A common hazing technique is bonding through humiliation. The concept is that when a group of men are humiliated long enough together (along with other hazing), they will bond and quit worrying about any culture outside of their own. They "become brothers". It is an effective technique but takes it's toll. College students would be better off climbing a mountain together or locking themselves in a pub.

The "sand angels in the volleyball" court was in my fraternity's unofficial handbook and I both experienced it and eventually oversaw it. Not my proudest of moments.

Basically, the entire point of a Greek Fraternity is to party and network. Two Saturday's a month we would throw enormous parties. Our house was a kind of ranch off campus with 20 acres. We had a central house with the largest patio that I have ever seen to this day, and a three car garage that was renovated into a sort of club. One of the alumni even trucked in an authentic "Wild West" saloon bar from a ghost town in Oklahoma.

During the Fall semesters, the pledges were basically going through boot camp and during the parties they had to set everything up and serve, play bitch throughout the party, then cleanup on Sunday. During the height of the party, they would have to strip completely naked and do pushups, "sand angels" (like snow angels), and hump the sand until someone either puked or quit, as in entirely quit their pledgeship.

So you have a bunch of drunk chicks (freshman girls and classmates of the pledges mind you) laughing along with the mob as you hump the deck, buck naked, just praying that the guy next to you will puke his brains out soon and play bitch for the next week or just fucking quit. "Please dude, just fucking quit." The pledges would often fuck over each other for the first couple of months.

Fucking Humiliating.

However, after awhile you realize that none of it matters. You have fun with your brothers and who gives a shit what else happens or what others think. It is easy to say that you wouldn't let it get to you but until you go through it you don't understand. That is the purpose of hazing and it changes people.

I experienced it again in and around the military where it was needed. I don't think I truly understood it though until years later when I saw the same methods being tossed around by a professional coach because "it's just a little hazing, it's all in good fun".

A couple years ago I talked about it with my father who retired Full Bird. It may be the most somber conversion I ever had with him and he recalled some shameful memories.

In jump school you have a mock door that you stage on and practice your landing out of. You have to grab both sides of the frame. They use to wire it up to a car battery in an attempt to make guys piss themselves or roll/break an ankle if they weren't Airborne/Ranger material. He told me many stories of the "Old Army". While those occurrences were few and far between and most of the instigators, even during that period, were transferred or discharged, he shared many similar stories and explained the history and purpose of hazing the best as he was able.

"If you have to piss on a man to save him from the fire, you best piss on his face so he stays pretty. If he isn't walking into fire, you're just pissing on a man."

There is no "hazing in good fun" and college students should NOT play with fire. I feel like a geezer saying that and I'm only coming up on 30 but it is fucking true. You can destroy people with these methods. I cannot think of a reason any group other than expedition level athletes or elite military crews should ever line up men and quiz them with the intent to humiliate. It is the first step. If you don't go to step two, there is no point in utilizing step one. There are better, more effective methods to train and instruct. That is, unless you are an asshole. It takes one to know one and unfortunately I've been there.