Fraternity Hazing

Collected by Jennifer Rodan (jennifer.a.rodan@vanderbilt.edu)

Summary: Ignoring university policy against  fraternity hazing, a particular house secretly participated in hazing its freshman pledges.

Text: I heard that a fraternity known to be friendly actually used to do some pretty harsh hazing on its
freshman pledges a few years ago. I don't think it really happened, but I'm not sure. The members would
take the new guys out onto the roof of the house late at night and tell them to drop their pants. They
would tie a piece of string to their balls with a brick attached to the string. Then the brick was dropped
off the side of the roof.

Notes: My informant did not give me permission to reveal the name of the fraternity that this tale is associated
with nor his own fraternity. My personal note is the implausibility of the events due to severe damage of anatomy.

CONTEXT
A. Brief Summary of Tale: Ignoring university policy against
fraternity hazing, a particular house secretly participated in
hazing its freshman pledges.
B. Tale Type and Motifs: College Greek System; Test of
Masculinity/Loyalty and Initiation.
C. Comments on Tale: This tale reflects the common practice of
pledges of one fraternity telling what they've heard about other
rival fraternities. Note this myth is not for squimish readers...
D. Approximate date informant first heard tale: My informant heard
it during the 1996 rush period in January.
E. Relationship of your informant with the individual from whom
the informant heard the tale: My informant heard this tale from a
peer in his pledge class.
F. Circumstances when tale was first heard: My informant heard
the tale during one of his fraternity's weekend parties at the
house. It was told while both informant and informee were
intoxicated.
G. Give the following information on your informant:
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Place of birth: Arkansas
Ethnic Group: Caucasion
Languages spoken: English
Religion: Christian
Year in school: Senior (heard when Freshman)
Extracurricular jobs? No
Date Collected: 9/4/98