OCR Text |
Show Pledges 'Enjoy' U Goat Week By WILLARD MORRIS Chronicle Staff Writer One hundred thirty years of fraternity goat weeks can be wrong. Franternities started in the 1770's and ever since then, the new members have had to prove themselves to their peer group, the active chapter. In the original fraternities, goat week, as such, did not exist. The members simply invited close friends to join their secret fraternal organization. As time progressed all the members did not know the new men that were being brought in, so a period of pledgeship, or learning, took place. From this pledgeship evolved a final testing, the goat week of today. Not Unique However the final testing is not unique to the Greek system. All men go through a testing period of some sort which proves to themselves, them-selves, if not to others, that they are now a man. This test may be a goat week for some or simply going to college. For others a mission ' or the army serve to cut the apron strings of their mother. The height of goat week harassment of pledges took place during the roaring '20s. The day of the racoon coat and the flapper riding in the fancy car brought some of the most violent hazing. During the hazing haz-ing that took a few deaths even occured. Tales of tubbing, boarding, hikes, goldfish swallowing, and "goat dinners" are still being told by men from this age. Outlawed Hazing In 1965 the Interfraternity Council of the University sponsored a workshop on pre-initiation or goat week. They studied the problem of goat week hazing and outlined some goals and objectives for the pre-initiation pre-initiation week. Part of the definition set up for hazing is: "any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce excessive mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, embarrass-ment, harassment or, ridicule." They include such things as padding, creation of excessive fatigue, excessive mental or physical shocks, or participating in any degrading or humiliating games. The fraternity men listed some goals and objectives to be obtained during goat week. Among the highest on the list are to build love and appreciation for the fraternity. Brotherhood, closeness, spirited fra-ternalism, fra-ternalism, and personal betterment are also the fraternities goals. Some IFC men described the pre-initiation week as a transitional period "something happens through which they gain an affection and deeper appreciation for the fraternity." Changing Slowly The upcoming trend in pre-iniation weeks seems to be directed toward group dynamics Norma Brockbank explained that a "T" group discussion could be one of the more likely prospects for heightening heighten-ing the rewarding experience of preinitiation activities. These T groups could discuss problems that the fraternity or sorority has. The pledges could suggest cures for ailing pledges programs. They could even suggest improvements for their own goat weeks. Personal contact with the actives could be accomplished by iniates talking their problems over with interested active brothers. Goat week is slowly becoming an experience ex-perience which builds all the ideals of fraternal life. |