Gay fraternity initiation
On a cold, stormy September night in 2018, my 14 fraternity pledge brothers and I received this ambiguous text from one of our pledge masters:
“Tonight’s education meeting is canceled. At 11pm, you will all load into three of your cars and drive to the destination I send you. Carry a first aid kit, five jugs of liquid, three shovels, and a triangular-shaped candle. Dress in all black.”
My mind raced with questions. What could this mean?
An hour later, my palms choked the steering wheel of my Ford pickup truck as I drove from our fraternity house at the University of Southern California toward an unnamed deal with in Manhattan Beach. In the car with me were four of my pledge brothers.
“It’s got to be beach-related,” said a brother from the endorse seat, his voice barely audible over the rain pounding on my windshield.
“Maybe it’s a home party,” another suggested.
“It’s definitely not a house party,” the one in the passenger seat countered. “We’re getting hazed tonight, boys!”
A knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. This moment, shrouded in uncertainty, mirrored the complex feelings I’d been wrestling with since joining the fraternity three weeks earlier. As t
This is the worst outcome I could have expected from being hazed by a fraternity.
In the early 2000s, I tried to link a frat at Georgia State University. No, I won’t say which one. That’s not the point of this story.
It was the week before pledges get initiated – popularly known as “Hell Week” – and I was nervous. You lasted through Hell Week or you didn’t make the carve. And Hell Week was… well, it was exactly what it sounded like.
The brothers didn’t love me, I could tell. They didn’t WANT me to make the chop. Good ol’ Georgia boys, sons of farmers and senators and sheriffs, they didn’t want me – a skinny Jewish kid from Brooklyn – to be one of them. Because I wasn’t. It was the whole reason I tried to join up: I wanted to fit in. Problem was I was a Yankee and this was a place where they still called people “Yankees”.
They strung me along most of the week. Kept mentioning how they were gonna get me good, saving the best for last. I spent those warm September days in constant dread, never sure when someone might strike. I heard rumors they made one guy drink a beer mug packed of piss. I couldn’t imagine what they had in mind for me if that wasn’t the worst thing on their
Delta Lambda Phi
Initiation Ritual
2007
Pledge Induction Ritual By: Colin Schlank I cannot count how many times I have asked the following question amidst the past four years of my life; what can I do to stop hazing? This single scrutinize has left me confused, irate, disillusioned, and ultimately inspired to make a difference in the world. I hope that by sharing with you my story, you too will be inspired to make an impact in your community. My name is Colin, and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Connecticut. I am studying secondary education and history and am extremely excited for my future after college. Four years ago, during the spring semester of my freshman year at UConn, I made the verdict to pledge a well-known fraternity. Like most other students who choose to join a Greek organization, I was seeking to meet new people and enrich my college experience. Though my fraternity experience has had many high and low points, I am forever grateful that I made the choice to join. I began to notice hazing practices within my fraternity on the very first night I became a part of it. On that night, brothers from the chapter gathered my pledge class in the parking lot of our on-campus ho
Intention
The Pledge Induction Ritual is the pledge’s first experience with the National Fraternity’s and the Brotherhood’s ceremonial aspects. This Ritual acquaints the pledge candidate with National Fraternity history, shares its founding principles and officially welcomes him as part of Delta Lambda Phi.
Ritual Notes
Roles: The ideal Pledge Induction Ritual team comprises seven Brothers. Five Brothers are readers; the sixth Brother serves as a candle bearer; and the seventh Brother portrays the Guardian but does not speak.
Attire: The readers and candle bearer should wear uniform semi-formal attire. The Guardian wears a black robe. Brothers attending the Ritual should wear semi-formal attire. Pledge candidates should wear semi-formal attire.
Location: The Ritual may be held in any location in which the Ritual team is able to perform a secret, meaningful ceremony, such as an uncover field or a closed room.
Ritual Materials
The necessary materials for performing the Pledge Induction Ritual include:
- A table
- A yellow tablecloth
- A small green napkin or square as a centerpiece
- T
A Fraternity Brother Speaks Out