Hazing defined:
Hazing can be a difficult term to define precisely, as the hazing activity may be engaged in on a voluntary basis or be seemingly “light-hearted” in nature. Typically in most settings, older members of the group force new members to show subservience to them. As a result, the self-esteem of the new members is lowered as they are forced to complete humiliating acts or to endure intimidation. Hazing is an act, including physical, mental, or psychological, which subjects another person, voluntarily or involuntarily, to anything that may abuse, mistreat, degrade, humiliate, harass, or intimidate him/her, or which may, in any fashion, compromise his/her inherent dignity as a person. In most hazing incidents, members are asked to violate campus policies and state or federal law (i.e., use of tobacco or alcohol).Definition of hazing from the NFHS; Interscholastic Athletic Administration magazine (Winter, 2002): Hazing can be defined as: any act or ceremony which creates the risk of harm to the student or to any other party and that is committed as a form of initiation into a particular club or activity. Hazing includes, but is not limited to, activities that involve the risk of physical harm, whipping, branding, ingesting vile substances, sleep deprivation, over-exposure to heat or cold, restraint, nudity, or kidnapping. Hazing could also include actions or simulations of a sexual nature, activities that create a hostile, abusive, or intimidating environment for the student.
Who is being hazed?
Hazing occurs in most sanctioned and non-sanctioned groups. These groups could be athletic teams, music-related groups, art or theater groups, peer groups, and gangs.
While it is not easy to know the extent that hazing incidents are occurring in the United States due to the secretive nature of hazing, one study from Alfred University has been done to determine the extent and nature of hazing in U.S. high schools. This study found that of those polled, 48 percent of the students that belonged to a group reported that they had been subjected to hazing activities. Thirty-six percent of the students reported that they would not report a hazing incident because they felt that there was no one to tell, and 27 percent feel that the adults will not handle the situation “right.”It is hard to create and feel unity within a group of students when some members subject others to humiliation and embarrassment. Hazing creates tension and can become divisive and dangerous. In the hazing study, 71 percent of the students that had been subjected to hazing reported that they experienced negative consequences (e.g., getting into fights, being injured, poor academic performance, fighting with parents, feeling confused, angry, guilty, or embarrassed, and had difficulty eating, sleeping, or concentrating).
Is there a law against hazing?
West Virginia’s Anti-hazing Law (18-16-2) defines hazing as: “any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of another person or persons or causes another person or persons to destroy or remove public or private property for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in, any organization operating under the sanction of or recognized as an organization by an institution of higher education.”
Such activities and situations include, but are not limited to: “any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, forced consumption of any food, liquor, drug or other substance, or any other forced physical activity which could adversely affect the physical health and safety of the individual or individuals, and includes any activity which would subject the individual or individuals to extreme mental stress, such as sleep deprivation, forced exclusion from social contact, forced conduct which could result in extreme embarrassment or any other forced activity which could adversely affect the mental health or dignity of the individual or individuals, or any willful destruction or removal of public or private property.”Any person who is involved in acts of hazing will be subject to the College”s disciplinary procedures, and according to West Virginia”s law (18-16-3),any person or persons who causes hazing is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined no less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or confined in a county or regional jail, not more than nine months, or both fined and imprisoned.”
What steps can be taken stop hazing?
Here are some suggestions:
—Educate all coaches, students, parents, and other district employees about hazing awareness and the dangers of hazing.—Take seriously and investigate all rumors and reports of hazing.
—Implement a strict anti-hazing procedure.
—Hold coaches and organizational leaders responsible for what occurs on their team or group; do not let them plead ignorance. Hold them accountable, and if they suspect hazing and do nothing about it, they should be aware that their job/position is at-risk.
—Create alternative team and group building or spirit-building activities or traditions that carry a positive message (e.g., volunteering at a race for charity, going to a ropes/challenge course, or building a brick wall piece-by-piece as team/group goals are met).
