In honor of National Hazing Prevention Week, I wanted to bring to attention this very important subject that is very relevant at every college. When people hear the word hazing, situations like greek life members drinking until they pass out come to mind. What a lot of people do not know is that there are many way to haze someone and the Greeks are not the largest group performing the hazing. The group most effected are actually athletes; approximately 74% of athletes are hazed. Sororities and fraternities come in very close behind at 73% (stophazing.org). My point is, most people know what hazing is, but there are numerous misconceptions that people have on this subject.
Drinking is involved in a large proportion of hazing incidents, but there are numerous other categories of incidents that can occur. Some other things that can occur are sexually, sleep deprived, and singing/ chanting related. All of these acts are humiliating, and detrimental both emotionally and physically. The best way to identify a hazing situation is if you feel as if someone's health or life is in danger, forced to do an action, or asked to perform tasks that go against your own morals. People often feel stuck when they run into any experiences like these because they want to be apart of the organization so badly or they do not want to be punished in any way. Always keep your future in mind when choosing to partake in activities because being apart of an organization that puts your health at risk really is not worth joining.
Once a hazing situation is identified, what should you do? One of the best actions to take is to act as a group. Talk to others in your group that are being effected and plan to take action. Often one person can be overpowered by a group so it is best to have multiple people recognize that there is a problem. If confronting the hazers as a group is not successful then immediately go to the person who is head of the program whether it is a coach, or a greek life organizer. Then, if this person does not intervene get the authorities involved.
There is a lot of information on what to do if you have been hazed, but there is not that much on what to do during a hazing event. If you know you are going to an event where hazing will occur there are a few things you can do. First, before you leave tell someone you trust what you are doing and where you will be. It is best if someone is aware of what you are doing so it is easier to locate and help you. Second, if you know where it will be taking place, know the area and create an exit plan. Then lastly, never volunteer to go first because it is likely that the event has not been tested for safety.
So why is the movement of stopping hazing so important? Sure, it does not cause hundreds of deaths every year, but it does effects thousands of students physically and mentally. It causes unnecessary suffering that needs to be put to an end. Many groups are involved like athletic teams, greek organizations, marching bands, honor societies, and clubs. Hazing has been around for more than 100 years and it progressively gets worse through time. If this subject is over looked now, it will just continue to get more violent and aggressive.
