Rice U lacrosse: ditto
 

Officials at prestigious Rice University took extraordinary action last month and disbanded the school's men's AND women's lacrosse teams after what they say was in a hazing incident that involved consuming large amounts of alcohol and ended with four students being taken to the hospital. In letters sent to the teams explaining the extreme action, the University claimed that a party was held and that new male and female team members were handcuffed together and asked to drink a fifth of hard liquor as a part of an initiation rite.

This doesn't shock me.

What LAX teams don't have hazing?

-Rudey

sad state of affairs....
sad...sad...

I'm a freshman on the (former) Rice Lacrosse team. I was at the "initiation party" and I was "initiated"

Calling this hazing is a stretch. We were told several times that we didnt have to drink if we didnt want to. The event was not mandatory by any means. Several of our key starters (freshmen) didnt even go, and many upperclassmen have never attended the annual party.

We were handcuffed with toy handcuffs to freshmen on the girls lax team and given a fifth of liquor to drink, along with a wide array of chasers/mixers. From the stories I've heard of friends at other schools who pledged last semester, this is nothing at all. I had a great time, I never felt like I was in danger or I was being forced to do anything. Two girls went to the hospital because they had too much to drink, but I dont think they went directly from the party. Two guys had decided weeks in advance that they were going to bring boxing gloves and box each other, and they pretty much knocked each other out. They went to the hospital, one from the party and the other after he made it back to his dorm. Here at Rice, we have a wet campus and an alcohol policy designed with our safety in mind. Students call Rice EMS all the time to be checked out for alcohol-poisoning or drinking too much or whatever. The campus police are never notified, nor are parents. The administration wants us to be comfortable drinking on campus and calling for help if we have too much rather than drinking off campus and driving, or trying to down 15 shots in our rooms 5 minutes before we go out. So 4 people going to the hospital from one party might sound like a lot, but they weren't serious. No one's stomach was pumped, they were just given fluids and watched overnight.

Our captains hold no power other than they can sign checks for the rice lacrosse account. other than that, they organize games and run practices as we really dont have a coach (we're a club team). To single them out and suspend them, in my opinion, is ridiculous. We protested based on that logic, and their suspensions were reduced a bit.

Anyway, this is by no means an official statement or anything, so don't quote me. However, I just wanted to shed some light on this, as we've gotten a lot of bac publicity. I'll check back every so often, so reply or PM me or whatever. Take care y'all

Blah Blah. Just because you were told that you didn't have to, doesn't mean that it was not hazing. Greeks got used to it years ago (some are still doing so). Glad some sports teams are taking some heat.

Also to note, just because you don't think it was hazing doesn't make that true. In the eyes of the law of your state, university, and any other applicable laws, it may very well be considered hazing.

Sounds eerily similar to the campus cultures at other schools like Rice - Wash U and Duke. I took a tour of Rice back when I was a HS Senior at an Honors Colloquium and spent a lot of time there as part of a performance group - definitely a lot of pressure there!


ETA: My only "statements" in my post are about similar academic pressures and campus cultures as I have experienced aspects of all three schools. I did not say the policies were similar..... if by quoting RiceLax it seemed to imply that was my "statement", then I am sorry for the confusion.

humm... you worry me. I went to a Beloit College and we had an identical drinking policy. We were not going to be carded if we walked around with drinks, (except in the campus bar) and they really wanted us to make RESPONSIBLE decisions as ADULTS. It was a great policy until my senior year when we had a plethora of students walking around with open handles, drinking straight from the bottle and then breaking it when they were done. Last spring we had 6 or so students go to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. One was on a ventilator and quite honestly could have died. Spring 2004 (or thereabouts) they banned open handles on campus.

We had been given a chance to be responsible adults and we blew it. ANYONE going to the hospital for alcohol related illness, (except in few rare cases) is not responsible and can jeopardize the people around them. Boxing...??? responsible...not really. Being told to drink is not appropriate, handcuffing (plastic or not) also not appropriate and anyone having to be hospitalized overnight for alcohol is not what Rice had in mind with their policy. You blew it by that behavior and your team should be suspended, just as any Greek org would have been. Rice made a good decision

Seriously stop and think about it. Have fun, if that means drinking responsibly do so, but not to the point where people go to the hospital. If groups like yours don't learn to drink responsibly, you will lose that privilege.

It very well may be hazing according to state laws.

People like you frustrate me. No one should ever be hospitalized for drinking too much. There is just no justification.
/soapbox

Actually this isn't really true (either of your statements). Duke is a little different in that it isn't all a wet campus, and the alcohol policay makes it clear that you are not to drink if you are not of age (people get citations all the time).

Also, if you go to the hospital, your parents will pretty much always find out because they will have to pay the bills that result from the visit. The emergency room is not free, and is often really expensive. (not to say you shouldn't go, just to say your parents will know).

If
 

If you're a Rice freshman, you're probably underage. Possession and consumption is not a violation of campus rules, it's a State of Texas violation.

I'm not trying to justify what we did. We, the team, publicly recognize that we made mistakes.

However, holding the organization responsible for the decisions of a few is, in my opinion, unwarranted. Furthermore, holding our captains responsible for those actions, is even more unwarranted.

I have never come even close to the point of needing medical attention due to alcohol consumption, nor have the vast majority of students here.
I just don't understand how I worry you. College students will drink, there's no two ways about it. Disbanding my team and ruining the academic careers of my 3 captains for something where I was supposedly a "victim" makes me feel sick.

That said, consent does not matter when it comes to hazing. State law in Texas does not apply to private institutions, but the Rice code of conduct does address it (though in an incredibly vague manner) and what we did fits the description of hazing, according to Rice. It's described in our code of conduct (loose quote) as any act required for admission into a group -- to be a chemistry major, the chem test my buddy took last week is required and definitely put him through more pain and anguish than my party did.

I'm not trying to argue here, I just wanted to perhaps offer a bit of an insider's view on the situation, rather than just you reading the news blurbs about it. If anyone wants to discuss, that's what I'm here for.

"Blah Blah"? Show at least a little respect... please?

i HIGHLY doubt that state law does not apply to private institutions. I've never heard of such a thing. Please cite to me a source that tells you this.

So if you kill someone on campus, you'll only have to face murder charges on campus and not in the state of Texas? I doubt that.

I also don't get that you said you didn't think it was hazing, but then admitted that it met the definitions of hazing.

GEEZE, Niavity in its supreme Brain Washed Best.

Well, it didnt seem like Hazing.:rolleyes:

Missy, figure it out for yourself. It is Hazing! Hazing is not just a Greek Thing, it is more of a Sports or Military thing.

We as Greeks only have a Birthday Cupcake handle on this type of Hazing. We just get a lot more Hell for it!:mad:

Actually, if you like this type of thing, then knock yourself out. It will happen!:rolleyes:


??? Isnt Rice a Fine Upstanding Relegious Affiliated Un.?

I was misinformed. Someone told me that TX state law on hazing only applied to public institutions, and private institutions dealt with matters themselves. This is incorrect, the law applies to all educational institutions.

What happened met the University's definition of hazing, which is in my opinion too vague.
What happened was not hazing. Nothing was required for membership on the team other than paying dues and showing up to at least a few practices (though some guys didn't even do that but still played).

And Rice is a fine, unstanding, private university. We're not religiously affiliated, though.

? Then Where Does Get Their Money?

Come again?

LOL! I think he is looking for this - http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~instresr/ricefacts/ - click on 'Resources' - scroll down to 'Sources of Operating Revenue'

oh, where we get our money?
$3billion endowment for 2800 undergrads. you do the math.

Anyway, I wasn't trying to argue earlier, I just wanted to offer my view of things as a student and "victim" of hazing.

Honey, get used to it. If you had questions because the code of student conduct was too vague, then you should have asked questions ("Dean, are we allowed to handcuff and give new members fifths of hard liquor to drink? We will ask their permission first") Sounds logical right?:rolleyes:

You won't find much hazing sympathy here.

You may be typical of the freshman hazee: "I'll get even next year" and usually next year is 10% tougher than this year. Probably if you looked back a few years, each couple was given a pint, not a quart.

Perhaps if Rice hadn't caught you, next year each couple would have to drink a quart and swap clothes.

I'm not looking for sympathy. Read what I wrote. I'm here to offer my view. It seemed like you discussed issues with hazing here, someone posted about our story, and I'm here if anyone wanted to hear about what happened in detail.

And no, I don't plan on "getting even." In years past, things were worse, from what I was told.
I came here looking for intelligent discussion, and I'm being scolded for it. :rolleyes:

You are trying to make it seem like it is okay. THAT is what you are being scolded for.

RiceLax,

I think roqueemae said it very nicely.

If you act like hazing is an OKAY thing on GC, there will be spike marks up your back.

Yes it does happen and it has happened to all of our Chapters.

We in our little way are trying to get the point across that this isnt a proper vestige to present.

Now if you would like to present some more and better ideas, or questions, We will all try to be of service.:)

Thanks, Tom. Big kisses!

The thing that strikes me as odd is that a Rice Student would even find this story to post on. For those that don’t know Rice is adamantly anti-greek and I find it odd that any Rice student would be on greekchat.

initially there was no media coverage of our story at all. none. things were kept really quiet.

Then a few news stations and the houston chronicle came to a small protest held on campus, and once the story hit the AP wire things were all over.

I google the subject every few days just to see what people are saying and who's covering it and whatnot. I find it interesting.

Anyway, we're lucky that Rice has never had an alcohol related death. We, the Lax team, made some mistakes, and things like this will never happen again with our team. I think other organizations on campus have learned from our situation as well...
I was under the impression that consent was at least a mitigating circumstance when it came to hazing. I assumed that my friends wouldn't get in trouble for what I did because I knew what I was doing and made a conscious decision as an adult to attend the party and do what I did. Guess I was wrong... Too bad we had to learn that the hard way. But at least no one was seriously hurt.