“Dangerous, illegal and deadly” are not terms most college students think of when they hear the term “hazing,” but according to Hank Nuwer those are the first words that should come to mind.
Once regarded as just pranks and gags that were usually confined to Fraternity Row, hazing has taken on a more sobering tone as serious incidents and deaths by hazing have increased over the last ten years and are showing no sign of decline.
Nuwer has been featured on various Web sites and news programs. He has also written four books about hazing and is considered the foremost expert on the topic.
“Hazing is a problem that has been around for over 1,000 years, and even though the methods have changed it is still a danger. It’s a danger that is getting bigger every year,” Nuwer said.
Even The University of Memphis is not immune to the problem. In August of 2001 two freshmen on the Men’s Soccer team, David Sommers and Daniel Dobson, were arrested, after they were caught running naked through Audubon Park in what they described as, “a team initiation process.”
“The University took disciplinary action, and the coach took action as well regarding the two soccer players,” said William Porter, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
The U of M defines hazing as “an intentional or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student and includes violent, abusive, shameful and insulting treatment and humiliating acts.” The state of Tennessee also prohibits hazing and requires that all higher education institutions adopt a written policy that prohibits hazing.
“It is not so much peer pressure but more a quest for higher status that pushes students to participate in acts they normally would not participate in,” said Nuwer, who believes freshmen are more susceptible to hazing, especially first-time freshmen who are not accustomed to their new surroundings and are looking for a group to belong to.
“There have not been very serious incidents here on campus recently,” Porter said, “but I would never say hazing doesn’t exist.”
Meetings are held with the presidents of the various fraternities and sororities before each semester during which hazing is always brought up and discussed, according to Porter. “We are always out there, on the scene, and we let everyone know that The University will take firm action against students and the organizations they are involved in if they are caught hazing,” Porter said.
Porter admits hazing can often be a gray area. “Trying to define what exactly is and isn’t hazing can be hard. For example, many people believe that if the person being hazed is willing, then it’s not hazing. But that’s absolutely not true.”
StopHazing.org has put together a short list of questions to ask oneself when trying to determine if he or she is being hazed:
1) Is alcohol involved?
2) Will current members of the group refuse to participate with the new members unless they do exactly what they’re being asked to do?
3) Does the activity risk emotional or physical abuse?
4) Is there risk of injury or a question of safety?
5) Do you have any reservation describing the activity to your parents, a professor or a University official?
6) Would you object to the activity being photographed for the school newspaper or filmed by a TV news crew?
About seven out of every 10 deaths from hazing are from alcohol poisoning, according to Nuwer, who believes the first step of eliminating hazing from college athletics and Greek organizations is for colleges and universities to intensify their regulations of alcohol on campus.
However, Nuwer does not believe alcohol is the only contributing problem to the hazing epidemic. “If you are serious about stopping hazing, you should look to stop the most intense hazing first, and completely ban fraternity-sorority combination initiations,” Nuwer said.
Most of the cases involving a fraternity-sorority combination initiation have to do with the pledges being forced to simulate sexual acts, according to Nuwer.
Both Porter and Nuwer agree that stiff punishment should be issued out to all parties involved in hazing incidents, but that can be a tall task. “Another problem with punishing the offenders is that virtually all of these kinds of activities happen underground, and are kept very secretive,” Porter said.
“Before 1990, most people who were charged in hazing deaths and other serious incidents were not usually held responsible,” Nuwer said. In recent years many people who haze others go to jail or are seriously punished, the rate of convictions is on the rise,” Nuwer said.
“There is also not enough punishment of what most people call ‘minor acts of hazing.’ When those in charge don’t punish small offenses, it becomes easier for them to let the more major ones go unpunished, which is unacceptable. If even one death occurs from hazing, it’s too many,” Nuwer said.
