Wrongs of Passage
"A grim... exposé by hazing expert Nuwer of the continuing yet largely unacknowledged crisis of death and injury among fraternity and sorority pledges.... [F]or its sustained examination of these rarely questioned traditions, Nuwer’s work is invaluable." —Kirkus Reviews\ What forces young men and women to accept inhuman and degrading rituals in order to belong to a social club, sorority, or fraternity? Why do college administrators and Greek fraternities and sororities continue to allow...
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"A grim... exposé by hazing expert Nuwer of the continuing yet largely unacknowledged crisis of death and injury among fraternity and sorority pledges.... [F]or its sustained examination of these rarely questioned traditions, Nuwer's work is invaluable." — Kirkus ReviewsWhat forces young men and women to accept inhuman and degrading rituals in order to belong to a social club, sorority, or fraternity? Why do college administrators and Greek fraternities and sororities continue to allow practices that risk death or permanent psychological damage? Hank Nuwer confronts these questions in this hard-hitting, heartfelt look at the dark side of college fraternal life, newly updated for this paperback edition. Nuwer takes a broad look at the problem, examining its fundamental legal and historical roots and describing many instances of abuse and criminal behavior. A moving chronology lists the names of students who have died as a result of hazing activities in the U.S. from 1838 to 2001. The book concludes with Nuwer's recommendations for reform. Library Journal Furthering the work he started with Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing (LJ 11/15/90), Nuwer continues telling the stories of those injured and killed by fraternity rituals, including beatings, mental abuse, overwhelming physical exercise, and the forced consumption of alcohol, food, and other substances. Nuwer studies the history of hazing in fraternities and other secret societies as well as efforts to stop it. He argues that we need to control the Greek system but also non-Greek organizations that employ similar, sometimes deadly, hazing practices. Nuwer suggests how to remove hazing from campuses and to crack down on offenders. Extremely well researched, with lots of interviews with victims of hazing and the parents of those who have died, this book belongs not only in all academic libraries but also in the offices of student activity coordinators throughout the United States. Public libraries may wish to obtain it as well.--Danna C. Bell-Russel, Library of Congress Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
PrologueSelected Listing of Key Persons and Fraternal OrganizationsGlossaryAcknowledgments1The Tradition12Greekthink313Alcohol Misuse574A Weed in the Garden of Academe925Greek Traditions and Tragedies1166Sororities1407The Law and Hazing1598Violence in Historically African American Greek Groups1769Strategies: What Can Be Done?194App. AA Chronology of Deaths among College Students as a Result of Hazing, Fraternal Alcohol Syndrome, Pledging, Fraternity-Related Accidents, and Other Miscellaneous Occurrences237App. B: Where to Find Help and Information275Notes281Works Cited299Index307
\ Library JournalFurthering the work he started with Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing (LJ 11/15/90), Nuwer continues telling the stories of those injured and killed by fraternity rituals, including beatings, mental abuse, overwhelming physical exercise, and the forced consumption of alcohol, food, and other substances. Nuwer studies the history of hazing in fraternities and other secret societies as well as efforts to stop it. He argues that we need to control the Greek system but also non-Greek organizations that employ similar, sometimes deadly, hazing practices. Nuwer suggests how to remove hazing from campuses and to crack down on offenders. Extremely well researched, with lots of interviews with victims of hazing and the parents of those who have died, this book belongs not only in all academic libraries but also in the offices of student activity coordinators throughout the United States. Public libraries may wish to obtain it as well.--Danna C. Bell-Russel, Library of Congress Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsA grim, comprehensive (some might say turgid) exposé, by hazing expert Nuwer (Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, 1990, etc.), of the continuing yet largely unacknowledged crisis of death and injury among fraternity and sorority pledges. The book usefully provides a solid overview of the cherished Greek customs and demands that have encouraged widespread hazing, as well as a depressing litany of recent deaths at prestigious universities such as Auburn University, University of Texas, University of Maryland, MIT, and Rutgers. The majority of incidents involve coerced drinking, a phenomenon that evinces an astonishing callousness towards the dangers of alcohol abuse among upper-class "brothers" who are rarely held accountable. Nuwer also sheds light on such ugly practices as the extreme violence practiced by some African-American frats (often unauthorized chapters) on their pledges, and rituals of branding or extraordinary humiliation which some outwardly prim, elite sororities pursue. Nuwer demonstrates the institutional responses to these incidents to be usually inadequate, centered more on "spin" than safety, and foolishly deferential to the overwhelmingly middle-class or affluent student-perpetrators. (The appendix, a detailed chronology of incidents showing these deaths skyrocketing from 1975 onward, is truly shocking.) Nuwer is authoritative and insightful on this subject; he even provides fascinating encapsulations of hazing's roots in the 19th century and previously, and of the relatively innocent "stunts" of pre-1960 fraternal life. Unfortunately, the writing veers from tightly professional to mawkish, with detours into softened academese, which will make hisbook hard going for the suburban readers whose privileged children are, in fact, his sad subjects. Nuwer also undermines his examination by equating every bout of verbal abuse or brick-holding marathon with the worst excesses of compulsive drinking, violence, and degradation. Still, this makes clear that a good number of easily led youngsters incur grave risks in the supposedly supportive, "fun" environment of collegiate Greek life, and for its sustained examination of these rarely questioned traditions, Nuwer's work is invaluable.\ \
