Funny Pledge Tasks: An Inside Look at Some Quirky Initiations in Colleges and Fraternities
College and fraternity initiations are known for their strict guidelines and sometimes humorous tasks designed to test the resolve and willingness of potential members. While some initiations may seem harsh or unnecessary, they serve a purpose in building a strong brotherhood and fostering trust among peers. In this article, we explore a variety of humorous pledge tasks that have been reported in colleges and fraternities across the country.
- Pledge Sandwich:
-
A group of pledges is given the task of making a sandwich from scratch using various ingredients.
-
Each member is assigned a specific ingredient and must finish it within a set time frame.
-
The activity emphasizes the importance of teamwork and the inability of individual pledges to complete the task on their own.
- Pledge Dunk Contest:
-
Pledges compete in a dunking contest, with the intention of making a basket over their own pledge brother.
-
The event is made more interesting by having participants wear unrelated clothing, such as formal attire, which further humiliate them.
- Pledge Shakespeare:
-
Pledges are given a script of Shakespeare's plays and must memorize and perform a shorter, topical version of the play within a few hours.
-
Encouragement is given to actively mock and berate the actors for poor lines and acting, while throwing rotten tomatoes at them.
- Pledge Picasso:
-
Pledges are given a canvas and set of paints, with the only limitation being the lack of traditional art supplies.
-
Examples include using a tube of red paint with no brush, a full set of paints on an empty 30-rack beer, or a cardboard box and a jar of peanut butter as paint.
- Pledge Platoon:
-
Pledges are divided into teams and sent on a mission to retrieve a piece of property from another house.
-
They are given commands such as "Hit the dirt!" and "The enemy has been spotted, so you'll need to go prone and crawl the next 100 meters."
-
One pledge may also undergo a "hit" where they must be carried for the remainder of the mission.
With humor often playing a central role in these initiatives, colleges and fraternities continue to rely on quirky tasks to maintain their unique cultures and traditions. While some activities may seem extreme, they serve as a means to create a strong bond among members and ensure that new pledges are appropriately prepared for the challenges that lie ahead within their organizations.