Illegal Substances, Alcohol Abuse, and Hazing: Conflicts within Greek Life (Conflict Comm)
Illegal Substances, Alcohol Abuse, and Hazing: Conflicts within Greek Life.
Fraternity and sorority life are the center of controversy on university campuses across the country and the root of major change and conflict. These fraternal organizations have been catalysts for positive and negative policy changes for things like behavior and academics. However, deeper internal conflicts lie within the organizations themselves regarding substance abuse, hazing, and behavioral issues. This paper will analyze organizational risk management issues and similar conflicts within the fraternal organizations based in the four major Greek councils: Inter-fraternity Council; National Panhellenic Council; National Pan-Hellenic Council; and multicultural Greek councils.
Four Greek Councils:
In analyzing internal conflicts in organizations, we must look at the structures of the organizations themselves. The main four Greek councils within most universities stem from the Interfraternity Council, National Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Councils, and multi-cultural Greek councils. The Inter-fraternity Council (IFC), according to its website, is made up of 74 predominately male fraternities. The National Panhellenic Council (NPC) is made up of 26 predominately female sorority and women’s fraternities. The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is predominately African American males and females who make up nine different councils, however, some of these male councils identify as members of IFC as well, for example, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Unlike the other three councils, the multi-cultural Greek council (MGC) doesn’t have a predominately male, female, or race demographics of its members. These councils are called different things at different universities but are made up of councils whose values stem from social to service to honor and more.
These councils have their demographical and value-based differences; however, their internal structures are very similar in their leadership core. These councils often have an executive board made up of various positions, including the president, vice president, and more often than not, risk management or standards chair. This position is built to asses and determine the course of action should a crisis within the chapter arise. These crises often deal with illegal substances, such as alcohol or stimulants, hazing, or other behavioral issues.
Substance Abuse:
Substance abuse within the collegiate society not only pertains to the underage consumption of alcohol, but the use of prescription drugs such as Ritalin, Concerta, or Adderall, a medication used for the management of ADHD, before major exams or projects. According to the study “Adderall is Definitely Not a Drug,” researchers found that 16% of 283 students surveyed used Ritalin for something other than the treatment of ADHD, of that percent, 17% of males and 11% of females had illegally used that kind of stimulant ('Adderall is Definitely Not a Drug'': Justifications for the Illegal Use of ADHD Stimulants. Substance Use & Misuse). In a study done along the same topic by McCabe done in 2005, they found that not only were these students more likely to abuse other substances as well, such as “alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, and other risky behaviors” and also were in one of the following demographics: a fraternal organization; students in/from the North East; or students at university with high admission or retention standards. In that study, members of a fraternal organization were almost twice as likely to use illegal stimulants as non-Greeks. (Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: prevalence and correlates from a national survey.)
Alcohol Abuse:
As previously mentioned, those who used prescription drugs were much more likely to abuse another substance, in most cases for fraternity men and women, this is alcohol. According to McCabe’s same study, universities that had significantly higher rates of binge drinking (having four to five drinks in one sitting) also had the highest percentages of illegal drug use. According to a study done in 1996, found that those living in fraternity or sorority houses were more likely to binge drink with 86% of men and 80% of women in Greek housing classifying as binge drinkers (Alcohol Use Among Fraternity and Sorority Members: Looking at Change Over Time.). In another study conducted by Anne Fairlie, she found that 92% of those students suffered alcohol-related consequences such as impaired driving or severe hangovers.
Hazing:
Perhaps the biggest risk to fraternal organizations is that of hazing. According to Webster’s Dictionary, hazing is defined as “the practice of playing unpleasant tricks on someone or forcing someone to do unpleasant things.” Usually, hazing is a part of an initiation ritual or “team-building” in fraternity terms. These hazing rituals are legally considered anything that causes or even hints at physical or emotional harm or harassment. This can count as anything from prolonged yelling, name-calling, or at the other extreme, physical beatings or physical embarrassment. Physical embarrassment also includes things such as “elephant walks” where various new members or “pledges” hold on to each other’s genitalia and walk across a certain distance, often the length of the campus. For female hazing, things such as “glory holes” are rumored where fraternity brothers or pledges “volunteer” to be pleasured by sorority new members. Most of these rumors rarely see the light of day due to strict and almost threatening harassment by members of that organization. However, some physical harassment and embarrassing practices have ceased due to serious legal implications through university and law enforcement.
Unfortunately, alcohol abuse also affects hazing in that forcing new members to drink excessive amounts of liquor or even beer has been a steady trend over the years. These new members are often under the legal drinking age of 21 and have low tolerances which can’t handle the binge drinking at that level. With this excessive drinking comes the risk of violence-related behavior in hazing.
“Hazing, however, is only one of the major risk management issues being addressed by postsecondary institutions. Underage consumption of alcohol and binge drinking is often the cause of accidents and injuries. Alcohol abuse among college students results in approximately 1,700 deaths, 500,000 unintentional injuries, and 600,000 assaults annually (NIAAA Report, 2007). What is more disturbing, however, is the junction of the two actions, hazing and binge drinking. Researchers have reported that a majority of hazing-related accidents are alcohol-related, with fraternity or sorority membership serving as a primary predictor (Allan & Madden, 2008; Langford, 2008; and Riordan & Dana, 1998).” (Hall, 30)
University Relations:
These instances of substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and hazing often cause severe strain between fraternal chapters and the universities in which they’re installed. In citing Astin’s theory of involvement (1984), majority of students affiliated with a Greek organization were more likely to be invested more deeply in their education and more involved in their universities (The Effects of Fraternity/Sorority Membership on College Experiences and Outcomes: A Portrait of Complexity.). With affiliated students becoming more involved throughout their sophomore and junior years, according to Caron’s “Alcohol Use Among Fraternity and Sorority Members: Looking at Change Over Time,” binge drinking steadily declines, but doesn’t completely disappear.
With this involvement comes more personal responsibility placed on the individual members to excel academically to meet university standards and those within their organizations. However, with rumors of hazing practices and substance abuse being filtered through campus orally, via social media, and through the use of anonymous applications such as Yik Yak, university professionals are forced to take a closer look at these fraternal organizations. More often than not, rumors of hazing at chapters are more likely to be punished than chapters actually hazing. These rumors have not only shut down individual Greek chapters but also entire Greek life’s. This is an added strain on the already fickle relationship between universities and affiliated students and their chapters.
In conclusion, fraternal organizations are well known for being catalysts for positive change on their campus’. However, incidents revolved around hazing, substance abuse, and alcohol abuse has caused severe negative attention for Greek life, causing the relationships between the organizations and universities to be strained and tense.