They are beaten, forced to drink alcohol until they vomit, stripped to their underwear, pushed into human waste and paraded in public wearing demeaning costumes.



And that's just in one night.





The abuse can occur on a regular basis for weeks or months, depending on the whims of the attackers. But remarkably, the victims don’t fight back or go to the police, because they cooperate fully in their own brutality and public humiliation.

They are pledges, men and women trying to gain admittance into a members-only organization such as a college fraternity or sorority.

Some of the most intelligent young people in our country regularly endure — and dispense — such torture.

They bruise, lose the enamel on their teeth, suffer depression and watch their grades plummet.

The temporary insanity that is called “hazing” has gone on for generations. Maybe that’s why it continues; pledges know that brothers and sisters before them have survived the torment, so they can too. Conversely, active members figure that they have the right — no, the responsibility — to share the pain. Living through the agonizing experiences proves you really want to join and strengthens the team, band or fraternity. The weak need not apply.

Many, many moons ago, I pledged a national sorority. At my small Midwestern college, about 80 percent of all students joined a fraternity or sorority. We lived in beautiful homes, socialized as a group, participated together in campuswide events. Being a Delta Gamma was as much of my identity as being from Pennsylvania or working on the school newspaper.

Delta Gamma’s national office prohibited hazing, so members could not physically or emotionally abuse pledges. But looking back today with my adult sensibilities, we had to do some pretty silly things. The pack mentality ran strong.

One day, a group of us decided to rebel against conformity. We formed “Sorority Within A Sorority” or S.W.A.S. Suffice to say our “Let’s Get Bombed” party on Pearl Harbor Day did not go down well with the chapter president.

But there’s a big difference between pranks and torture.

The brutal rites of passage have become public lately, as more victims come forward with their stories or, sadly, succumb to their injuries.

A recent Patriot-News story recounted

. She told police that fraternity members kicked her in the head, punched her until she bled and stomped on her head and back.

Last November, the drum major at Florida A&M died after a hazing incident. Thirteen people were charged in his death. Another pledge died at Cornell University in 2011, after he was tied up and forced to drink until he passed out. Four students face criminal charges in that incident.

Five Boston University students were found bound last month in an off-campus fraternity basement, covered in welts. A former Dartmouth University student described a “blackout culture” at the Ivy League school, where pledges had to eat food mixed with vomit, swim in a kiddie pool filled with vomit and other bodily fluids, drink alcohol until they vomited and then drink again.

And these are our future leaders.

The fraternity mentality is something hard to describe unless you experience it firsthand. I’m sure anyone who’s never pledged would just shake their heads and marvel at the idiocy of some people.

It is difficult to fathom that some of the best and brightest students in the nation would voluntarily undergo such abuse and humiliation. Two obvious reasons, of course, are youth and alcohol. That mix alone is dangerous.

But for the most part, these are young kids living alone in a new place, surrounded by strange faces and new experiences. There’s something very comforting about joining a ready-made social group.

In some cases, the fraternal relationships prove valuable later in life for making important employment and social connections. Often, your Greek friendships run deeper than any other.

And there are some great things about fraternities and sororities. Many spend a lot of time raising money and awareness for charitable organizations.

But there’s absolutely no reason for using violent hazing as an excuse to engender loyalty and fidelity. It must end. Universities also need to stop turning a blind eye to this abuse. They might not own the fraternity houses, but they have a responsibility to protect their inhabitants.

“Animal House” was funny. Acting like animals is not.