What a juicy and interesting article about hazing in your September 23 issue! I like the use of outside school’s hazing problems…interesting and imaginitive! Yep, that was sarcasm. I pledged Psi Beta Gamma sorority in Spring of 1997. At the time of my bid, I was saturated with horror-stories of what would happen to me. I was forced, during pledging, to endure the school’s retelling of hazing stories of local Greeks from the seventies (that’s right, what people did to their pledges before I was even born). MOST hazing stories are created by quitters…I should know, I followed through the entire pledge process, and hearing what my sorority supposedly did to these girls was disgusting and humiliating for us to hear as a group! We would never endure such activities done to us as pledges or to our pledges. I heard several stories about other Greek houses’ pledge processes which I also was sure were untrue – considering I knew… sisters and brothers of other houses. A few years ago, some Alpha Sigma Alpha sisters who were blackballed created a “sorority.” …Once you have been blackballed, you are no longer allowed to be a member of any house. These young women, using faulty reasoning, attempted to create a Greek house, and – having little to no idea of the appropriate pledge process or care that PSC Greeks have towards ensuring the health and safety of their pledges, allegedly involved one of their “pledges” in a vehicular accident which resulted in a girl’s death. What’s funny here? Well, as a past pledgemaster, I did not even like my initiates in a car. If they were in an accident driving home or to work, no doubt we would not only lose a friend but we would be blamed. We never allowed pledges to ride in a car without a seat belt (common sense, but label it hazing if you like), much less make them lie in the storage area of an SUV blindfolded as the women from this would-be “sorority” did… …I can’t say pledging was a walk in the park, but honestly, the role of pledgemaster was 20 times harder than being a pledge. The time-commitment is huge, which is why we offer our girls study-hours, and the active sisters do their best to help the pledges with their projects and papers, and WE DO give them extra time for school work because education is a number one priority. Greek life is such a wonderful experience. I still speak with so many brothers. I am still in touch with virtually all my sisters from 1987 (founding) to present! I always have a place to visit on Homecoming or Alumni Weekend. There is always someone at Plymouth who remembers me… It was really the most wonderful time of my life, and the majority of Greek almuni I know would happily say the same. I would never trade my time as an active Psi Beta Gamma sister for anything. I was an active student government member, a member of the judicial board, and active in several clubs. Greek life was another great leadership opportunity for me. I hope that it is also to be a great opportunity for many of you. Please, take the hazing stories told to you with a grain of salt, and check out the Greek houses (recognized and unrecognized) during this rush season. I promise you will not regret it.
~K. Cat WorkPSC – 96-01Psi Beta Gamma – Spring ’97