Two years after a string of fraternities and sororities were punished for hazing, Greek leaders say they are still trying to create a safer culture that rejects degrading or dangerous pledge activities.

Casey Wood, the GW Interfraternity Council president who is also a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, said chapters are still driven by caution in their recruitment processes. GW has not dealt with a significant hazing incident since the three chapters, including Wood’s chapter, were charged in 2011.

Wood said a freshman in his pledge class was given alcohol as a gift at a Pi Kappa Alpha event in 2011, and he ended up being rushed the hospital.

“The fact of the matter is that he just overconsumed,” Wood said. “But it shouldn’t have been enabled.”

Wood said the incident still affects him, and it drove him to become more involved with the IFC and tackle hazing in all GW chapters. He said the Greek community has transformed since that party three years ago.

“I also think it scared the living shit out of us,” Wood said. “It is a humble reminder of how far we’ve come, but at the same time, it is a warning to how things could go, and that’s a very fine line you will walk as a part of any large student group in college.”

The University formally charged three chapters with hazing, underage drinking and providing alcohol to minors in January 2011 after a months-long investigation. Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Epsilon lost their University-owned townhouses after each pled guilty.

Panhellenic Association president Rachael Abram said many avoid talking about hazing on campus. But she added that the University’s hazing prevention week helps bring that conversation to the surface.

“I think a lot of people put their heads in the sand about hazing and pretend it doesn’t exist,” she said. “And so I think this is a really big step for GW being like, ‘No, it’s happening. We know it’s here. We’re not going to pretend like it doesn’t exist.'”

She said she’s never witnessed hazing, but knows it can be found across GW’s campus.

“I think it exists, and I think that it’s something that needs to change in Greek culture, in American culture, just in general,” Abram said. “But I think that’s something that’s going to happen 10 or 15 years down the road with gradual decreases in hazing.”

“But I don’t think it’s a problem we’re going to be able to solve tomorrow, and I can’t promise all the people who join Greek life this semester that they’re not going to be hazed,” she added. “But I can promise them that if they are hazed, it’s not okay and it’s not approved and it’s not what should be happening.”

Associate Dean of Students Tim Miller said relatively few instances of hazing are reported – about two or three per semester – likely because of the University’s tough stance against the practice and Greek chapters stepping up to combat the behavior.

Director of Greek Life Christina Witkowicki, who came to GW amid the hazing and underage drinking allegations in 2011, said the cases led to a ripple effect within the Greek community.

“I honestly believe that the community has become much closer and much more willing to challenge each other on negative practices that either they hear or see,” Witkowicki said.

More than half of college students involved in clubs, teams and organizations experience hazing, according to a study by the University of Maine in 2008 – the first large-scale study on hazing. The survey also found that hazing – defined as any activity that “humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them regardless of a person’s willingness to participate” – was overwhelmingly underreported.

About half of hazing cases reported at GW involve non-Greek student groups, and Witkowicki added that hazing “is by no means a Greek-centered issue.”

One student in Greek life, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said new members will still put up with hazing if it means being a member of a coveted chapter on campus.

“Hazing is a part of the culture. Guys want to be in Greek life, so they will accept everything that comes with it, even hazing,” he said.

Miller said hazing complaints have ranged from forced drinking to requiring pledges to only communicate with fellow members for days. A drop in membership or patterns in behavior can tip University officials off about possible hazing, he said.

Hazing cases involving men tend to include physical or alcohol-related acts, Miller said, while women often partake in psychological activities.

Pi Kappa Alpha lost its charter in 1997 after a pledge almost died from an alcohol-related hazing incident. The Interfraternity Council invited the chapter to return six years later when it promised to lead a “safe group.”

Consequences for hazing include revocation of an organization’s recognition from the University, loss of University housing, probation and other educational sanctions. Individual students could face suspension or expulsion.

Wood, a senior, said hazing also creates an unintended consequence: a divide between older and younger members.

“When you get through the process, you love your pledge class because you went through it together, but you literally hate everyone who did everything to you, and then you get ready to do that to the next group,” he said.

– Margaret Carleen, Clara Pak and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report