Is it hazing to "TP" a house?
 

CENTENNIAL
Toilet paper pranksters flush with trouble

Twenty cheerleaders have been barred from a William Tennent football game for rolling toilet paper around players cars.

By ALISON HAWKES
Courier Times

Of course the William Tennent High School (in PA) cheerleaders will be at the football team's first home game this Friday.

Only they won't be waving pom-poms and leading the crowds in chants. They'll be sitting in the bleachers.

On Friday a group of 20 girls from the cheerleading squad received Saturday detention and were barred from performing in two games - tonight's soccer match against Council Rock-North and Friday night's football game against Central Bucks East - because they rolled the homes and cars of the school's top football stars with toilet paper and spelled out their jersey numbers in shaving cream on their driveways.

It's an age-old tradition at William Tennent that the cheerleaders have a sleepover the night before the first football game of the season - in this case an away game Friday against Norristown.

In the middle of the night, they head out to the homes of the team's top football players - like the quarterback and a linebacker - and roll toilet paper around the house, in the trees, and all over the players' cars.

The goal isn't to cause property damage, just a mess.

On another night the football players get the cheerleaders back.

But this year a player's parent complained. And the administration put its foot down, calling the tradition a form of hazing.

"Some fun is good," said Assistant Principal Donna Dunar. "But we just want to make sure it doesn't have the overtones of being insulting or demeaning. I consider that to be hazing - just the business of toilet-papering people's property."

Every year, Dunar said, students are warned about hazing. Coaches talk to their athletes about not doing it. And there's a policy in the student handbook that warns students of "appropriate disciplinary actions" if they haze. The handbook defines hazing as "any activity that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental health, physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation in or affiliation with any organization."

The hazing policy stems from a 1998 incident involving a former varsity wrestler who sued the district because he was physically abused during a hazing incident while the district did nothing.

The new policy lists forms of hazing, such as beating, forced consumption of alcohol, prolonged sleep deprivation or conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment.

Rolling a house with toilet paper is not on the list. But Dunar said it is a form of harassment and the punishment is appropriate.

"It wasn't too hard, but it wasn't too soft," she said.

I perosnally think that TPing is okay when it is done for fun between friends. However, I do understand the school district's claim that it falls under the hazing rules because you have to make them strict so that all the real hazing is covered and doesn't fall into a gray area. If they aren't strict enough to punish "real" hazing, a lot of complications could arise.

I think the punishment wasn't too bad... befitting of the slight "offense."

I don't know if "TP" is considered a form of hazing. To me, It's harmless fun but if the School district feels it is, then that's their own Interpetation.

Well, who were they hazing? It sounds like the football team was the one receiving the TP, and they weren't exactly getting TPed as part of admission to the cheer squad! After all, the school's definition says, "any activity that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental health, physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation in or affiliation with any organization." While the school maybe has a right to decide "pranks" like this are a bad idea, hazing isn't the proper term to prosecute it with.

Now, if members of the cheer squad were forced to participate against their will or be ostracized from the squad, maybe then it would be hazing. But the article doesn't suggest anything like that is occurring.

Well lets try some reasoning . . .

If I come over and TPs your house is it hazing? No.

If my chapter comes over and TPs your house is it hazing? No.

So what would make it hazing?

IF my pledges were forced to go and TP your house, that would be hazing.

So obviously, there is a perception that power is involved during allegations of housing.

The cheerleaders got together for a sleep over and TP'd the house. Not the Freshmen cheerleaders. Not the novice cheerleaders.

The Cheerleaders.

Did they TP eachothers house? No.

Did the TP Freshmen's houses or novice houses? No.

Did it invovle novice or freshmen footbal players? No.

Therefore not only is it not hazing: The Vice Principal is a freaking moron.

It could be considered Criminal Mischief, but only an idiot would want to take his/her chances in court by trying to make those charges stick.

Are we all clear now on why it can't be considered hazing?

sidebar
 

The story doesn't give all the details but I am familiar with this case. Four years ago the wrestling team went to a summer wrestling camp held a college. While there a freshman wrestler was sexually assaulted by his teammates. They held him down, sat on his face and inserted their fingers, a hairbrush and I think a broomstick in places that they didn't belong. Once the parents found out they went to the coach and complained. The coach did nothing and basically said the kids didn't do anything wrong. The parents then went to the school, local police, and the police where the assault took place. They got the same results. Nothing! The wrestlers didn't even get detention. Finally the parents hired a lawyer and went to the press. All the papers and TV stations did stories. At the next school board meeting people were calling for the school board's heads. Once the school board realized their heads were on the chopping block the coach was fired and the wrestlers were expelled. The parents are also sueing the school. The school has since adopted a zero tolerance policy.

James, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Quite frankly, I don't know who is the bigger idiot -- the Assistant Principal who clearly wouldn't know a real form of hazing if it walked up and paddled her on the arse, or the parent who most likely made his/her child the school pariah for the rest of the year by single-handedly obliterating a school tradition?

TP'ing a house is a time-honored tradition among high school kids. It can be irritating, sure, but it doesn't cause harm to anyone, not does it cause permanent damage to property. If the parent was that ticked off, I'm sure that some of the football players and/or cheerleaders would have been happy to help clean up the mess if asked -- at least at my alma mater they would have.

That case of TPing isn't hazing, but it is vandalism.

Re: sidebar
 

Madmax,

Thanks for the background info. :) Given all that has happened, I can see why the school would be paranoid whenever a parent complains. However, this TP incident just strikes me as being over the top. It was pretty clear from the article that the cheerleaders weren't doing the TPing to be cruel. Granted it isn't the best way to boost team spirit -- I can think of a lot better ones... but I don't think it was mean-spirited in the least. I feel that making the kids clean up the mess would have been the most fitting "punishment."

I don't consider it hazing, but I do consider it wasteful.
Just my 2 cents.

Exactly could said it better myself. They might want to call it hazing so they can try to get out of trouble for what they really did.

It sounds to me like the TPing is the exact opposite of hazing - like it's something that denotes popularity. I would hate to be the kid whose parent called and complained, his life is going to suck.

I agree with 33 girl. When I was in high school, it was an honor to be TP'd -- I got TP'd once and was SO happy. It's just a kid thing -- sure it's wasteful but it's fun.

True.. In the old Soviet Union you only got 1 roll of TP per month.

Oh Brother, the PC Crap is totally out of hand!

Damn, they were high school kids who did it out of fun and love for the guys!:)

If they did not like them, they would not have do it! DA!;)

But, if you ever had to get T P out of a tree after it rained, WHOA it is a Bitch to do!:D

Looks like the Sails of a Ghost Ship sailing in the main!:cool:

Whaahaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aye Mr. Christain, well Long John Peg Leg Wats Up?:rolleyes: