Brotherhood and sisterhood for life, networking opportunities and the ultimate “college experience.” These are just some of the things that most young men and women envision when they aspire to join Greek life. To achieve this goal, many have to endure humiliating or embarrassing rituals, known as hazing, to be officially welcomed and accepted into the group. While some hazing rituals are just considered to be harmless fun, others can become deadly.
The fifteen-minute short film titled “The Lonely Dog” was shown to students in the Summers Auditorium Sept. 22 with the intent to spark meaningful conversations and awareness surrounding hazing. The film, published by Gordie Center two years ago on YouTube, is based on a real life story.
In 2016, Alasdair Russell came to the University of Southern California with hopes of getting a bid from a fraternity. After getting a bid from the Phi Kappa Psi chapter, he and other pledges were subjected to seemingly harmless tasks that included folding other brother’s laundry, household chores, cleaning toilets and tending to a fire that nobody was at. These activities resulted in academic consequences and sleep deprivation. However the final task involved something more serious: binge drinking…