Students who wanted the best possible seats for Sunday's basketball game spent much of the weekend in line or waking up in the middle of the night for a personal check. For many fraternity members currently rethinking their hazing policies, the practices in Krzyzewskiville represent a double standard.
The University is currently investigating at least five selective houses--greek and non-greek--for judicial violations, including possible breaches of Duke's policy against hazing during group initiation. Based on North Carolina law, the University's hazing policy is intended to prevent physical, emotional or psychological harm. It bans group activities such as paddling and branding, as well as line-ups and sleep deprivation, regardless of an individual's expressed willingness to participate or its bearing on membership status.
Some fraternity officials have said the current policy is too broad, and that it is being enforced more harshly than in previous years.
"There's a need for some sort of regulation on hazing, but right now they're trying to go cold turkey on us," said junior Christopher Gough, president of Pi Kappa Alpha. "Fraternity members don't understand the rules, and a lot of it is left up to deans' personal discretion as to what is or is not a hazing violation."
The new hazing regulations are in fact more specific than previous years', with more examples and questions for groups to "assess the appropriateness of an activity," the regulations state. The rules changed as part of an extensive overhaul of all undergraduate judicial regulations.
Administrators said the rewritten policy removes some subjectivity from the process, but that hazing still depends on the circumstances.
"I think you can look at any given situation--and it could be something as simple as tenting--and it could be hazing if it's presented in the wrong way, if it's forced, if it's mandated to join the group," said Kacie Wallace, associate dean for judicial affairs.
That force often does not have to be explicit, said Todd Adams, assistant dean of student development and adviser to the Interfraternity Council.
"Generally, there's a power dynamic going on where the student or students are trying to gain entrance into an organization. Because of that inherent power dynamic, whether the student says OI'm willing to do this' or not often doesn't matter," Adams said.
But many fraternity members object to the judgment of which activities fall under the hazing policy, forcing many groups to cancel pledging activities, said senior Michael Wick, IFC president.
"There are some things that have been done in years past that can't happen anymore. However, there is a difference between Ohazing' and Opledging,'" Wick wrote in an e-mail. "Pledge meetings, wearing pledge pins and team building exercises will always be part of this process."
Administrators acknowledge they are following up on more allegations of hazing this year, largely due to increased tips. They have established a hotline to call for those with information about hazing, and said they follow up on the tips if there is evidence.
Gough and other fraternity presidents said the hotline has the potential for abuse by people who want to accuse fraternities without evidence. They said that groups under scrutiny are disproportionately IFC organizations, while other selectives and greeks continue similar practices.
"The numbers of IFC groups is larger than other groups, so proportionally they probably have more incidents," Wallace responded. "But they're not the only groups we've followed up with."
Wick said he is working with administrators to resolve concerns with the hazing policy. He and others said, however, that many changes to the pledging process could be permanent.
"I think this is making people look at these programs and make some changes," said junior Jonathan Ferris, president of Alpha Tau Omega. "It's a sign of the times as well, and you have to change with the times."
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