High school hazing on The Early Show
 

I don't have time to watch the whole segment (work & all), but this morning on The Early Show, they are showing high school hazing. There was a clip of some girls in yellow jerseys, and it looked like they were whipping other girls that were sitting in mud. If anyone catches this or knows about it, post! I'm interested to see what this was all about.

I only saw a bit of it, I turned it on, shortly after I saw this post. There was a boy (I am assuming from this high school) being interviewed. I believe he was witness to this incident. From what I caught of it, it was senior girls from a highschool (didn't catch the name) who were hazing the junior girls. The seniors were throwing paint, mud, food, whatever they could get their hands on, on these girls. The juniors were also being hit, punched, sat on, etc. Apparently several girls were injured and were taken to the hospital. One girl had her ankle broken.

Frankly, I was appaled and disgusted. The seniors felt justified in this because it was tradition and it had been done to them, and these juniors would be able to do it next year. The school had stated they couldn't do anything about it because it had been done off school property. So, the school can't do anything, but parents, and these girls can press charges, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

This whole video reminded me of that scene from dazed and confused where the seniors were hazing the incoming freshmen.

To me it looks like nothing will be done about this inceident, and no one will be punished for it. It's just another news story. But it was clear cut hazing, no question.

:eek:

I caught that as well.

It took place after a traditional Junior vs. Senior class football game for the girls called the "Powder Puff Bowl".

After the game, the Junior girls are traditionally hazed pretty severely. The mixture being smeared on them includes ingredients such as human feces and fish guts -- probably a bit of their own vomit as well.

As a result of this there were several injuries including a broken ankle.

The school says that since it occured off of school grounds that they can do nothing about it.

Senior girls returning to class the next day complained that they were worried about charges being filed against them.

On fox news they showed two juniors girls made to beat the crap out of each other. It was on the Imus show.

Absolutely horrendous! The Today show showed a girl with 15 stitches in her head, a cracked tailbone, partial hearing loss and bruises on her face. They showed a good chunk of the video and one of the senior girls had a bat. They showed girls being punched repeatedly in the face while being held down. One of the girls has a bacterial infection form the HUMAN feces that was poured on them!

You can see a clip here:
http://www.nbc6.net/news/2186530/detail.html

:eek: :mad: :(

This situation occurred in our school district (thankfully NOT the school my kids attend). In the 70's the powder puff game was an official part of the Homecoming festivities at this school. They dropped it when things started getting out of hand but the kids took it off school property. The district generally is very good about handling problems...while there may be limits to what can be done given it was not a school sanctioned event and took place off school property, it will be addressed. The expectation right now is that charges will be filed.

It happened at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, IL, not too far from where I live. To be honest, I'm not terribly surprised to hear this is going on at GBN. :rolleyes:

I hope charges are filed. This kind of behavour is totally uncalled for. I would think the day would have been fun enough if the junior and senior girls had a good competitive game of football.

They don't let players drink off campus
 

"The school had stated they couldn't do anything about it because it had been done off school property."

This surely conflicts with the frequent stories about football players and occasionally cheerleaders "15 players suspended from team after weekend booze party at captain's home."

If the school can punish kids for drinking parties off campus on weekends, surely they can stop this vicious hazing.

Re: They don't let players drink off campus
 

Sounds like CYA speech to me. Everyone had jerseys, and numbers...that could be argued that it was an organized event -whether or not it occurred on campus - similar to many GLO policies that if 3 or more members meet, that is an "organized" event of that GLO chapter.

I wonder what DeltAlum has to say about this....Delt?

Re: Re: They don't let players drink off campus
 

Sorry for the thread hijack, but I don't understand this policy. I hang out with my sisters all the time, I would be shocked if I didn't. But so everytime I go out, whether it be to the bar, the movies, etc, I am participating in a Pi Phi event? I mean I have classes with several of my sisters. If we meet to study it's an event? woohoo, Pi Phi psychology study hour. Maybe I should make t-shirts?

Re: Re: Re: They don't let players drink off campus
 

Not ALL GLO's have this policy, but, there are some - all because of risk management issues in the past. LXA even tried to pass that one, but, LXA undergrads killed it in a General Assembly - other GLO's have passed similar policies as mandates, with no undergrad representation for open debate.

There is video from the event on msnbc.com under the Today Show. They even forced a girl to swallow fecal matter!:eek: This supposedly happened after their Powder Puff football game.

For all Illinois Greeks (and potentially others) at Recruitment next year, if you have a PNM from Glenbrook North High School, DON'T GIVE THEM A BID!!!:mad:

:eek:

That is out of control.

I have to admit that my high school also had a hazing day, although I admit it was nothing close to this. It was called "Freshman Trash Day" and it always took place the day before winter break. Mostly it consisted of juniors and seniors taping freshmen to trash cans or lockers, or marking their faces up with permanent markers (mustaches, "Seniors '03," "freshmen suck," that sort of thing). I hear that in the past it was much more violent -- taping freshmen into trash cans and then rolling them down the stairs, beating the freshmen up if they walked through certain hallways, things like that. The school has really cracked down on it, although they haven't been able to get rid of it entirely.

In recent years it's become almost a status thing to get trashed, because mostly the upperclassmen will only trash the freshmen they know, and then only mildly, as a joke, and the freshmen are all excited because it's like a badge that says "I'm friends with a senior!"

I'm sure we weren't the only high school to have some sort of hazing-like tradition like that.

In this (much more disturbing) case, though, couldn't they make the case that these junior girls were going along willingly? I mean, if it's an event that takes place off school property and without the school's consent, it's not like the juniors HAD to be there. They went because they wanted to, and they knew what would happen to them if they did.

"Willingness" doesn't matter. Any Greek pledge being hazed is "willing" - he or she can walk away or quit just about any time. I think it's safe to say that most hazing is activities most of us don't enjoy doing on a regular basis (yum, eating feces!). The willingness to participate (on the part of the hazees) comes from the desire for acceptance. In the case of a GLO, the price of unwillingness is losing your membership; here it would be social ostracization.

In sum, if willing participation in hazing were legally considered a defense, almost no hazing would be prosecutable. Compare it to being mugged. "Well, you chose to give Mr. Thief your wallet when he threatened you, didn't you? You didn't fight back or try to take his gun? You just handed over your money? So what are you complaining about?" The idea is that true willingness is not possible in the face of coercion.

I saw that video and interview this morning. It was disgusting. These girls were covered in paint, garbage, food, and feces. :eek: They were being hit and kicked by the seniors. I saw a girl get covered with some type of large rectangular plastic container and then the container was kicked and hit. I guess that these girls put up with this type of crap because they desperately want to fit in.

It's BS that the school can't do anything about this type of behavior. If student athletes test positive for drugs or alcohol, they are suspended from teams and sometimes from school regardless of whether or not the drugs and alcohol are consumed on campus. I hope that this is a wake up call to all schools that this type of behavior is unacceptable and criminal. These girls will need to be punished as an example to others.

That's what shocked me. They're JUNIORS. They desperately want to "fit in" with the seniors? They'll be gone soon - this occurred at homecoming which is what - October? These girls allowed this abuse to happen so that they could feel accepted for a whole five or six MONTHS? Wow. :mad:

The hardest part is trying to have them realize how much "fitting in" will really matter in one year - when those that ABUSED these girls are gone... :eek: Of course, in a year, these girls will have some sense of "entitlement" that it is now their turn to turn their wrath on the new crop of juniors. Tradition. Crap.

As someone who spent an unfortunate amount of time being bullied while in grade school, I can't tell you the rage I felt reading this. (Haven't seen the video but I read the descriptions while eating lunch. Big mistake.)

If I were the parent of one of the juniors, my daughter would be in therapy PDQ and my lawyer would be after the parents of the seniors, post haste. Throw the book at 'em and don't miss. Ditto the school for the reasons posted above: if this were a case of drug use, you bet your bippy the school would be involved before any tape hit any news media.

If I were the parent of one of the seniors, my daughter would be in INPATIENT therapy, and encouraging the other parents of seniors to do the same. It might head off the inevitable lawsuit that *will* be filed by someone, now that the tape is national news.

"Tradition" by itself is not an excuse for bullying. I'm not buying the "tradition" line of BS. This isn't even bullying, they've crossed the line into sadism. If sadistic beatings are done in the name of "tradition", then it's a bad one. A lawsuit would be doing the school and the girls a favor--stop the abuse before someone gets killed.

Going back to my turkey croissant.....
Adrienne (PNAM-2003)
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I'm fairly confident that there will be consequences for the kids who were involved. It just happened over the weekend. The school district has tapes, and a fair number of still photos. (What's up with these kids that watched this happen???) At the other high school in the district, the one my kids attend, students who participate in inappropriate activity off school grounds are prohibited from participating in extra-curricular activities. GBN probably has the same policy.

So, since it wasn't at school, they won't be suspended, but (just guessing here), they may be prevented from attending prom and/or commencement. The district has a strong zero tolerance policy in regard to drugs/alcohol. If kids have drugs, drug paraphanalia, or alcohol at school or school activities they are out, period, for at least a semester. It's not a climate that ignores inappropriate behavior.

Kids in our area have t-shirts made up for everything, so you can't take the jerseys as signs that it was a school-sponsored activity. Apparently the juniors spent $35 each to participate in this nonsense!

There are many incredible, talented kids in our district. And a lot of kids who are upset by their reputations being tarnished by the actions of a group of their classmates. I'm glad that through the luck of our picking the right side of the district dividing line to live on, my Senior daughter won't have to live with this baggage when she goes through rush next year!

They paid to get this done to them? What the heck?

And not that I am condoning ANY of this reprehensible behavior... but if you are going to do something terrible like this, why would you allow it to be videotaped?

I can't believe this... if I were a parent in the area, I'd be transferring my kids to momoftwo's childrens' school PDQ.

Having shirts made, and paying some sort of fee indicates organization of some sort. I'm making a parallel argument - how many times have a group of individuals wearing GLO letters gotten in trouble, that leads to the chapter itself under investigation? It's "guilt by extension" I guess.

Besides, with all the PR whirlwind this is generating, I can't see how the school CAN'T get involved in one way or the other with this incident...the public outrage can't be ignored - hopefully that's the silver lining to put a stop to this nonsense.

This really only happened LAST WEEK?

Think about that - these juniors wanted to be "accepted" by the seniors - who, if Chicago schools are anything like here in northern Colorado, are already holding commencements!

To go through all that for a few WEEKS of acceptance is absolutely mind-boggling!

My philosophy - if you force me to do disgusting things for acceptance, I prefer to be an outcast.

The report that I saw on ABCNews.com had one senior guy at the school quoted as saying "Many of the kids at the game were drinking drinking alcohol, and that seemed to make the game uglier and more violent than it had been in past years." :eek:

I'd bet money that since hazing and alcohol are involved, some newsperson somewhere will bring up fraternities and sororities even though they're completely irrelevant to this event. :mad:

They might regard going through this hazing as a badge of honor of some sort. This type of behavior has probably occurred for several years and been accepted as a rite of passage. I think that it is really sad.

they should be scared.. and in my opinion they *should* get charges filed!!!

If it is "tradition" that this happens, and they *know* it happens after the puff football game, WHY DO THEY SHOW UP IN THE FIRST PLACE????

Are they tricked into going to these off-campus games or what?? :confused: :mad:

Here's the link to the article in USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...o-hazing_x.htm

I think this is terrible and wonder what these women (no not women - girls) will be like when they reach college...

I saw this story on the news. :eek:

Here's another article
 

High school hazing injures 5 girls
MSNBC staff and wire reports


A "powderpuff" touch football game that was an annual hazing tradition at a suburban Chicago high school turned into a muddy brawl that left five teen-age girls injured, authorities said.

OFFICIALS AT GLENBROOK North High School and police were reviewing videotapes and photographs of the incident on Sunday in an effort to identify participants. Police indicated criminal charges could be filed.
Officials at the 2,100-student high school told the Chicago Tribune that the fracas occurred off campus, during what they said was an annual hazing ritual in which seniors would square off with juniors -- all of them female students -- for a touch football game.

The younger girls, who were charged $35 to $40 apiece and provided with jerseys, said they were expecting some form of mild hazing during the contest, but instead were hit and spattered with pig intestines, fish guts, blood and smelly trash, four girls who said they attended the game told the Tribune, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"It was supposed to be a friendly initiation into our senior year," one 17-year-old told the newspaper, saying she required stitches after being "hit over the head with a bat or a bucket."

School Superintendent Dave Hales also told the newspaper that one report said "human excrement" also was thrown at the juniors. Principal Michael Riggle said that alcohol contributed to the violence.

In addition to the girl who required stitches, one girl suffered a broken ankle in the incident. Three others were treated for bumps and bruises, school officials said.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Link to article

This is so frustrating on both sides....

the girls who were actually engaging in hazing, and the girls who "expected to be mildly hazed" but paid to go and get hazed anyway.

i just don't understand why they would go knowing there would be bad stuff going on? :confused: if no one would have shown up, maybe the 'tradition' wouldn't have carried over ?

at my high school, the band had a *somewhat* similiar situation. There was always an off-campus football game between the band seniors and the band sophomores (game was for males only, and at my district, freshmen were in junior high at the time) It went on for about 4 years and became somewhat of a tradition. Nothing in the articles happened at my school, just a regular football game that was on the rough side, considering no one was wearing all the protective gear. No one from my sophomore class showed up because everyone knew how rough the seniors were planning on playing (and they didn't want to end up on crutches or with broken bones).. and since then the football games have stopped. So why can't these girls wisen up and just not go if they knew what was going to happen?! :confused:

At my high school there was hazing in the band. Nothing like this, on the final day of band camp the senior members would shoot the freshmen with water guns and pelt them with oatmeal. The freshman knew what to expect, they wore clothes they didn't mind getting dirty, and often freshman parents would stand on the side and make sure it didn't get out of hand. It wasn't viscious it was a "tradition" that was an option for the freshman. No one left crying. I think that these girls probably didn't expect it to go this far. No one in their right mind would go to have feces smeared in their faces knowing that would happen. Just my take on it.

I totally agree.. I'm sure they expected something to happen to them, but nothing to the extent of what actually did happen to them.

I guess I just don't understand why someone would go knowing that just something would happen to them.

I caught a glimpse of the report and was horrified! :eek: What was even more unbelievable was an interview by a girl who was there. She said that she didn't understand what the big deal was. So what that someone had stitches in her head--she's not permanently injured. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: (Now, I am REALLY, REALLY paraphrasing because I can't remember exactly what she said, but that was the gist of it.)

What is even more shocking is all the bystanders doing nothing to help. I guess video taping it will help the juniors' case!

After watching alot of the tape, I think some of the more violent girls should go to jail. At least the police are reviewing it and picking people out.

i heard on the news that they actually had to eat the human feces

I actually go to school in Chicago, and this is all that has been on the news. I keep hearing school officials say that they can't do anything, but there has been something called the Illinois Hazing Act for the past century or so, and these girls are able to be punished through that (with jail time too!). It can be a felony if there is bodily harm. I'm really not sure on the exact details, but I hope none of these girls expect to get away with this!

OK EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWw. What is that supposed to mean??????
I graduated from GBN and those 10 ANIMALS in no way refect what ANY of our kids are like.

Seriously, you need to explain yourself.

I'm definitely posting more on this but I've only gotten to the first page.

JESUS CHRIST!!! ARe you even reading what you're saying??????
I'm sorry but where the hell do you get off with this holier than thou attitude???? Oh yeah b/c every single senior girl participated in this, right????? GOD if greek life has taught you anything it should be that 10 people do NOT represent an entire group.

Glenbrook North has been one of the top 5 highschools in the nation for 3 decades STRAIGHT. You would only be so lucky to get a girl from Northbrook, IL.

This did not occur at Homecoming. It began as a homecoming tradition in 1977 but was banned in 1980. It went underground and its been done ever since the weekend before the seniors graduate. It happened this past Sunday. And you can't participate as a senior unless you do it as a junior. If you do not show up, worse things are threatened to happen to you.

Absolutely.

The thing that worried me about the "entitlement" to haze is that no matter how trivial the hazing may be at the beginning, it can get totally out of control -- as evidenced here.

I suspect that's why hazing laws and GLO rules are so all encompasing.

OK now that I've read the whole thing....

Let me first say that this incident completely horrified me. Powderpuff has NEVER been like this in the past. There are unwritten rules and things and this is in no way representative of the event. Its not a good event, but nothing like this.

I will explain and write everything I know about its history and what I've experienced when I've calmed down.

What I find most offensive is the attitudes of some of you. You constantly post about how houses have bad reps b/c of someone who is NOT REPRESENTATIVE of them, and how unfair it is. You constantly post about being respectful of people, yet you turn around and say to blackball/block GBN graduates from your houses. How elitest/snobby is that when you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the situation???? If a XYZ hazed at University of Illiinois, would you come running to this thread and post "HEY, BLACKBALL ALL U. OF I TRANSFER STUDENTS NEXT YEAR!!!" No you wouldn't, and the fact that you would do it to 400+ students from one of the nations best highschools is absolutely ignorant.

I completely understand that this was sick, sadistic, and I am just as horrified and upset as you b/c I KNEW some of the girls. But how dare you sit here and post incorrect information just b/c you heard it and its something scandalous you can post on GC. Maybe you thought that you could just make generalizations and post whatever gossip your ears have gotten ahold of, but SURPRISE...someone was hear to call you on your bullshit. LET ME SAY, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT....SERIOUSLY THIS ONLY APPLIES TO LIKE 3 PEOPLE IN THIS POST BUT IT HAS TO BE SAID IN THE OPEN AND NOT IN PMS. MAYBE WE CAN STOP A LITTLE OF THIS BEHAVIOR.

I will be more than happy to answer any of your questions openly and honestly. IN NO WAY will I defend GBN or the people involved. But do me a favor and refrain from letting your mouth fly simply b/c it wasn't a GLO, but a highschool.