For those not in the Greek system, last week was initiation week for several frat-ernities and sororities on campus, and some houses haze their members.

It’s such an issue that the Provost’s office even printed an advertisement warning against hazing last week.

The basic concept of hazing is that through abuse and humiliation, the active members of a group are able to teach respect and humility to new members.

Greeks tend to be hypersensitive about hazing; it’s part of our vernacular and thought processes. The way I see it, it’s either something we actively and strongly oppose or much worse, something that is actively hidden.

In Washington, hazing is legally defined as any method of initiation into a student organization that causes or is likely to cause physical, mental or emotional harm. Sounds pretty straightforward, right?

In the Greek community and in the court of public opinion, there are two views of hazing. My brothers, many others and myself hold strongly to the former. We see it as something that we would never do. Some might say we almost look down on people who include hazing in their initiations, purely because of how unnecessary it is.

The second line of thinking sees hazing as a cultural expectation. It gets them excited and infuses zealous feelings into their initiations. Unfortunately, that faction still has a strong presence on our campus.

Hazers forget that respect can’t be taught — it has to be earned. Victims of hazing rarely express respect for those who have hazed them. Just like other forms of victimization, hazing only creates mistrust and alienation.

In addition, the idea that hazing creates a tighter bond of friendship is fundamentally flawed. Psychological theory will agree that the group that experiences hazing together will become closer, but many times they hold a great deal of resentment toward the rest of the group.

It isn’t solely a Greek issue. For instance, a study by Colleen McGlone of Coastal Carolina University indicated that half of all Division I

female athletes have been hazed. Hazing is a societal problem and just as this isn’t a purely Greek problem, it can’t have a purely Greek solution.

As part of the ongoing attempt to end hazing on college campuses and particularly within Greek organizations, 21 fraternities and sororities established the Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline (1-888-NOT-HAZE). Many of the other fraternities and sororities have alternatives and their own hotlines.

Yes, hazing is a problem, but not for every student group, fraternity or sorority on campus. It is a problem for all of us to tackle.

[Reach columnist Nick Feldman at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]