Utah PiKA: "My experience with hazing"

[hoosier]

My experience with hazing

Issue date: 11/10/05 Section: Opinion

Editor:
Let me tell you, initiation lasted a week. It was a week of...well, I still can't figure that one out.
One night, we were welcomed by anger and yelling. The actives yelled at us to get up and come out.
We all got up off the floor and climbed over the garbage that was put in there, careful not to knock over the bucket full of urine that was used for our urinal, and headed out.
There were people screaming, telling us we had failed and to get out of their house. Tensions rose and a massive fight broke out. People were flying all over, clothes were torn, blood was spilled-it was sick.
We were quickly ushered upstairs to a room where we were locked in, away from the rage.
I found my way to one of the bathrooms and looked out the window, trying to get a breath of fresh air and make sense of what had happened. Just then, I knew what I had to do.
I climbed out of the second-story window and jumped. Barefoot, in my white shirt and blue jeans ("the uniform of the initiatee"), I ran as fast as I could all the way back to the dorms where I lived.
The reality is, I didn't jump out the window. What I "did" do and what I "wanted" to do were two different things. I wanted to jump out to safety and find help.
What I did was stay and try to get through the hazing and work things out. While I was catching my breath in the bathroom, some people came in bloody, told us how sorry they were and that they hoped we would stay. I tried to see past the hazing and blood. But after initiation, the hazing didn't stop. They treated me like crap going through, and they treated me like crap later. I was subjected to humiliation that affected me, as well as how others perceived me.
It took a while for me to wake up. When I finally did, I walked right out the front door.
Well, those friends I spoke of-they're gone, I have no idea where they went.
Don't make the same mistake I made. Don't think that you have to go through hazing to be a part of something or have friends. I lost my friends before I figured that out.
Some of the best people you will ever meet or things you will be a part of are on or around campus; I know where I found mine, and they are memories for a lifetime. Don't give up on yours.
Aaron Hornok
Senior, Economics
Editor's Note: Aaron Hornok is a former member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

[scotty K]

I am sorry to say, but this is similar to what I had happen when I was a Pike Pledge, this fall. I did not cross over into the bond of brotherhood. I left rather than subject myself to humiliation and be forced to drink like a fish, Pike is a Fish.

[James]

Was there agun to your head to make you drink?

Originally posted by scotty K
I am sorry to say, but this is similar to what I had happen when I was a Pike Pledge, this fall. I did not cross over into the bond of brotherhood. I left rather than subject myself to humiliation and be forced to drink like a fish, Pike is a Fish.

[CarolinaCutie]

Originally posted by James
Was there agun to your head to make you drink?

Obviously not since he was able to choose to leave. But coersion isn't too pleasant either. Do you not consider intense pressure to drink alcohol hazing?

[Tom Earp]

Peer preasure can be a terrible thing cant it?

You want to be part of something that You beleive in and then The So Called Members turn into Dicks.

I dont think there is a big enough Condom that will fit these type of Penial Heads.

Kevin Bacon, Animal House: "Thank You Sir may I have another!"

He became just another one of them!

They are not the only Fraternity/Sorority who do this.

"The Goat" is a poorly written book by a Pledge of KS in the South whose Sibling was a KS of Said Chapter, it is very disturbing also.

When Oh When will there be a learning process?

[ZetaPhi708]

Originally posted by Tom Earp
Peer preasure can be a terrible thing cant it?

You want to be part of something that You beleive in and then The So Called Members turn into Dicks.

I dont think there is a big enough Condom that will fit these type of Penial Heads.

Kevin Bacon, Animal House: "Thank You Sir may I have another!"

He became just another one of them!

They are not the only Fraternity/Sorority who do this.

"The Goat" is a poorly written book by a Pledge of KS in the South whose Sibling was a KS of Said Chapter, it is very disturbing also.

When Oh When will there be a learning process?

Tom, just to let everyone know, that a movie adaptation of "The Goat" is in pre-production. No release date has been set yet. 20yo actor Emile Hirsch ( Lords of Dogtown, The Girl Next Door are 2 movies to his credit ) is slated to star as the pledge that gets hazed.

[hoosier]

Pikes pilfer papers: Fraternity members remove issues of The Chronicle from newsstands

By: Andrew Kirk
Issue date: 11/11/05 Section: News

A widespread, coordinated theft has resulted in the silencing of the student press and a criminal investigation.
Yesterday morning, some members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity removed every copy of yesterday's issue of The Daily Utah Chronicle from stands at several lower campus locations.
The University of Utah Police Department began an investigation around 1 p.m. after Todd Clark, a junior in biochemistry, reported to Chronicle editors that he saw a college-age man remove the stacks of the papers outside the physics building.
The investigation proceeded throughout the day as Chronicle editors found papers in several recycling bins adjacent to the newspaper stands. After he was contacted by The Chronicle, Associate Director of the Union Ryck Luthi also found surveillance footage of a man removing stacks from the stands near the Union Patio.
PKA officials Garrett Clark and Chase Harlin visited The Chronicle office around 6 p.m. to offer an oral apology on behalf of members of their fraternity.
They said the PKA members responsible removed the papers because they thought a letter to the editor written by a former member and published Nov. 10 was intentionally run to interfere with their initiation week. The letter referred to a hazing experience.
"It was a knee-jerk reaction, and before we could stop the bleeding, it was done and it was too late," Garrett Clark said.
The actions of those members did not reflect the views of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Clark said.
In addition to those at the physics building, thousands of papers were removed between 9 and 11:30 a.m. from the Union, Orson Spencer Hall, LNCO, Milton Bennion Hall, the Marriott Library, the HPER building, the Art and Architecture building, the Merrill Engineering building, the School of Business and the LDS Institute of Religion as well as other unconfirmed locations.
John Poelman, vice president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah, said he found a 5-inch stack of Chronicles next to a recycling canister in the ASUU office.
After hearing of the report, Associate Dean of Students Annie Nebeker said she remembered seeing a young man leaving the Union carrying a large stack of The Chronicle, but did not understand what he was doing.
Initially, campus police told Chronicle editors that they would need an exact count of papers missing from the 100-plus bins before they could investigate.
Later yesterday, Lt. George Foss called Smith and told him the investigation was a top priority for the department.
"The office of the dean of students is pursuing the matter aggressively," Nebeker said. "We are working with police...and closely with (assistant dean of students and Greek Row adviser) Lori McDonald, and she's working diligently."
Nebeker also said she recognized that the act was an infringement on First Amendment rights for freedom of the press.
"We're taking the matter seriously. It was very unfortunate," she said.
Campus police public relations officer Lynn Rohland said the police report would be processed on the morning of Nov. 11, and investigations would begin after that.
The investigating officer would then decide what course of action to take regarding members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
The financial repercussions to The Chronicle will be assessed today when Chronicle distributors estimate the total number of papers removed, Adam Ward, general manager of The Chronicle, said.
"I don't know how many were legitimately picked up in each spot," he said.
Once estimates are made, the severity of the situation will be known, and the damage done to advertisers can be assessed, he said.
Ward said he would not consider any course of action until he understands these factors.
Meanwhile, members of the U community were denied the opportunity to read the information presented in the Nov. 10 issue of The Chronicle in paper form.

[JonInKC]

This reminds me, I remember in TKE, our prytanis was a former pledge of a certain fraternity. He actually quit the day before initiation. I asked him what would make him quit so close to being initiated and he replied that he just didn't want to be brothers of those guys.

[exlurker]

Originally posted by hoosier Pikes pilfer papers: Fraternity members remove issues of The Chronicle from newsstands

By: Andrew Kirk
Issue date: 11/11/05 . . .
"It was a knee-jerk reaction, and before we could stop the bleeding, it was done and it was too late," Garrett Clark said.
The actions of those members did not reflect the views of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Clark said. . . .

Two things:

Given the allegations in the original letter to the editor, the phrase "stop the bleeding" may be unfortunate.

It's not especially uncommon to see reports of stacks of campus papers being stolen or destroyed by Greeks (or others) who are upset with a story. One problem is, the theft usually results in even more publicity about the original article, letter or editorial. Another problem is that at many -- most? -- campuses, students and staff can easily read the paper on their, ummm, what do you call them? You know, you have to plug them in or else run them on batteries. Oh yeah, computers.

Since loading papers in the trash doesn't really keep a story from getting out, it seems like a stupid thing to do (with all due respect to those who have done it).

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by ZetaPhi708
Tom, just to let everyone know, that a movie adaptation of "The Goat" is in pre-production. No release date has been set yet. 20yo actor Emile Hirsch ( Lords of Dogtown, The Girl Next Door are 2 movies to his credit ) is slated to star as the pledge that gets hazed.

Oh, that's WONDERFUL news.

[ZetaPhi708]

Originally posted by KSigkid
Oh, that's WONDERFUL news.

Yes, it is true that they are in pre-production for this film. I do not know if they are going to use a substitute fictional fraternity for this film like in most films.

Unless a film is based on fact, most movies use fictional fraternities so they do not get sued by a real fraternity.

[hoosier]

http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1177&year=

February_6, 2006

Although a fraternity at the University of Utah has agreed to attend a seminar on press censorship after more than 8,500 copies of the student newspaper went missing, its president says his fraternity is not responsible for the theft.
A security camera recorded one student taking stacks of The Daily Utah Chronicle on Nov. 10. Shortly after leaders of the university’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter were shown the tape, fraternity members came to the newspaper office to apologize, said Editor in Chief Steve Gehrke.
Gehrke said he suspected fraternity members stole the papers because of a letter to the editor in which a student recounted a hazing experience with the fraternity. He estimated that more than 8,500 copies of a total press run of 15,000 were stolen.