“Enough is enough” was the sentiment of panelists and participants in Diverse’s Web chat last week, when they expressed that dangerous hazing undermines the noble principles on which Black Greek-letter organizations were founded.
However, the more than 100 concerned participants couldn’t reach a consensus on the best course of action and instead proposed a variety of remedies including, disbanding undergraduate chapters, having open membership and/or having a more involved and effective national governing entity. Dangerous acts of initiation have compromised the principles on which these organizations were founded and have taken several lives.
Dr. Ricky Jones, associate professor and chair of the department of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville, suggested disbanding all BGLOs, stating, “The groups either don’t want to or can’t stop hazing. I, for one, am not willing to see another kid seriously injured or killed. National disbanding will solve the problem.
Others recommended disbanding BGLOs solely on the undergraduate level, where the majority of hazing incidents take place, or implementing a brief moratorium to reorganize, restructure and realign students with the original vision of BGLOs.
These recommendations, however, were challenged by younger BGLO members such as Titilayo Akinmusuru, a graduate student at Wayne State University and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Akinmusuru reminded participants that BGLOs were designed to be on undergraduate campuses and that the majority of BGLO founders were undergraduate students.
Since their inception, pledging, violent or otherwise, has been an integral part of Black Greek culture. But in recent years, reports of extreme hazing indicate that pledges are being pushed to the limit to prove their love and loyalty for their fraternity or sorority. For this reason, the question of how BGLOs should initiate members surfaced as an important topic during the Web chat.
The idea of open membership, suggested by one guest, was dismissed immediately. “Open membership doesn’t help our organizations be what they are intended to be,” said Dr. Gregory S. Parks, editor of the new book Our Fight Has Just Begun: The Relevance of Black Fraternities and Sororities in the 21st Century and member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc.
