COLLEGE STUDENTS’ MOTIVATIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN HAZING RITUALS OF BLACK GREEK LETTER ORGANIZATION

Abstract

Hazing in collegiate settings, both Greek and non-Greek, damages educational institutions’ reputations and creates liability as they seek to maintain the safety of their students. This study examines hazing activities that take place during the initiation process of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). Utilizing qualitative research, it provides insight into the motivations of undergraduates who participate in BGLO hazing initiation rituals. Using National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and Pennsylvania State Law definition of hazing, this study focuses on an underexamined population generally overlooked by researchers in this field. Examining BGLO members’ familiarity with hazing prior to taking part revealed three levels of awareness: not aware, moderately aware, and very aware. Participants also indicated what kinds of dangers they were aware of, how they became aware of such dangers, and other facets of hazing they knew about prior to their participation in the activity. Members chose to join an organization where they believed hazing existed due to various factors: Confidence & Past Success, Intrapersonal Benefits, Societal Benefits, Perceptions of Hazing, Personal Relationships, Compatibility, Lack of Options, and Following Traditions. BGLO members’ willingness to undergo hazing sprang from the following factors: Long-term Benefits, Validation, The Bonds of Initiation, Personal Relationships, Acceptance, Perceptions of Hazing, Explanatory Justification. Finally, participants in this study indicated five roles that hazing plays in the initiation process of BGLO: Producing Better People, The Cycle of Re-Creation, Organizational Benefits, Validating Membership and Not Worth It. This project highlights the failure of higher educational institutions to play a key role in protecting students, specifically BGLO members, from the dangers of hazing and offers remedies for that oversight, including anti-hazing policies, hazing support services, membership intake processes, and fraternal organization advisement implications, as well as areas for future research on this topic.