Hazing at the University has been woven into the fabric of student life for more than a century. From humiliating rituals to physical endurance challenges, these practices have evolved but never fully disappeared, and while the administration has long sought to eliminate dangerous hazing, it remains a fixture in Greek organizations.
Newsworthy instances of hazing at Illinois date back to at least the early 1900s, often taking the form of humiliating or physically challenging tasks imposed on fraternity pledges. In 1905, The Daily Illini reported incidents where fraternity members forcibly removed pledges from their rooms and subjected them to degrading treatment.
“Men are forcibly taken from their rooms and subjected to all sorts of indignities,” the article stated. “Property is sometimes destroyed, and a certain amount of injury is done.”
Despite the damage and growing criticism, hazing remained a tradition in many Greek organizations, but, by 1906, there were formal efforts to address the issue. That year’s sophomore class, the class of 1909, passed a resolution condemning hazing as “undemocratic, un-American and unfair.”
But hazing continued, and by the 1940s more serious incidents were occurring. According to another article by The DI published in 1948, Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity was suspended by the University administration after a hazing event involving a pledge left bound, naked and blindfolded in a cornfield nearly 10 miles outside Champaign who subsequently sought help from a local farmer.
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More than two decades later, hazing did not cease to be a concern. The DI published another article in 1974 about hazing practices, prompting four more reports to be made to Hugh Satterlee, who was the vice chancellor for campus affairs of the University at the time. The reports involved both physical hazing, such as forced drinking, as well as emotional hazing.
In December of that year, upon opening an investigation into the matter, Satterlee said the hazing reports were based on hearsay. He also noted that some incidents might have been resolved before being reported.
“It is just hearsay evidence,” Satterlee said. “We will try to get witnesses. The people just told us things they believed happened.”
Discussion continued, and in 1975, the Board of Fraternity Affairs was tasked with handling hazing complaints, prompting the editorial board of The DI to publish a piece questioning whether fraternity members could impartially review cases involving their peers.
“We are sure that to the hazer, everything done to the pledge is quite a joke,” the editorial board wrote. “As outside observers, our response to such activity is some joke. The challenge here is for the board to take the perspective of outside observers, not the hazer.”
Another high-profile incident made headlines in 1989 when a Sigma Alpha Mu pledge allegedly was beaten up, slammed against a wall and spit on by members of the fraternity. The student went on to sue the University, and the fraternity’s pledge program was temporarily suspended.
In recent years, hazing has continued to evolve, though some dangerous elements remain a concern. According to a 2017 article by The DI, a 2013 survey of University students by University of Maine students revealed that 30% of fraternity and sorority members had experienced hazing during their time in Greek life.
In the article, David Kessler, who was president of the Interfraternity Council at the time of the article’s publishing, said that hazing is “a virus, a disease and it’ll eventually kill its host if not addressed.”
Kessler also mentioned that workshops are given to new member educators and that each fraternity chapter’s new member process is reviewed by the IFC. But violent and degrading hazing practices continue, with current students still reflecting on their experiences.
“They had two people holding us in the air, one by the head and one by the feet, and then each pledge basically had the choice to punch me in the stomach, and everyone chose to hit me,” one recent fraternity pledge at the University said, electing to remain anonymous. “I remember having so many bruises for the next few days and it hurt pretty bad.”
Another recent fraternity pledge, who also chose to remain anonymous, said that they had heard from other fraternities about extreme incidents involving bodily fluids, the details of which are too graphic to be shared.
However, not all hazing experiences have been negative, according to this recent pledge. “For me, they would basically force us to run early in the morning and sometimes pick up food for the older brothers,” the student said. “If anything, it taught me time management. It really depends on which frat you rush.”
When asked what they feel is the intended purpose of hazing, the student said, “I guess the idea is that a trauma bond is an extremely strong bond. If you endure a very miserable situation with other people, it makes you feel closer and more connected to those people.”
Currently, the University addresses hazing through prevention resources and enforcement of anti-hazing policies. Hazing is outlawed both in the University’s student code and Illinois state law and the school encourages students to report incidents, stating that 95% of students aware of hazing do not report it.
As hazing continues to evolve, the University and its Greek organizations face the challenge of fostering an environment where students can engage in meaningful bonding experiences without fear of harm. Whether hazing will be transformed into a safer, more positive tradition — or fully eliminated — remains uncertain.
