Perhaps the time has come for universities and campus-affiliated groups such as fraternities and sororities to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for heinous practices such as drinking rituals for initiates.

On a regular basis, we read about a fraternity, or sometimes a sorority, group that allow practices that lead to serious injury and even death to those they allegedly are “initiating.” Just the past week, a University of Colorado student died as a result of a drinking incident orchestrated by a fraternity. The school immediately suspended the group for an unspecified period, and the national headquarters sounded stern in its response.

What’s wrong with kicking such a group out of the university picture and sending the message that any other unit that engages in such terrible procedures will suffer the same? Universities would do well to abolish rather than suspend guilty groups, and the national leaders of them should concur.

How many “features” on television or in newspapers have chronicled the disgusting initiation rituals of some college groups? Certainly enough to make it clear that modern binge-drinking practices by young people are out of control and are likely to get worse unless somebody gets tough.

We have student groups trying to get the drinking age dropped from 21 to 18 where the higher level now prevails and yet there is little strong evidence that the youths can handle such “freedom.” We get the old response that if a young person is old enough to vote and fight for his or her country, that person should be allowed to legally consume alcohol. Strangely enough, the nation got through World War II with millions of young people serving militarily who could not vote or drink legally. The majority of Americans was none the worse for the policy.

But the mentality of young people has changed considerably over the years. The evidence is clear that drinking and substance abuse are tremendous points of concern in that group. When sanctioned agencies such as fraternities and sororities are actively and gleefully promoting the abuse of alcohol for so-called rites of passage, the case of under-21 booze-complainants is sorely weakened.

As long as schools and organizations think they can get away with outlandish initiation practices, including physical punishment as well as drinking abuses, they are likely to continue to cause problems, sometimes fatal ones.

In view of the growing number of campus-related tragedies, such as the recent one at Colorado, an overall zero-tolerance policy by schools and living groups against terrible procedures could have a positive effect.

One strike and you’re out should be the approach.