What are some of the most common hazing practices that you came across in your research?
There are many practices that can result in traumatic injury. First, there is assault, which involves beating up the pledges, and perhaps abandoning them somewhere. There are also a lot of issues with falls, where pledges are made to go up on a roof, or some high place, especially after they've been drinking. There have been several drownings, where pledges had been forced to swim either in bad conditions or, again, drunk.
Branding, or burning, is another hazing practice. It is traditionally associated with African-American fraternities, but is happening more and more now in other places.
Another common hazing practice involves forcing people to do excessive exercise -- or any kind of calisthenics -- to the point that it's dangerous. They can die of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
There are also a number of hazing practices that are less traumatic, and more psychologically abusive. Things like forcing people to get up early, forcing somebody to carry all your things, things that are humiliating but maybe not quite as harmful.
There are also a lot of humiliating sexual acts that pledges are sometimes forced to do. Some very, very troubling things. All the way up to sexual assaults and sodomy.
