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Fraternities and Why They are Misunderstood Essay

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Fraternities and Why They are Misunderstood

Fraternities have been a major part of student life at universities all over the world since the beginning of the 20th century. For many students they have offered an improvement in social life, more friends, opportunities for athletics, and a great sense of brotherhood. Unfortunately, since their beginning fraternities have been questioned about their activities. Many people today think that they subject their members to harmful acts better known as "hazing." Massachusetts General law defines hazing as:
[A]ny conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any …show more content…

Fraternity issues like this one are very ugly and truly bring out the worst in everyone. I am completely shocked that a lawyer would even take a case such as this one where a fraternity member is obviously guilty. In another incident, university police have arrested three men on the charge of battery. Two of the men alleged that they were hit on the buttocks 30 times with a 2-by-4, and another student said he was hit approximately 10 times. The incident has raised numerous questions about the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, according to campus officials. The event became public knowledge when Edward Pratt, the dean of students spoke on the topic. Pratt summed the course of events as "This incident is particularly bad because it is part of a secret organization"(Anderson). Pratt describes the situation as "Underground organizations feel more immune to regular laws and regulations and any kind of policing....They feel they can violate peoples rights"(Anderson). Pratt says "many of the undergraduate pledges initially would not speak about any of the incidences, because they were maintaining their code of secrecy"(Anderson). This code of honor is one of the main obstacles that investigators have to overcome when trying to find the truth. What the school and the investigators have to understand is that no fraternity member wants to be responsible for the possible end of their organization. This act of treason

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