which is just a recipe for a serious bladder issue), and was physically harmed when her legs gave out after being forced to stand for hours on end without a break. Yikes!
What happened to the pledges at Young Harris College?
Some of the female pledges at Young Harris College, a small spot in rural Georgia, stepped forward when hazing got too disturbing to handle. Pledges were forced to run across campus in their underwear, stand in a pool of water with human waste in it, and perhaps worst for their self-esteem, they were forced to sit naked on a washing machine while their sorority sisters circled and marked any spots that jiggled. The physical abuses in hazing are terrible enough, but something like that could have crazy repercussions for years to come, and even yield to serious issues like eating disorders. We just can’t understand who would think that was a good idea — although, at least those particular pledges decided to join forces and come forward about what they were experiencing.
What happened to Jasmine Johnson?
She talks about what happened, saying that she had ice cold water poured on her head, as well as vinegar squirted in her eyes — oh, and she was punched in the face at the same time.
Do sororities raise money?
It’s not uncommon for sor orities to raise money for a variety of causes, from their own chapter to a charity they support. And incorporating fundraising into the pledge process seems like a fantastic idea — you’re supporting a good cause, after all. However, this particular sorority had some pretty awful consequences for the poor pledge who just wasn’t able to raise quite enough. A sister confessed on another message board that the pledges rushing a sorority were made to organize a fundraiser for their chapter, which seems innocent enough — but the pledge who ended up raising the least money was forced to shave her head. Now, there are some women who rock the shaved head look and look totally fierce — but it should always, always be a choice. Can you imagine the poor sister who ended up $5 short and forced to shave off her gorgeous locks?
Do sorority sisters give gifts?
You may assume that sorority sisters gifting pledges accessories or small tokens with their sorority name and symbols on it would be kind of normal. After all, you want them to be able to strut around campus rocking their Greek attire, right? Well, the sorority pledges in a particular chapter did, indeed, get some accessories as a gift — but it was a whole lot more painful than you would imagine. An anonymous sister confessed on a message board that her sisters gave the pledges in their sorority ‘new earrings’ by literally stapling their earlobes. That’s right — using a stapler on human skin. We can’t even begin to imagine how painful that must have been. And honestly, what on earth is the point except inflicting immense physical torment? Or is that just the whole point?
How many students in fraternities experience hazing?
A University of Maine study from 2008, the most recent year for which such research is available, found that 73% of students in fraternities and sororities experienced what they called some form of hazing at least once.
Why did Burch stay in the sorority?
Burch told her fellow pledges several times that she wanted to quit. But they would encourage her to stay, to talk to other people in the sorority who said the end result would be worth it. She chose to stay to support her fellow pledges.
Why did Colin Schlank rush to the fraternity?
Colin Schlank said he rushed a fraternity because he wanted to expand his social circle. Out of thousands of students at UConn, he had been hanging out with the same 15 people on campus and was looking "very much for that social enrichment, which I viewed as Greek life.".
What happened to the pledges in the middle of the night?
There, in the middle of the night, the pledges were forced into a frigid creek, where they were made to do pushups and sit ups and crawl through the water, resulting in numerous bruises and cuts, Burch said.
What did Schlank say before pledging AEPi?
Before pledging AEPi, Schlank said he had no misconceptions about what lay ahead: "I knew what Greek life was like. I knew about hazing."
What did Burch believe about Gamma Psi?
But she believed the girls were kind and fun and would take care of the pledges.
Why was Florida State University suspended?
And Florida State University suspended all frats and sororities for two months after the November 2017 death of Pi Kappa Phi pledge Andrew Coffey, which has since been determined to have been due to hazing, according to police .
