We feel sick after learning that a sorority at Colorado State University has been suspended over allegations of extreme hazing, and not just because its methods included starving pledges and forcing them to eat cat food. CSU's Omicron Omicron chapter of Zeta Phi Beta will no longer be recognized officially by the institution, after an investigation uncovered its unorthodox initiation rituals. (Hazing is officially banned by members of the Greek collegiate system but is quite common -- a recent documentary, "Haze," profiles a related death.)
According to a 56-page police report obtained by the Rocky Mountain Collegian, pledges were forced to physically exert themselves to such an extreme that one of them needed medical attention. They were also deprived of sleep and food ... unless they wanted to eat cat food, that is.
Starvation and Sit-Ups
Allegedly leading the torture was the chapter president and member of student government, Adesuwa Elaiho. According to one pledge, Elaiho "had us at her apartment for three days straight. No sleep, no food. I threw up because I was so hungry." In addition to making one of the pledges write her academic papers, the president also made the pledges eat so many onions that two of them threw up.
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According to CSU detective Adam Smith, hazing at the hands of Elaiho took place on multiple occasions. He added, "The physical activity included running, push-ups, wall-sits and other strenuous calisthenics, and were clearly designed as initiation into the Zeta sorority ... These events clearly caused risk of bodily injuries to the parties involved," especially one girl with kidney problems who repeatedly lost consciousness.
Power Gone Sour
Does this sound all right to you? We've heard the argument that the purpose of sororities is to promote community service and "sisterly love," but, well ... let's just say our friends never made us eat Fancy Feast. (And we don't even have to pay them dues!)
The absurd part is that a lot of women do this so they can add leadership skills and volunteerism on their résumés. But with the wooden-paddle-spanking the Greek system is getting in the press, who's going to notice how much they may have raised as social chair?
According to the Zeta Phi Beta Web site: "Membership in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority is a living and learning experience for women with shared values and objectives. You will have the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of activities where you can use your unique talents and knowledge to contribute to the chapter and your community." Really? We wonder how many job listings are looking for applicants whose "unique talents" include "driving people crazy by refusing to let them sleep."
Sorry. We think community service is great, and we like to wear identical booty shorts and point out the figure flaws of terrified 18-year-olds as much as the next gal. But for our money, sororities are officially more trouble than they're worth.
Tell us! What's your take on scholarly sisterhood?
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Beyond "I Have a Headache": A Week of Sexcuses! (Lemondrop)
Bosoms and Beer? There's an App for That (Asylum)
Emails From Crazy People! (Lemondrop)Watch "Haze," a documentary about these dangerous college rituals, below:
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Monday 31 August
By blueandgray
I think you have taken this incident way out of context. This is an isolated incident- most sorority chapters do NOT haze. When I was a new member of my sorority, I was treated like gold- I was treated like a real friend, and I was constantly getting sweet cards, candy, and little trinkets from the initiated members. I had a great experience as an active sorority member, and my sorority sisters are still some of my best friends. PLEASE do not reinforce stereotypes- especially negative ones. They are rarely true, and I am seriously disappointed that you do not seem to realize that.
About dues... we don't "pay" for our friends. We pay for our house, our social activities, and donations to our philanthropy, etc. These are things that everyone pays for anyway (besides the philanthropy!), it is just organized.
Of course this specific incident is terrible, but you have no reason to bash the Greek system as a whole. PLEASE try to take the time to learn about something before you bash it! Also, keep in mind that while Greek organizations are infamous for hazing, they are definitely not the only organizations that have done it.
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Tuesday 01 September
By Stener
I'd really appreciate it if you didn't assume that just because your sorority didn't haze you that most sororities don't. The fact is that Hazing as a common yet well kept secret among most sororities, and its sad that so many people will put themselves through such an ordeal to be accepted by their "peers". don't be Naive. know the facts before you assume that your sorority is the standard.
Tuesday 01 September
By melissa
that first statement "most sorority chapters don't haze" is so incredibly ignorant. you just don't hear about it nearly as much as frats, i go to a school with a heavy greek system, and know people in every sorority house, all of which have been hazed in some way, whether it was being forced to do lines of coke, or whether it was them wrecking the house just to be able to watch the pledges clean it up at 5 am for work hours. this is not an isolated event, girls are just afraid to get on the bad side of their sisters, because girls are vicious as fuck. i should know, i am one.
Tuesday 01 September
By Jay
I don't know if i agree with you by saying this is an isolated incident. I believe that most fraternities and sororities do haze in some way shape or form. Maybe not as extreme as the situation here but hazing is hazing. But that is a stat that no one can truly prove either way. You do not know how every frat or sororities does there intake process across the US. So there is no way for you, or me, to back up that statement. As far as paying for friends. Yes everyone knows that the dues go towards the house and/or the other expenses but everyone also knows that a lot ppl join these frats and sororities just to make quick friends and be in a group. Kinda like how all the kids in middle school wanted to be friends with the popular kids and would do anything for it. Yeah thats what this is. I mean i feel bad for those girls involved in this. But what kind of person let themselves be subject to this kind of treatment. I mean that has to be some low self-esteem to let yourself be practical tortured where ppl are passing out and someone having to be hospitalized...just so you join a group??? I wondered Would you still want to be a part of your sorority if they attempted to put you through that?
I have nothing against fraternities and sororities...in fact the chapters in my area are also putting on events and raising money for kids in school. Thats the part I like about them. The problem I hate is how a lot of these same greek groups in undergrad college focus more on parties and getting drunk then what there foundation actually stands for.
Tuesday 01 September
By Don
I have a tendency to look at incidents, as reported above, in the light of a bell curve. There are sororities that abuse their pledges on one end of the spectrum and on the other end they don't. The issue is with the sororities in between. The average sorority no doubt does use hazing for initiation to some degree. The terrible rituals and stunts in which are delineated above are on the fringe as is the nuturing experience the respondent refers to in her own experience. Any hazing should be eliminated as part of the Greek system and serves no purpose except for the sadistic women and men that perform such humiliating acts upon the pledges.
Tuesday 01 September
By katy
I have to say that I go to CSU and my friend was in this sorority as one of the pledges and I have read the police report and this story is fabricated in multiple ways. Not only are some of the details in the story false but because this story has came out despite the incident begining almost a year ago and continuing until march after the story came out many of these pledges and their families were harrassed by the media and I really think after all that did happen people should give these pledges a break.
Tuesday 01 September
By Mike
That hazing wasn't even that bad. Pretty much all of the major social Frats and Sororities haze their pledges these days. I've had friends who have had to eat tins of dip, not change their clothes or shower for a week, and go without sleep like those girls at Colorado. Those kids have a choice, no one is forcing them to be there.
Tuesday 01 September
By SHARELLE
THEY ARE TAKING IT OUT OF CONTEXT BECAUSE WHEN I ALSO PLEDGED; I WAS ALSO TREATED LIKE GOLD. THIS IS ONE INCIDENT AND YEA THEY DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED BUT DON'T HATE ALL SORORITIES AND THEIR MEMBERS WHO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE INCIDENT.
Tuesday 01 September
By Geez!
Wow, glad to hear that sweet cards, candy, & trinkets could buy your friendship. I'll have to try that out sometime. Looks like it worked on you that's for sure!
Tuesday 01 September
By Maggie Youloje
Uhhh... quick question... Were you in a white sorority?
If not then I would like to know which one you were and maybe try to join. All the ones I have tried for have horrible hazing and I am already woman enough not to need to be broken down to be built up again.
Tuesday 01 September
By Jane
I'm glad that you had a positive experience but please don't assume that everyone else did. I was in college in Indiana in the early 80's. hazing was alive and well then and still is now...don't delude yourself.
Tuesday 01 September
By vikki
Well blueandgray you need to wake up! Hazing is a big part of sorority and frats you went to college you should know that. I think it is horrible that one human being would do that to another human being and enjoy it. What does that say about are young adults. Personally I think no hazing at all should be allowed and if caught the frat or sorority would be dissolved maybe with a very harsh punishment it would be less likely this would continue. To lose everything might make them think a LITTLE before engaging in such wreckless and cruel treatment of others.
Tuesday 01 September
By ireed4
First, do you attend an HBCU (Historically Black College or University)? I don't think so, because I have attended one and hazing is king among HBCUs. I know people who don't get invited to parties or special meetings because they refused to get "wood". When threatened by a big brother/sister, they had to go to the administration in order to get these fools off of them.
Secondly, the fees for these organizations are beyond exorbitant, they highway robbery. Why should I pay $1,000 - $4,000 Dollars so that I can wear three greek letters and colors across my chest? To quote Sophie from THE COLOR PURPLE, "I said, hell no!" Its not enough that many of these students have loans just like everybody else, but to make them pay for additional tuition? NO.
Tuesday 01 September
By Alyx
And most of the fraternities and sororities are STILL hazing. It might not be on the scale of this one, but many of them are still doing these crazy activities. Nothing would make a normal person feel the need to put themselves through this. No sorority is worth that. It is much easier to say NO....don't need it. But some young ladies are insecure or it was their mother's sorority and a tradition. However, still not worth it.
Tuesday 01 September
By jillian
People always talk about how Greek life hazes. What about sports teams? Even professional teams haze, there is one NFL head coach who had to go as far as verbally telling his team that no hazing is allowed. I too was in a sorority and was never hazed. People always tell me that this is a lie,but ask any of the girls in m sorority and they will all say the sam thing. While I was not hazed, I do have friends that were, and in most of these cases their sorority, or fraternity was disbanded from that campus. I am so sick of the stigma people who were never in Greek Life put on it It may sound cheesy but those are the people who wille at my wedding, and have been there for me for the past 4 years. So dont write off the whole system just becaus ther are a few bad apples.
Tuesday 01 September
By Mark
How do YOU know what most sororities do??
Tuesday 01 September
By Tati007
I completely agree with you!!! I was part of a sorority during my college years and never once did the girls haze any of the new pledges, including the year i pledged. I know that there are still groups that do Haze out there but in reality there are more sororities that do not haze than ones they do. im tired of people bashing the Greek system when they themselves have no clue as to what goes on within it. We do not promote hazing in any way, we do not pay for our friends and we are not all ditzy. We are young women commited to a specific philanthropy and to our "sisters". We help each other grow and succeed in life. If there are any youn gladies out there thinking about joining a sorority and find themselves in a situation like the one these poor girls found themselves in please do not for one second stay in that situation and believe that to be part of a sisterhood you must demean yourselves. On the contrary, being part of a sisterhood means your "sisters will be there to help you, support you, love you, and most importantly be a "sisters" to you.
Tuesday 01 September
By pinkthenred
With a name like Adesuwa, I would be mean too.
Tuesday 01 September
By John
It's a sign of immaturity to think that just because someone disagrees with you they are ignorant about what they are speaking of. Dear, we all went to college, and we know what the Greeks are like. So stop telling us how respectable they are and go drag your dead gerbil around.
Tuesday 01 September
By Dayna
First of all, someone saying a statement that most sororities do/don't haze probably shouldn't, because I'm assuming that it is based off of their own personal experiences.
I am in a sorority with numerous friends in each of the others at my school, and, from what I have gathered, no one at my schools hazes. I've heard the region with the most hazing incidences is the South, as being in a sorority is much more valued there.
However, it should be common knowledge that fraternities haze. I have been to schools all across California, and at least one fraternity has participated in hazing at each school.
Unfortunately for the sororities/fraternities that don't haze, there will always be these stereotypes because of the bad examples given.