At that process to take up to three months to six months and when you finally that process was over with the burning sand is where they would delight they were charcoal on the ground and they would light it and then they would put it out and you they would blindfold
You and they make you that was called hell night hell night is when you went through the worst the most excruciating pain you could ever physically spiritually emotionally because they would do things like make you eat an onion and whoever was on line with it I decided to take the process they were
Known as your line sisters you know I was number two so and I was considered the rock because I held up my line I was the one I was like when they were ready to quit it’s I don’t want to do this and I’m like no come on you can do this so
We cross the burning sands and they would walk us blindfolded through the sands and put black sheets over us so we didn’t know where we was going well you cross over the sand then they went on they would take them the blindfolds off you would see all the sorrows and the
Sword is standing there and they basically welcomes you into Sigma Gamma Rho and you know so then you became a horror that night unofficially but then that’s when the grad chapters and all the members of the organization of your chapter or the local chapters will come and you would have a painting ceremony
Where they actually paying you officially on record because there was also do required by the beach so where the are do was 365 dollars at the time it’s probably gone up sense is that ritual is that ritual original or should I say is that ritual is that only for
The Sigma Gamma Rho is that is that ritual somewhat common how in your experience having spoken with other people that have been another fraternities or sororities is that ritual somewhat common you were not respected by other fraternities and sororities if your process was not hard if your hazing process was like if you
Were if you pledged in two weeks you they called you skinny and you were not did they wouldn’t greet you at parties they wouldn’t you know recognize you as being part of the National pan-hellenic the fraternity and sorority family you know so they would ask you a series of
Questions to test you to see yo what did you go through this did you go through that and if people I go I don’t know what you’re talking about then they were self she skated and basically mean it you just slip in a slide right on in
With no problems so you how hard your process was is what determine how much respect you received from other fraternities and sororities now okay we understand the hazing because I’m sure that there will be those that that either here there so that see this will say well no that’s not what my chapter
Did and we don’t expect you to try to answer that but as far as when you talk about hazing hazing obviously is something that that we know is supposed to be illegal how does that actually play out when it comes to the various chapters of presenting sororities is it
Is that title of being illegal that’s just something that people say the legal purposes explain that if you can well you have to remember that hazing was legal up until 1989 1990 so therefore it originated from the fraternities sororities now why they made it become illegal is because of the fact of people
Are falling dead people were dying because of the processes were so hard you know it was like you keep a student up all night long they’re up 24 hours and then they have to drive home and they get into a car accident where they died and then there’s lawsuits by the
Parents wondering well why was this allowed and when the school gets involved and you’re getting massive law school like right now one fraternity Omega sine Phi I’m not sure how long this lasts but at one point in time they could not bring any undergraduate chapters in because they had so much
Lawsuits and they had more losses than they had money coming into the actual organization so they were not allowed to bring in undergraduate now I don’t know if that still continued so you had a lot of Omega Syfy that were fraternities they were in the fraternity went through
The hazing process but they weren’t nationally recognized because again and so that little moratorium doesn’t they couldn’t bring anyone in so you know our grad chapters the the national chapter would say well no we don’t allow hazing but the origination of it came from the fraternities sororities and why
It’s outlawed it’s all because of lawsuits because of legal purposes so though it’s outlawed would you say well obviously what year did you what you did you enter college do you remember I entered college in 1996 when I pledged in 1987 who pledged in 97 then obviously
You know you were hazed so the fact that it’s said that it’s supposed to be illegal I guess when you come in and you swear that you’re not going to say anything well I could tell you one time it that I remember by our grad chapter
This was a elder she said as long as I don’t know you’re doing it I don’t want to know but if I know that you’re doing it don’t let me and she blocked her ears and she said you know what what I don’t know won’t hurt me now if another
Chapter or cops come to my house and say you guys did such an I’ll deny knowing it but we would use her backyard to do some of the procedures you know to do some of the hazing process everyone was hazed even the grad chapters unless you came in through grad
And what I remember is back in the 80s the grass used to hate up until he was illegal do the grads hey my granny mean those that entered the sorority or fraternity after they graduated college yes okay so where they became a graduate member once they graduated you find that
Well if I pledge doing my undergraduate year I’m considered an undergrad but once I graduate being in the sort of attorneys for life so once I graduate I would then become a grad member and that’s when I could apply to become like a basileus which is like the head of the
Organization you know wait there’s actual you actually have committees that you can run for and these are different positions that you can run for as if you’re running for president and it when it becomes very political a can become very ugly even within the sorority within the sorority so the system is the
System true I can say as far as the pledges when you go through an ordeal with four or five young women or men and they are going through the same psychological pain torturing suffering that you have to go through four months after time you can build a bond with
Them and to this day there are still my good friends but as far as this organization the day that I called him is that I no longer wanted to be a part of they turned their back on me and everyone that was my friend mind you I
Was miss Panhellenic that was miss ffiv went 1998 so I was very popular I was in the student Haitian student president I’ve been very involved but the minute I said that I no longer wanted to be a party organization everyone turned their back on me and none of them to speak to
Me you know I’m just a stranger on the street and I was given a fair warning that if I’m ever caught wearing paraphernalia or if I’m ever caught you know talking about the organization Creed in their bylaws that I could be sued it’s very interesting okay now you said something earlier and
You were talking about why there are certain aspects of a sorority that are public and you said that those are tools of recruitment how would you describe how you were recruited or what was the recruitment like so the particular chapters to which you belong to that fight well I saw the other authority
They’re so brainwashed they have no identity they’re all dressed the same they all walk the same they talked the same then I saw this one individual girl who was by herself she just came down from another campus and she came to recruit for the soybean I said wow she’s
Such an individual and when I went to her information attention we had something in common we both Haitian and she promised that we would be individuals we wouldn’t be like the other sorties that were very promiscuous were into drinking I was like you know what that’s what I was you know it’s
Just like any ice cream the first time you taste ice cream you like wow this tastes so good and then I go to John doar and I say hey can I get some I security he’s like well on one condition the only way you can have this great
Delicious ice cream is if you join my organization because we’re the only ones that have it so that’s how the enticement comes about you see all this great opportunities here wow I got that group of women that will support me and then you’re not growing up in high
School middle school I always saw the pledge I was like I’m the step show Wow I want to stab I want to do that I was so you know she took us to parties and we saw how much respect she got was she for another fraternities awardees and
How close they were I said I’m gonna be a part of this organization you know started informal sessions she was the nicest person she picked us up we didn’t have any cars on campus she cooked dinner for us and you know she invited us to different bands but then when we
Got online is what they caught it and we were going through the pledge process she went from the nicest person to a drill sergeant military and I was like oh my gosh what have I gotten myself into
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