Hazing in collegiate settings, both Greek and non-Greek, damages educational institutions’ reputations and creates liability as they seek to maintain the safety of their students. This study examines hazing activities that take place during the initiation process of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). Utilizing qualitative research, it provides insight into the motivations of undergraduates who participate in BGLO hazing initiation rituals. Using National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and Pennsylvania State Law definition of hazing, this study focuses on an underexamined population generally overlooked by researchers in this field. Examining BGLO members’ familiarity with hazing prior to taking part revealed three levels of awareness: not aware, moderately aware, and very aware. Participants also indicated what kinds of dangers they were aware of, how they became aware of such dangers, and other facets of hazing they knew about prior to their participation in the activity. Members chose to join an organization where they believed hazing existed due to various factors: Confidence & Past Success, Intrapersonal Benefits, Societal Benefits, Perceptions of Hazing, Personal Relationships, Compatibility, Lack of Options, and Following Traditions. BGLO members’ willingness to undergo hazing sprang from the following factors: Long-term Benefits, Validation, The Bonds of Initiation, Personal Relationships, Acceptance, Perceptions of Hazing, Explanatory Justification. Finally, participants in this study indicated five roles that hazing plays in the initiation process of BGLO: Producing Better People, The Cycle of Re-Creation, Organizational Benefits, Validating Membership and Not Worth It. This project highlights the failure of higher educational institutions to play a key role in protecting students, specifically BGLO members, from the dangers of hazing and offers remedies for that oversight, including anti-hazing policies, hazing support services, membership intake processes, and fraternal organization advisement implications, as well as areas for future research on this topic. / Educational Leadership

Every semester across the United States, countless students join Greek letter organizations. While some may recognize the Greek letters, many Americans do not know the racial divide within the Greek life system, and the difference of purpose those organizations hold. This study focuses on eight historically Black fraternities and sororities and more specifically, their chapters at the University of New Orleans, a university that throughout its history has had a predominantly White student body, and often fostered an environment overtly and subtly hostile to African-American students. Using oral histories, university yearbooks, and university newspapers this study demonstrates how Black fraternities and sororities at UNO promoted and supported the academic success of African-American students by emphasizing community service work, communal bonds, and connections to campus activities. These organizations provided emotional and academic support for African-American students and actively resisted the racial divisiveness present on their university campus.