Hazing rituals in American fraternities often involve ritualistic physical abuse and excessive alcohol consumption.
But this is unusual. A Zeta Psi pledge at the University of Virginia was hospitalized earlier this month after drinking an entire bottle of soy sauce.
According to an article by Ted Strong in the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress:
A 19-year-old University of Virginia fraternity pledge wound up in intensive care after ingesting a meal of dog food, matzo balls and gefilte fish, and then topping it off with 12 to 18 ounces of soy sauce, court documents show. After the first-year student started seizing, brothers from Zeta Psi fraternity took the pledge to the Martha Jefferson Hospital emergency room at about 2 a.m. March 1, court records show. At the emergency room, he was also foaming at the mouth….
The victim was later transferred to the intensive care ward at the UVa Medical Center before being released, in all spending four days hospitalized, according to affidavits police filed to request search warrants. He required treatment for an electrolyte imbalance caused by the high sodium content of the soy sauce, the affidavits show.
It’s worth pointing out while the dog food, matzo balls and gefilte fish stuff were apparently part of a Zeta Psi pledging ritual, the student apparently drank the soy sauce on a dare. Still police and UVA are investigating Zeta Psi for hazing, which is a misdemeanor in Virginia. [Image via]
