Greek life as a whole is a touchy subject. There are schools where Greek life thrives and sets a good name for the organizations on their campus. There are sororities and fraternities that truly do what is best for their community. However, the bad outweighs the good for all of Greek Life. It is deemed if one organization is bad, then all organizations are the same way. San Diego State is the most recent campus that has the spotlight on Greek Life, but not in a positive way.

            As of November 8th,, 14 fraternities were suspended per President Adela de la Torre’s request. Before de la Torre announced the suspension of the fraternities she noted, “all but three of the 14 Interfraternity council-affiliated organizations were already under suspension or under investigation before Hernandez’s death.” San Diego State suffered a rough loss losing freshmen Dylan Hernandez due to alcohol related activities while pledging to Phi Gamma Delta. Hazing unfortunately has been an issue growing through the past decade and no matter what measures are taken, there never seems to be action taken by the fraternities themselves.

            Hazing is defined as the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation. Hazing has been used through fraternities as a way to prove their worth and whether they are fit to be in the “brotherhood.” Deaths due to hazing have only escalated. USA Today quoted Hank Nuwer, an author who chronicles these types of deaths, “Since 2017, that number of fraternity deaths annually has become the new normal.” This should not be a new normal, this should not be a topic of discussion. Parents want to send their children to college knowing they are going for the education and gaining knowledge. Whether a student joins an on campus organization such as Greek life or not, there should not be a fear that if they join they could die. BBC News noted, “At least one hazing death has been reported every year in the US since 1959. Since 2000, there have been at least 70 student deaths attributed to hazing.” Each year, more fraternities become suspended or shut down due to hazing activities and act out because they are no longer a recognized organization on their campus.

            Fraternities have had a dark light looming over them as a whole since the death of Tim Piazza, a Penn State student who passed away from hazing related activities. San Diego State is not the first to suspend just one chapter due to hazing, however, suspending all Interfraternity Council has set a tone for the rest of Fraternity life on other campuses dealing with hazing incidents. By suspending all activities until further notice, that demonstrates just how serious this issue is and to have the gentlemen involved to reflect on the difficulties that come along with these little games. While the events may start out as just fun traditions that everyone has done before them, once taken too far, lives are put at risk. There are hazing prevention weeks that should be active at all campuses; there are speakers that go around and discuss the hardship that comes with the aftermath of hazing. Those speakers most often than not are the parents of the students who were hazed and who unfortunately passed away. While difficult to accompany speakers like so, all campuses should have these speakers come talk to all of Greek life. Hearing the parents speak of missing their child, just wanting to have answers can give a different perspective to hazing than just doing these activities for fun.

            Greek life has so many opportunities and advantages that many don’t take advantage of. The leadership and community service options are endless; joining Greek life can be so beneficial in more ways than one can imagine. The connections you make can help anywhere and everywhere in life. Being able to assist the community they are placed in; Greek members are able to see a difference they make. With Greek life having such an impact on its members lives, hazing needs to come to an end to ensure Greek life stays throughout campuses. Imagine if it was your sibling from your own family who was hazed; imagine how you would feel if you lost them and think again before you assist in an activity that could endanger one’s life.