Changing the rules about fraternity tailgating last year didn’t help stop hazing, but it does make the University look as if it’s doing something.
The University moved fraternity tailgating from the Parade Ground into their houses as a way to help prevent hazing. The new rule, along with banning hard liquor and common source alcohol at Greek life events, was put in place last year because of the death of freshman pledge Max Gruver. Neither of these rules have anything to do with hazing.
After the Ole Miss game, Lofton Security Service, the security company that monitored each fraternity house, announced they would no longer provide this service and didn’t give a reason why. Because there is no security for the tailgates inside the houses, the tailgates can no longer be held there.
No one is going to stop tailgating no matter what rules the University puts in place. Banning tailgating on the Parade Ground and in the fraternity houses encourages members to be more secretive about what they’re doing and what they’re drinking. For the game against the University of Georgia, fraternities are allowed to tailgate on campus, but they have to register where they are going to be.
LSUPD will be monitoring each tailgate to make sure they are all abiding by the rules of no alcohol over 15 percent, no beer kegs or bowls of jungle juice and no one under 21 drinking the alcohol. Because the fraternities will be spread out all over campus, they won’t be able to monitor them all as effectively as they could have on the Parade Ground or in the houses.
Instead of dealing with tailgating, the University should be focusing on things that directly affect pledges before they become members. Fraternities are still able to haze behind closed doors without supervision or monitoring.
Until last year, pledges were forced to wear certain outfits to class and suits to games. The pledges were told to stand during games and stay awake all night to drive actives home from the bars. Everyone knew that was happening, and I don’t understand why they thought nothing else was going on. The University allowed this public form of hazing and didn’t think they were doing anything privately.
They made no rules that have directly affected pledges, who are in danger in the Greek community. Banning hard liquor at public Greek events doesn’t stop the consumption of alcohol in the fraternity houses where no one can see. Banning tailgating on the Parade Ground only makes it easier to hide the alcohol.
Gruver’s death shouldn’t have been a surprise to the University or any fraternity boys who knew they had been hazing the freshmen. If the University continues to value alumni donations over the safety of students, we could face another hazing death.
Ashlon Lusk is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Houston, Texas.