Sigma Alpha Epsilon, dubbed the country's "deadliest fraternity," has announced a ban on pledging in an effort to end hazing injuries and death.
According to Bloomberg News, SAE's announcement has been met with skepticism from college and fraternity leaders, who feel like some frats will try to keep pledging practices a secret.
Still, many said the effort will be effective coming from one of the nation's largest fraternities and could lead others to work towards ending hazing. At various SAE chapters' events, at least 10 people have died from hazing, alcohol or drugs since 2006, the most according to data gathered by Bloomberg News.
"As an organization, we have been plagued with too much bad behavior, which has resulted in loss of lives, negative press and large lawsuits," Bradley Cohen, SAE's top official, said in a video message Sunday. "We have taken our bloodline for the fraternity - our new members - and treated them as second-class citizens."
SAE's new selection process has been named "the True Gentleman Experience" and it states that pledging is a creation of "modern culture" and was not part of the "original Ritual."
"In selecting members to join Sigma Alpha Epsilon, groups acknowledge and recognize that a candidate for membership must possess the qualities and qualifications necessary of a brother before extending him an invitation to join," the document reads. "The first semester or year of membership will not be used as a method to determine the worthiness of a candidate."
The "Bid-to-Initiate" process begins with a "bid period" of 96 hours. In that timeframe, the fraternity chapter will record and process the recruit's information on the national organization's website. If a candidate is accepted after the bid period, he is initiated with equal rights and responsibilities and will be charged a membership fee to join SAE.
Michael Bronski, an expert on gender studies at Dartmouth University, told Bloomberg News he is skeptical that local fraternities would follow these sweeping changes. "National fraternities make policy," he said Bronski. "Local fraternities don't necessarily follow it."
SAE has been under pressure to help end hazing since Bloomberg News published an investigative piece in Dec. detailing how members of the Salisbury University chapter were treated. Pledges were forced to stand in plastic trashcans of ice and were also forced to drink alcohol until they passed out. (READ the full piece here).
"Sigma Alpha Epsilon's leadership understands that the implementation of the True Gentleman Experience will provide challenges as it is incorporated throughout our Realm," SAE said in a statement. "However, this change will strengthen our Fraternity, create highly positive opportunities to redefine membership, attract prospective members who otherwise might not join and lead the way among Greek-letter organizations as we recommit ourselves to our Founding Fathers' original concepts and return to their intent for membership in the Fraternity."