Pledge deaths fuel reviews of Greek life

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The deaths of at least four fraternity pledges this year have helped fuel a reexamination of Greek life at U.S. colleges, which have long struggled with how to crack down on hazing, alcohol abuse and other unwelcome aspects without disbanding organizations that have loyal members and alumni.

Changing attitudes, increased public scrutiny and fears of facing lawsuits also have caused schools to take action, anti-hazing advocates said. Tracy Maxwell, founder of Hazing Prevention.org and a longtime Greek life consultant, sees parallels with the national discussion about sexual harassment.

“People are at a breaking point, where they’re not willing to accept behavior that has been acceptable in some circles for decades or centuries,” she said.

Researchers have limited data about hazing and what strategies could best stop it — which prompted a pending federal proposal to require that colleges report data on hazing incidents — but they can learn from studies on related topics, such as bullying and public health, said Elizabeth Allan, a University of Maine professor who leads the Hazing Prevention Consortium.

Fraternities say they’ve long worked to tackle issues such as hazing and alcohol abuse in policy and practice, and that efforts made to hold individuals and chapters accountable are a sign of that.

“Students are saying enough is enough,” said Heather Kirk, spokeswoman at the North-American Interfraternity Conference. “We want to lead ourselves out of this, and we want to work with the university and our organizations and our stakeholders to enhance health and safety.”