No hazing, no excuses


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Morgan Taylor | Staff Photographer A sheet that reads, "Hazing is NOT Sisterhood" hangs from the Phi Mu sorority house Thursday on Main Street as the they participate in National Hazing Prevention Week.

Banners, pictures and car paint are just a few ways the Collegiate Panhellenic Council at Central Michigan University displayed its support for Anti-Hazing Week.

“Lots of girls going Greek have heard these things about hazing happening at other colleges,” said Ida senior Jessie Myler. “They can see on Twitter how united we are against hazing.”

During Anti-Hazing Week, sororities took part in three different events. On Tuesday, all chapters hung banners to showcase that sororities are against hazing. Some of the slogans read “Real Strong Women Don’t Haze” and “Hands Down to Hazing.” The following day, sororities went around campus and took pictures at various locations, holding a poster stating that sororities are against hazing. On Thursday, each chapter was given car paint to decorate all vehicles with a plethora of slogans against hazing.

Central Michigan University alumni and former Greek Life coordinator Alex Kennedy said a unified community is one thing that the CMU Greek community strives for.

“The more people working toward a shared vision makes it easier,” he said. “It permeates the culture and therefore becomes the norm. Hazing does not create brotherhood or sisterhood and is in the opposite direction of what our founders believed and fought for.”

According to the organization Stop Hazing, 44 states, including Michigan have anti-hazing laws.

In Michigan, the law is broken into three subsections. If hazing causes physical injury, a person can be imprisoned for up to 93 days or fined $1,000. If hazing causes serious impairment, a person can be imprisoned for up to five years or pay a fine of $2,500. If hazing causes death, a person can be charged with a felony, imprisoned for up to 15 years or have a fine of up to $10,000.

Fraternities also are taking a stand against abusing new recruits.

‘Fraternity gentlemen must remember our values at all times, and this is especially true when welcoming new brothers into our chapters,” St. Claire Shores senior Ian McCain said. “When we hold each other to those values, we strengthen the inter-fraternal bond. When that bond is shared, it reiterates the reason for, and continuity of, the Greek community as a whole.”

To follow what students are saying about anti-hazing week, check out the hashtag #CMUNoHazingNoExcuses.

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