Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking

By Hank Nuwer

Book Overview

Wrongs of Passage is about the breakdown of common sense, civility, and leadership in major areas of American college life. What forces young men and women to accept inhuman, degrading rituals in order to belong to a social club, sorority, or fraternity? Are they the same forces that have made college binge drinking a national epidemic? Why do college administrators and Greek fraternities and sororities continue to allow practices that frequently lead to death or permanent psychological damage? Why are black fraternities more prone to violent rites of passage than their white counterparts? Is it inevitable that today's victims will become tomorrow's hazers? How can we help our youth achieve a mature, self-confident, individual adulthood? These are some of the questions dealt with in Hank Nuwer's hard-hitting, heart-felt investigation. Nuwer first wrote about hazing in 1978 in an article entitled The Dead Souls of Hell Week. His first book, Broken Pledges, appeared in 1990, and tells the story of the alcohol-related death of Chuck Stenzel at Alfred University. end of the many related problems involved in hazing and binge drinking. It did not. In Wrongs of Passage he has provided a much broader look at the problems of hazing and binge drinking, including legal and historical perspectives and case studies. You will learn in detail about: Chad Saucier, a Phi Delta Theta pledge at Auburn University, dead of binge drinking in 1991; Amanda Jones, marked for success at Widener University, Pennsylvania, a Phi Mu pledge, broken psychologically by the experience; Gabriel Higgins, successful student at the University of Texas, until he pledged the Texas Cowboys (whose graduates include Senator Lloyd Bensten and Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry), dead in a drinking accident in 1995; Joseph Jeremy Snell, a pledge of Omega Psi Phi, at the University of Maryland, one of several pledges who needed hospital attention for broken bones and other injuries; Jessica Zimmerman, a Kappa Kappa Gamma pledge at DePauw University in Indiana, quit pledging when her Big Sister insisted on branding her with a cigarette. boys)and gives us a historical overview of the phenomenon in various institutions and at various times in history. We also get a history of the growth of fraternities and sororities in North America and many of the wrongs, including death, which were perpetuated in the name of initiating new members. A detailed, final chapter, offers a list of strategies for society in general, parents, college administrators, fraternities, and the police for combating these demeaning and dangerous practices. A detailed chronology lists the recorded deaths from hazing activities in this country from 1838 to the present. Amherst College, Cornell University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the United States Military Academy, Kenyon College, Purdue University, the University of Kentucky, Northwestern University, the University of Southern California, Georgetown College, Baylor, and many more-a national litany of failure. An appendix lists where concerned individuals can find help and information.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 025321498X
• ISBN13: 9780253214980
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (Ips)
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

jaded lenses should do some research

Hank Nuwer, the author of this book, WAS in fact a member of a greek organization. Although he wouldn't reveal to me which one, it would explain to me how he knew so much about the inner workings of a fraternity. And, incidently, he is not against the abolition of fraternities either - so before you go off on someone next time, do a little research, it helps.

An important contribution and a must read.

Having brought attention to the dangers of hazing in his first book Broken Pledges, Hank Nuwer expands on this work with Wrongs of Passage and makes another outstanding contribution to the literature on hazing. He elucidates the dangers of hazing from many angles, and while coining the term "greekthink," takes an important step in describing the often elusive dynamics which enable hazing to persist. Wrongs of Passage is a commendable achievement and a valuable resource for students, parents, teachers, school administrators and others. Having first hand experience with hazing as a victim, perpetrator and anti-hazing educator, I gained yet another perspective by reading Wrongs of Passage. The knowledge and sensitivity that Hank Nuwer brings to the subject of hazing is unparalleled. I found his history of hazing enlightening, his first-hand accounts heart-wrenching and his strategies for change a sorely needed call to action. This is not a "fraternity-bashing" tirade but rather an in-depth analysis of hazing from multiple perspectives. Hank Nuwer shames those who continue to participate in hazing, and lauds those that have taken positive steps to eradicate these deadly practices. This book should be required reading by students, teachers, parents, and anyone who works with and cares about the future of our nation's youth.

A Must Read!

Having brought attention to the dangers of hazing in his first book Broken Pledges, Hank Nuwer expands on this work with Wrongs of Passage and makes another outstanding contribution to the literature on hazing. He elucidates the dangers of hazing from many angles, and while coining the term "greekthink," takes an important step in describing the often elusive dynamics which enable hazing to persist. Wrongs of Passage is a commendable achievement and a valuable resource for students, parents, teachers, school administrators and others. Having first hand experience with hazing as a victim, perpetrator and anti-hazing educator, I gained yet another perspective by reading Wrongs of Passage. The knowledge and sensitivity that Hank Nuwer brings to the subject of hazing is unparalleled. I found his history of hazing enlightening, his first-hand accounts heart-wrenching and his strategies for change a sorely needed call to action. This is not a "fraternity-bashing" tirade but rather in in-depth analysis of hazing from multiple perspectives. Hank Nuwer shames those who continue to participate in hazing, and lauds those that have taken positive steps to eradicate these deadly practices. This book should be required reading by students, teachers, parents, and anyone who works with and cares about the future of our nation's youth.

Wake up and smell the stale beer

If national fraternities and sororities are truly earnest about ending hazing, they should distribute this book to pledges along with their organizations' pledge manuals. Think about it, pledges subject themselves to hazing because they think they have to. Better yet, why not just do away with pledgeship altogether and boom! hazing is a thing of the past. It's a simple solution that would improve Greek Life and end the hazing deaths of young freshmen every year.

Shocking, provoctative, and thoughtful. Will make you think.

I read "Wrongs of Passage" and I must say, it really made me think. As a former fraternity brother who engaged in certain activities that to this day I am not proud of, "Wrongs of Passage" forced me to re-evaluate some of my existing beliefs.It brought me back and reminded me of the psychology of pledging. How it consumes you. Changes your life. It reminded me how as a fraternity pledge in the spring of 1991, nothing else mattered except getting in. Extrinsic problems, like my plummeting GPA meant nothing so long as I walked the proverbial "long road" to brotherhood.It reminded me how at the time, being spoon fed nasty concoctions while blind folded and screamed at, was all fine and dandy. How being forced to do 100 pushups in a room that was so filled with smoke, you could barely breath was just part of what it took to pass that final test.Hank Nuwer's exploration into the psycology of the pledge is so dead on. I found my self saying "Exactly" out loud more than a few times.I could go on and on and on about this. I loved this book. It took me back to a place I haven't been to in a long time.This book is a must read for anyone who has ever pledged, thought about pledging, or knows someone who has pledged a fraternity. Even if you don't fit into one of the above catagories, you will find "Wrongs of Passage" enthralling, engrossing, and especially, disturbing.