In response to allegations made against them of inappropriate hazing, Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Whitman College has revamped their initiation process.
"The new and improved TKE Initiation promises to be more transparent than ever before," said TKE President Duncan DeLeon. "Initiates are now required to tweet about their experiences every half hour, allowing outsiders an inside view of our practices."
The centerpiece of the new initiation is a five to seven page essay, completed in the dark and written on a wall of the TKE basement, answering the prompt, "How does hazing harm diversity?"
"Getting students to think critically about the processes and modes of thought that they are caught up in is a big part of the Greek system here at Whitman," said Dean of Students, Jimmy Milwaukee, "the TKEs and my office agreed that this was a great way to get that ball rolling."
Students outside the Greek system were appalled to learn of this new requirement. "It's due that night at 4 AM? Do you know the damages to the body that happen when you're forced to write that late at night?" said Junior and BBMB major Ryan "The Breakfast" Thomas. Thomas cited a study by the sleep doctor who came to Whitman his sophomore year, talking about how sleep-deprivation was similar to drinking beers. "Every hour of sleep missed is like a beer on your body. That's wild," Thomas looked wistfully off in to the distance.
Initiates in the process had mixed reviews. "It was pretty tough to come down to the basement after they'd graded our essays, and see so much red pen all over the walls," said sophomore Luke Teflorson. "Some of the comments were pretty harsh, too." The walls of the basement were covered with comments like "Vague" "Thesis?" and entire paragraphs X-ed out.
"I thought we were going to have to rewrite the whole thing after that," worried freshman John Friedmacher, "but we all ended up getting mostly B+'s and A-'s on the papers"
Whether the new essay requirement will last has yet to be seen, but other groups on campus have rushed to jump on the initiation reform bandwagon. The Cross Country Team started a 24-hour naked jog-a-thon for the the organization HAHA - The Howlitz Awareness for Hazing Association.
"It's pretty brutal, running around Ankeny all day long, but we felt it raised money for a good cause and helped bond the team together in ways they wouldn't have otherwise" said Team Captain Lisa Johnston. XC Runners were sponsored by family and community members, who could throw cups of water at runners if they pledged 25 dollars or more. "Some have said it's humiliating, but it's humiliating for a good cause - hazing awareness," said Dean of Athletes, Paul Deening, who approved the new practice.
Whether initiation remains a part of our campus culture or not, it's hard to deny that the practice has taken a dramatic new turn on our campus.
