< hmmm... >

   "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
   For he today that sheds his blood with me
   Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
   This day shall gentle his condition."

- William Shakespeare, "Henry V"

   I usually wear black for no apparent reason other than it looks good on me.  But today, I wear black as a symbol: a symbol for justice, a symbol for indignation.  I join my fellow UP students to demand justice for Cris Anthony Mendez, who died because of a frat-related hazing.  I join my fellow UP students in the condemnation of hazing and frat-related violence.

   I'm not a fratman, but I've been in UP long enough to value fraternities.  Social consciousness and civic action in UP are in great part anchored on legitimate, active fraternities.  A fraternity is not just an in-group, but a lifetime commitment to the sense of brotherhood, leadership and service.  From what I know, initiation rites are there to cement the ties and bonds of brotherhood among a band of brothers.  It is part of tradition.

   I don't have to necessarily agree with these traditions: after all, I'm not a fratman.  I have the benefit of living to healthily disagree with "fratmen" who don't know, or don't care for, the difference between "initiation rites" and "hazing."  But not Cris Mendez.  Not the growing statistic of students who have died because of a hazing.  Not the growing statistic of neophytes who, after initiation rites, come to school drugged with painkillers and clad in long-sleeved shirts.

   Yet even my black garb pales in comparison to the hearts of the "fratmen" who killed - no, murdered - Cris Mendez.  You hazed Cris because you wanted to make a "brother" out of him.  You didn't initiate Cris into your brotherhood: you killed him.  Did you "accidentally" kill him?  You'll find your answers in Cris Mendez's corpse.  Look at every bruise, ever wound, every broken bone in Cris' dead body and forgive yourself for your "accident."  Is he your "brother," now that he has passed your "initiation rite?"  You'll find your answers in Cris Mendez's corpse.  Look at his gangrenous scars, his rolled-back eyes, his bone-cold skin, and tell yourself that he's your "brother."

   I value fraternities, but I value life more.  Anyone's life is more valuable than the damned "traditions" of violence that have tainted the value of fraternities over the years.  Anyone's life is far more valuable than the lives of these murdering pussilanious distorted excuses for buffoons who have no single shred of redeeming morality not only by hazing Cris, but in dumping him in the hospital and by remaining conveniently silent over this whole issue.  Jail is too good for you, but there is a special place in Hell for the likes of you.

   Damn right I'm angry.  I'm made even angrier by the fact that all the vigils, all the indignation rallies, and all the black clothes in the world will not bring Cris Mendez back to life.  I wore black today because of that anger.  He who shares in my spirit of anger over the completely senseless and undeserved deaths caused by hazing and fraternity-related violence is more of a brother to me, more than Cris ever was to those who murdered him.