FRATERNITY means BROTHERHOOD, not CRIME [Newsbreak] [Trend]

Hazing? Again? Have we not learned anything yet in these repeated stories of violence? What is really the truth in this stories?

Recently, another hazing incident happened concerning the students of College of St. Benilde. Once again, the fatal hazing tragedy triggered outrage among students, the schools and families.

Guillo Servando died in the hands of supposedly Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity Members last weekend while undergoing initiation rites. With him, three other newbies were hospitalized.

source: DLS-CSB

The school vowed justice for the death of their student and promises due process and appropriate sanctions be given to those responsible. The school's president and chancellor, Dennis Magbanua said, "Facts are being unearthed to shed light on what has happened. Individuals who will be discovered to be involved with the recent hazing incident will be given due process and will be meted out appropriate sanctions". "The school will not stand idly by and let injustice happen", he added.

The situation has sounded so much to the other party, specifically the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity. This calls for the truth about fraternities. In our society, fraternity has been stereotyped as cruel organizations which holds heinous crimes.

It is evident in some communities where fratmen with different organization live that there are feuds between one fraternity and another. There are crimes committed and people murdered. It may be true that those involved are frat members but that doesn't prove that the fraternity, as a whole, is the brain of the criminal act. The act of one or few member does not say that the act is also of other unrelated members. This kind of thinking made us hypocrites. We have been viewing fraternities as part of a bad influence in our society.

source: Manila Times

There are bylaws and rules and regulations inside a fraternity and each failure to abide meets a proper sanction. Fraternities are actually organized. They are like a society in a society and, of course, a society has their own scums, a fraternity also has their scums. There are members who are the root of why we think fraternities are bad.

The fraternity involved in the issue has their mistake. But this mistake doesn't mean that they are the sole perpetrator of the tragedy. The other neophytes, the school and other people are also part of it- even us.

Hazing is what is really bad.There must be a much stricter implementation of Anti-Hazing Law. There are far more other ways to have initiation which will prove the neophytes' loyalty and pride for the brotherhood.

Let us remember, fraternities are originally organizations built and served for progressive purposes. They are initially for the development of communities and not to create differences and divide amongst the members of the society. They are not made for determining which of the groups are superior and inferior. These groups are supposed catalysts aiming to change life in communities in a better way.

Let us break the tradition. Stop viewing fraternities as criminals and stop using hazing as a form of initiation rite.