Mother of former Northwestern player Jordan Hankins sues sorority over daughter's death

[Plebe]

Mom of Northwestern basketball player sues sorority over daughter's death, alleging hazing led to suicide

"The mother of former Northwestern University basketball player Jordan Hankins has filed a federal lawsuit against sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, alleging that her daughter was a victim of hazing by sorority members which caused severe anxiety and depression and led to Hankins’ suicide in January 2017."

 

[BigBird]

Having served for several years as a fraternity chapter’s faculty advisor, I feel a special sadness for the needless and obviously careless loss of a life. Hazing needs to be eradicated from campus Greek life before that same Greek life is itself justifiably quashed. The legal and fiscal liabilities should (and will) get most anyone’s attention, but the moral case against hazing should be enough by itself to stop this nonsense. My frat is a national organization, which gives it a little more clout to wield on the issue. You haze, you lose your charter; there’s no debate or exception, and our members know it.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Having served for several years as a fraternity chapter’s faculty advisor, I feel a special sadness for the needless and obviously careless loss of life. Hazing needs to be eradicated from campus Greek life before that same Greek life is itself justifiably quashed. The legal and fiscal liabilities should (and will) get most anyone’s attention, but the moral case against hazing should be enough by itself to stop this nonsense. My frat is a national organization, which gives it a little more clout to wield on the issue. You haze, you lose your charter; there’s no debate or exception, and our members know it.

BB--I think you'd have to define Hazing. I'm against physical hazing in all forms in college or HS.
With your more than passing knowledge of the subject--different case--Would you define Hazing by a sorority or frat : telling their pledges they must study a number of hours per week?
There is only ONE thing in life that is precious and can never be return once stolen--LIFE.
Why is it given or taken so easily??

 

[BigBird]

A good definition: “...humiliating, extensive and sometimes dangerous actions or activities imposed on college students as a condition for membership to a fraternity or sorority.”

My limit with my frat was “the list.” Pledges were required to memorize the hometowns and parents’ names for the actives. This was allowed because it was a legitimate way to assist members needing to contact the families of other members in case of emergency. And the amount of time given to complete the assignment was generous, so as to not interfere with coursework. In truth, if I had the decision to make in the present day (as opposed to 1980), I wouldn’t allow the list exercise, either. Hazing in most all its forms is just a slightly more adult version of bullying. We had a philosophy that if a man was worthy of being bid to membership, he was worthy of being fully welcomed and treated with respect.

The national frats have moved aggressively to eliminate hazing. The problem is generally worse in local, one-off frats, because there is typically much less oversight.

Is mandatory study hall a form of hazing? No. Collegiate sports teams almost universally have such requirements. Other academic programs require study teams, or partners, or cohorts. No bullying in that.

 

[willtalk]

All of this is just an extension of the bullying that was inherent in the English educational system. it was a tool to maintaining the class system via exclusionary practices. Also to promote the ideology that people need to know and keep their place. I always found it interesting that it was perpetuated in our Universities.

We do need to recognize the difference between good natured hazing done in fun and that which is meant to humiliate.

 

[BigBird]

We do need to recognize the difference between good natured hazing done in fun and that which is meant to humiliate.

The problem is whose fun? The power imbalance between pledges and actives causes fun to become something far more dangerous. Hazing in any form is a really, really, really bad idea.

 

[vtcwbuff]

If the allegations are true, this is not the 1st time an AKA hazing has resulted in death.