California State University, Stanislaus has joined the list of recent college campuses accused of hazing practices in the Greek Life community.
Julian Alvarez (sophomore, Psychology) spoke out on Facebook about his experience being hazed for three weeks by the Omega Delta Phi (ODPhi) fraternity. ODPhi was new to the CSU Stanislaus campus in Spring 2014 only to be temporarily suspended before the end of the Fall 2014 pending investigation, according to a reliable source.
According to data provided by the university, seven social Greek-lettered student organizations have had disciplinary sanctions in the past four years, three of which were associated to hazing, illustrating that this is an ongoing issue for the university both in the past and the present.
The CSU Stanislaus “No Hazing Compliance,” which is signed by every student organization president, states the definition of hazing listed in the university’s Student Code of Conduct. “‘Hazing’ includes any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a student organization (…) which causes, or is likely to cause, bodily danger, physical harm or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm.”
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Dr. Michael Tumolo, discussed the importance of stopping hazing in creating a healthy campus community. “When we use the word ‘hazing’ in university settings we are speaking about the physical, psychological or sexual abuse of students” Dr. Tumolo said. “Eliminating these practices is an important step towards building a better future at our institution and in our communities.” The details of the hazing rituals Alvarez was subjected to are confidential under the open investigation policy of the university, but he gave The Signal one sample of the type of hazing he endured.
“They kept us blindfolded, they were cussing at us, yelling at us inside this house, pushing us into furniture, yelling at us,” Alvarez said. The act of being blindfold-ed caused specific mental harm for Alvarez. “That’s when I started freaking out because I remember as a child myself being abused and my mother did that to me and put me in the back of the car,” Alvarez said. Alvarez was the Executive Assistant for the University Student Union while going through the pledge process for ODPhi and said he was hazed while on the clock at work.
Tim Lynch, Associate Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, spoke about the seriousness of hazing allegations of investigations and the standards at which the university holds all student organizations. In addition, he addressed the role these organizations play in creating a dynamic higher education experience. “Student organizations, including fraternities and sororities, are important to the overall educational experience,” Lynch said. “They enrich lives, nurture friendship and provide opportunities for community service. We value them and hold them to a high standard, which means we do not tolerate hazing.”
An ODPhi probate video posted on YouTube last May re-vealing the founding members of the CSU Stanislaus ODPhi chap-ter shows the brothers dressed in all white, wearing letters, stand-ing at attention and chanting theGreek alphabet.
“This ODPhi shit ain’t no joke,” Johnathan Denney, a member of the fraternity, said towards the end of the video. “You see us sweatin’, we worked hard for this shit (…) I want to thank my line brothers cause we went through the toughest shit ever to get this shit.”
In an interview with The Signal, Alvarez expanded on the troubling nature of his experience with ODPhi.
“I’m worried about naïveté, you know, people just being so fogged by their relationship and how friendly someone might be that they can’t do the right thing,” Alvarez said. “What has happened over the years and seeing how other fraternities interact with the public, it is reiterating why people judge Greek Life so strongly, why people don’t want to rush, why people have this stereotype of you guys.”