‘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.’ JMr f*V , 1 'll co^!°k |0» r»cc X” Os^11 tc®5 Y*' A*\l. ^