It’s kind of hard to believe what is becoming of America. We’re currently in one of the worst situation’s we’ve ever been in with the job market and education. Instead of focusing our energy on these issues, the state of Florida just passed a new law that will have a immediate effect on Florida A&M’s campus.
In June of 2005 the Chad Meredith Act was passed making hazing a criminal offense in the state of Florida.
Rep. Adam Hasner, a Delray Beach republican, proposed the law to honor the memory of Chad Meredith, who drowned while pledging Kappa Sigma in 2001 at the University of Miami.
According to a report in the Central Florida Future, “Stuck in a haze,” the bill makes many practices resulting in serious bodily injury or death a third degree felony punishable by up to a five-year prison sentence. Also, any hazing like branding that may cause bodily harm is now classified as a first-degree misdemeanor. This is unfair to black greek organizations who ritual brand.
An intoxicated, white student died while trying to swim across a lake with his fraternity. But blacks Greeks are being stripped of one of their tools for showing an unbreakable bond between brother and even sisterhood.
Don’t get me wrong my thoughts and prayers go out to the Meredith family, but he had a choice! Let me remind you that this is not the first instance from which a student has died pledging. Every year someone dies from far worse things like skydiving, but there’s no law against that.
What about street racing, where’s the law saying you will serve five years in prison for that!
I do not support hazing, I’m in no way condoning hazing, but the new act is extremely ridiculous!
My biggest problem with this act is that it is taking away people’s rights. You have to give people the opportunity to choose.
There are bigger problems in this country than hazing, we should be more worried about issues like Iraq and making gas prices more affordable than rituals practiced by Greek organizations.
The last I heard, gas was going up some more in the next few months.
Royle King is a sophomore broadcast journalism student from Dallas. He can be reached at royle_04@hotmail.com.