Positive qualities
The cover of a novel that supports hazing
Being a cloudy issue, hazing possesses both positive and negative qualities, but the positive qualities are the outcomes produced by the practice that allow it to continue to fester within fraternities. Whether or not the positive effects of hazing are real is unimportant; the perception of whether hazing is beneficial in the eyes of those conducting the hazing and those being hazed is what permits hazing to continue. In a study by the University of Maine presented in Hosanky’s article, thirty-one percent of those hazed feel as though they are more included in the group and twenty-two percent of individuals feel a great sense of accomplishment after experiencing hazing (Honsanky 139). Additionally, Texas A&M students and alumni compiled a list of perceived benefits of hazing that states that hazing “brings the group closer together…humbles new members…cultivates shared pride…challenges you to develop coping skills...develops close friendships with other new members” and many others (Office of the Dean of Student Life). These studies and surveys prove that perceived benefits do exist for those being hazed. As much as administrators and university presidents want to see the abolishment of hazing occur, these perceived benefits in the eyes of those being hazed and those who perform the hazing will allow the practice to continue. Those in fraternities who haze and those who support hazing believe, as the data suggests, that their actions are helping new members gain a foothold in the world, mature into young men, and transform into the best fraternity brothers possible. These perceptions are powerful and are the primary reason hazing continues to occur in fraternities.