PAGE 2 The News Argus February 1990
Opinion
Hazing: How
Can It Be
Stopped?
By Elliot Pritchett
Throughout the last decade,
many law suits and hearings
occurred do to alleged “hazing”
by predominantly black greek
fraternities and sororities. These
incidents have sparked stricter
regulations on the initiation and
indoctrination processes of these
groups. Some of these regula
tions include specific rules for
pledge periods without much
flexibility for individual chap
ters. This is not necessarily good
because different chapters may
have different needs. These rules
and regulations also help under
cut the elitism that once was
prevalent with all predominantly
black greek fratemities and so
rorities.
I remember vividly observ
ing the differences in predomi-
nandy black and white fraterni
ties’ and societies’ initiation
processes my first year in col
lege. It seemed that initiation
into a predominantly black greek
organization was a struggle that
yielded the highest respect and
admiration for those who could
endure this process.
My collegiate years have
almost ended and I must admit
that over the past two years
many changes have occurred in
the predominately black greek
system. More and more the
phrase “being on line” has no
meaning. For some, its becom
ing instantly greek without any
form of initiation at all. For oth
ers pledging is just dressing up
and halfway going through the
motions of pledging. I feel that
9^‘Ws j^g'us
Editor:
Joanie Tuttle
Entertainment Editor:
John Poindexter
Adverti.sing Editors:
Patrice A. Gibson
Kimberly O. Copeland
Greek Editor:
Connie Malone
Photographers:
Chuck Hanes
Joanie Tuttle
Chairman:
Department of Mass Communkatiuns
Dr. Maurice S. Odine
Faculty Advisor:
Dr. Valerie Saddler
Reporters:
Georgellen Brown
Natasha Carhon
Karen Fleming
Chuck Hanes
Lene Hunter
Marcus Mathis
Mattie Morrison
Johnsie Richardson
Emest Simpson
Laurence De Shields
If you have any questions
or Utters to tfie editor,
ll/rite to
3 IS ^Ha[[~(Patterson
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750-2327
it is a crying shame that we
have let something that was so
respected dwindle into some
thing that is just short of social
clubs. It is my argument, that
before 1995 there will be just
as many people walking around
with greek paraphernalia on as
if it were WSSU regalia, if
these rules and regulations con
tinue to go in the direction they
are currently going in.
In life, nothing worth hav
ing comes easily. It is not my
argument that organizations
mutilate pledges, but it is also
not my intention to advocate the
suspension of initiation. Rather
than organizations doing away
totally with initiation, better
processes involving a struggle
should be imposed. Afterall,
initiation itself comes from an
African tribalistic ritual in
which boys went through cer
tain stages to enter manhood.
Malcolm X clearly stated, that
we were “robbed of our names,
our culture and our religion.”
This is a part of our heritage and
it is about to be taken away. 1
would argue that it is a conspir
acy, which is apparent, when
you observe the fact that most
prominent African-Americans
are members of greek
organizations. Martin Luther
King Jr., Shirley Chisolm and
Jesse Jackson became members
of greek letter organizations
when the process was stretched
out over a six-week period or
longer. Somebody did not like
this and planned a way to under
mine a system that was work
ing. Today the process is as short
as two days and as long as three
weeks.
We as Black greeks have
our problems, but, Marc Antony
captures the essence of our situ-
ationintwolinesoftheplay“Julius
Caesar".Marc Antonystates,“The
evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their
Remembering King
By Karen Fleming
Martin Luther King, Jr’s,
dream eloquently expressed,
courageously vocalized, is a
dream deeply embedded in the
hearts, minds and souls of ev
ery man. King’s dream for
freedom was not unique, and
not limited to the Black man’s
quest for freedom. His dream
included aU people who lived
with oppression. Freedom is
an innate need ingrained in
every animal, human and
otherwise and to cage or har
ness someone s right to be free
is a travesty and a contradic
tion of nature. King consid
ered, ‘the voice of the Negro
people’ was able to put into
words that which others
wished for, but felt it was an
uphill battle that could only be
won militantly or through the
paternalistic generosity of his
oppressor. To fight this battle
would mean challenging a
power so solid, like the rock
of Gibraltar, a system so sub
stantial it could not be chis
eled away. To many people
of color, freedom and equal
ity guaranteed by the
Constitution of the United
States, somehow did not ap
ply to them and like history,
could not be rewritten to do
so.
Due to the phenomenal
uprising of the 60’s, and the
compelling and charismatic
leadership of Dr. King, part of
the dream has been realized.
Blacks do have the right to
vote, their rights legitimized
under the Constitution; the
addition of Brown vs. Board
of Education which outlawed
segregation and unequal edu
cation, and with the inclu
sion of affirmative action,
we were able to make great
strides using these key^- o
open many otherwise lockev
doors. However, these laws
have not eliminated racism,
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