‘Hazings’ can be deadly,
mother warns audience
By Dane Claussen
Of lh* Em*r*k)
The practice of "hazing” by Greek living
organizations just "doesn't make sense,” the
founder and chairman of an anti-hazing commit
tee told a University audience Wednesday night.
"There's nothing positive about it,” said
Eileen Stevens, head of the Committee Halting
Useless Campus Killings, or CHUCK
Fraternity hazing — the practice of fraternities
and sororities putting pledges through various
experiences that include paddlings, alcohol
drinking binges, and mental stress — must be
stopped before any more college students are,
killed or seriously injured, she said, emphasizing
that she is not against the Greek system
Stevens' son Chuck Stenzel, died at the age
of 20 during fraternity hazing at Alfred University
in New York in Feb. 1978.
University and local district attorney's office
investigations produced no indictments, Stevens
said, and the case was closed as an "isolated
accident."
Stenzel, whose death was finally explained by
his roommate the day after the funeral, had
pledged a fraternity the day he died. His
roommate was able to describe the incident only
by "breaking an oath of secrecy and vow of
silence ”
Stevens' son had been locked in a car trunk
with two other pledges and told he wouldn't be
released until he had consumed a pint of bour
bon. a six-pack of beer, and a bottle of wine, the
roommate told Stevens
Her son was never a drinker beyond beers
with friends, and his death by “alcohol poisoning
and exposure” left her "bewildered, crushed,
devastated,” she said
“I couldn't believe that he would consume
enough alcohol to kill him,” Stevens said, adding
that two other students were hospitalized in
critical condition. One had a cardiac arrest, the
other lapsed into an alcoholic coma, she said
Determined that investigation closures with
out action were a "blatent disregard for life"
Stevens researched fraternity hazings and
founded CHUCK.
"I wanted to make people think I was not
anti-fraternity," she said "I was anti-hazing."
Photo by Erich Bookeihetde
Eileen Stevens
"Surely someone should have been held
responsible," she said, adding that hazing in
cidents are not "accidents" or "isolated."
When CHUCK — now consisting of Stevens
and 16 other mothers nationwide who have lost
sons by fraternity hazing — was formed, five states
had anti-hazing laws, Stevens said.
Now 12 do, and three more states have
similar bills pending, she said. She said she is
encouraged by fraternities that are addressing
the problem and "yanking charters” of offending
chapters among other things, she said.
During the same time, however, 20 men and
two women have died as a result of Greek house
hazings, Stevens said.
"I can assure you that mentai hazing is not an
alternative" since nervous disorders, break
downs, and suicide attempts resulting from
mental hazing can have even longer-lasting ef
fects than physical injury, she said.
In any event, Greek houses must "take
a close look at what you're doing" and realize
that almost all hazing tragedies are linked to
alcohol, secrecy, and peer pressure, Stevens
said.
The University does not have a hazing prob
lem, but Sigma Alpha Epsilon showed its concern
by inviting her to speak, Stevens said.
ASUO debate rescheduled
/
/
The rescheduling of an In
terfraternity Council forum for
ASUO presidential candidates
will allow all six candidates —
instead of two — to appear for
the debate
The forum to decide on a
Greek system candidate endor
sement is scheduled for 4 p.m.
today in Room 101, EMU
Only two candidates — C.J.
Balfe and Debbie Mellow —
planned to appear at the
original time Candidate Jeffrey
Houston had cited his observa
tion of Passover with Hillel — the
campus Jewish organization —
as his reason for not attending
while fellow candidates Kevin
Kouns, Tom Brannon and
Edward Colligan had
announced a boycott because
of the conflict with Passover
IFC Pres. Dave Bauer said
Tuesday that he had res
cheduled the debate three times
and could not do so again, but
he yielded Wednesday.
"I believe that the credibility
of this debate will suffer greatly
if it occurs without each and
every candidate for ASUO pre
sident present, ” Houston wrote
in a letter to the Emerald
Tuesday.
"It will have lost its integrity as
an honest forum for introducing
candidates and discussing is
sues, and instead become mer
ely a rubber stamp to endorse
candidates who are involved in
the Greek system,"he said.’
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