Wrongs of Passage

Nuwer, Hank
Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. 336 pages. 1999 ISBN: 0-253-33596-5
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Table of Contents

Index

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Description:
Veteran author Hank Nuwer (Broken Pledges, High School Hazing, Legend of Jesse Owens), in a hard-hitting investigation of hazing and binge drinking in Greek fraternities and sororities, recounts the breakdown of common sense, civility, and leadership in many American undergraduate fraternities, sororities, sports teams and spirit clubs. After tracing hazing in America to its roots at Harvard and European universities, he examines every hazing death he could find since the first in 1838. Then he points out an alarming number of recent high school hazings in the news today.

What forces young men and women to accept inhuman, degrading rituals in order to belong to a social club, sorority, or fraternity? Are they the same forces that have made college binge drinking a national epidemic? Why do college administrators and Greek fraternities and sororities continue to allow practices that frequently lead to death or permanent physical and psychological damage? Why does one alcohol expert call historically white fraternities "addictive organizations"? What is Greekthink and why do so many fraternity members make ethically wrong calls. Who are the reformers in national white and black Greek groups and why have their undergraduate members chosen to reject their demand that hazing and alcohol misuse be stopped. Why have black fraternities become more prone to violent rites of passage than their white counterparts?

After an in-depth look at the problem, Nuwer offers a detailed final chapter, with a list of strategies for society in general, parents, college administrators, fraternities, and the police to combat these demeaning and dangerous practices. Read what he has to say about your school and your Greek organization. Find out some of the positive programs Greek reformers have introduced. Above all, become an expert on hazing yourself after reading THE definitive book on hazing and binge drinking.

Reviews:

What writers and critics said about Hank Nuwer's first book on hazing, Broken Pledges (filmed as a TV movie as Moment of Truth: Broken Pledges with ex-Dallas star Linda Gray playing anti-hazing activist Eileen Stevens).

"The definitive study of college hazing" Tucker Carlson, The Weekly Standard, February 17, 1997

"Anyone concerned about the presence of fraternities and sororities on college campuses today should read Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing. University administrators, advisors, undergraduates, Greek alumni, parents of pledging students, and even fraternity critics will learn something from Hank Nuwer's story of the 1978 death of Chuck Stenzel at Alfred University. . .Nuwer believes hazing kills, has nothing to do with tradition, and must be stopped before more deaths occur" National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Journal, John E. Creeden, Associate Provost for Student Affairs, Rutgers University (New Jersey)

"First, a word on what Broken Pledges is not. The book is not an anti-fraternity diatribe. One of the points brought home so clearly in the book is that hazing is a long-standing societal problem, not the sole province of male fraternities. Broken Pledges is not written by a sensationalist unfamiliar with the territory. Nuwer is a first-class objective journalist who was hazed as a [fraternity] pledge [at Buffalo State College] and who hazed pledges as a member. . .Even as someone who has worked with fraternities for nearly 10 years, I gained a great deal of insight and perspective." From the review by Richard Harris, The Fraternity Newsletter: a publication of the Association of Fraternity Advisors, Inc.

"Broken Pledges is replete with page after page of evidence showing that no one looks good when fraternities and hazing are scrutinized. Not the injured or deceased. Not [fraternity] brothers who have a habit of dissembling or clamming up to protect themselves during the resulting inquiries. Not faculty advisors who look the other way during hazing. And not hapless college officials left with the task of public relations damage control and the curbing of future incidents. . .Eileen Stevens, the mother of Chuck Stenzel [pledge killed in a hazing at Alfred University] and founder of the Committee to Halt Useless College Killings (CHUCK) said [in a telephone interview] reading Nuwer's book was very painful. `But it's very valuable because he makes clear the devastating effect hazing deaths have on families.'" From the article/review by George Smith of the Allentown [PA] Morning Call

"A thorough and eye-opening examination of the dangers of initiation and hazing rituals. . .A powerful investigation into a practice in dire need of curtailment." Kirkus Reviews "Everyone associated with fraternity life should read Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing. . .Perhaps it should be compulsory reading for all actives prior to rush. Put this one on the bookshelf in your chapter house." Book review, Fraternal Law

"Required reading for all prospective college students and others who belong to groups where hazing is an accepted ritual." Sue Ellen Beauregard, Booklist

"Grade A: Though sometimes graphic, this book is important because it offers proof that hazing is everywhere, not just in college fraternal organizations. The book belongs on the shelves of groups where hazing may occur." Danna C. Bell, Marymount University Library, Arlington, VA.

"Greek leaders say [Broken Pledges] illustrates a problem fraternities and sororities are working together to eliminate-organizational hazing. Jonathan Brant, spokesman for the National Interfraternity Conference in Indianapolis, an organization that represents about 5,200 fraternity chapters nationwide, says Nuwer's book should `raise awareness' about hazing and its consequences. But even more importantly, he says, the book might also put the spotlight on the work individual Greek chapters are doing to eliminate the problem." Lesley Ann Mitchell, Article/Review, Gannett News Service

"Hank Nuwer uses the Stenzel case-one that ultimately resulted in a tough New York State law on fraternity hazing-to investigate the persistence of such harassment not only at the university level, but in the world of professional societies and the military. The details are sufficiently horrifying to make good agitprop-just what Nuwer intends." Alanna Nash, Entertainment Weekly

"Mr. Nuwer was an associate professor of journalism at Ball State University when, in 1988, he received a Gannett Foundation fellowship to write his book. The book examines hazing abuses that Mr. Nuwer says are prevalent not only among Greek organizations but also in the military, athletic teams, and high school and college bands. In the course of his investigation, [the author] found that fraternity and sorority members who haze pledges don't mean to harm them. . . "What strikes you is the very ordinariness of the death that makes it so chilling. I want to show that these men didn't start out to kill anyone. To view them as villains is not to get an accurate picture." Michele N-K Collison, The Chronicle of High Education

"It is indeed a rare event when a new book of any kind about college fraternities appears. . .And most of the few which do pop up have little serious interest or value. However, Hank Nuwer's Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing is a welcome exception to this rule. All Greeks who love their fraternities, and value the positive force they can exert on members and campuses, need to read this book. . . Nuwer takes off to discuss aspects of hazing ­ I know of nothing else in print which tells so much about this extraordinarily complicated student behavorial phenomenon. Moreover, Broken Pledges is very good reading. Its affect upon my wife illustrates this. She was at first interested only because it dealt exclusively with Eileen Stevens, whom she knows. But once engaged in reading the book, she became so fascinated she could hardly put it down. A loyal sorority alumna, she said that for the first time in her life it left her wondering if the Greek letter sorority and fraternity systems as described here were worth saving, and if our own granddaughters would be safe in them. . . So thank you, Hank Nuwer, for writing a book so useful for those concerned with student life-and especially the Greeks-the likes of which we have not seen for many years." Frederick D. Kershner, The Delta Tau Delta Magazine, past international president of the fraternity