National Hazing Prevention Week 2014

[SoCalGirl]

Especially in light of the recent Miss America discussions and other newsworthy accounts of hazing, I thought we should have a thread.

This week is National Hazing Prevention Week. SK is using their social media to get the word out.

What does your organization do on the national level to educate members about hazing?

What does your local chapter do?

Do you think the events / info is effective in educating members and preventing future hazing?


Two Instagram posts that I found interesting were these: (sorry for the size)




40% of students know about hazing but 90% of college students who were hazed do not consider them selves to have been hazed. This really makes me wonder about the effect of "I heard XYZ does ____ to their members." That combined with the ever growing list of "Wait, that's hazing?" offenses makes me wonder if it would be better to change the definition of hazing altogether.


What do you think?

[pbear19]

Gamma Phi Beta is also using social media to bring attention to National Hazing Prevention Week. It is called the #LeadByChange Anti Hazing Campaign, and there are different images that are being used each day. Chapters are being encouraged to tweet and share the images on their own sites, too. I'm super proud of how it all looks!!

All the details of the campaign are here: http://www.gammaphibeta.org/leadbychange

One of the overall campaign images:



One of today's images:



And the final compilation poster that contains all the images from the week:

[LAblondeGPhi]

Originally Posted by SoCalGirl

That combined with the ever growing list of "Wait, that's hazing?" offenses makes me wonder if it would be better to change the definition of hazing altogether.
What do you think?

This is the exact thought I had when I first saw the thread. I don't like that a scavenger hunt can be lumped into the same category as binge drinking, verbal abuse, or sleep deprivation. I think this practice undermines the seriousness of the message for, well, the more serious offenses.

When I was a collegiate, we were very strict in our non-hazing policies. The guideline I always heard was that we couldn't have the new members to do anything differently than the actives (with the obvious exception of ritual items, etc.) Then you get into these discussions about giving the new members a special item to wear on bid day, like a different colored shirt, so they can recognize who's an active and who's new, etc.

Even with those "most common" examples listed in pbear's post from Gamma Phi - I think there's a difference between singing in public and being pressured to drink. But there's so much more importance around the intent, ability to opt-out, being mindful of what causes humiliation, etc. That's a more nuanced conversation to have.

This is an extremely complex issue, I realize. And there is a lot of gray area that can never be realistically settled, so I understand why organizations would simply adopt a zero-tolerance stance. But this Miss America scandal should be interesting to watch - she's technically admitted to hazing "under the broad umbrella of hazing", and the MAO is backing her up wholeheartedly. That seems to indicate that at least one major entity doesn't think her actions were too bad.

[Phigirl04]

I'm loving on some of the Phi Mu items for this week:

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I like how "against" is written in a poorly-contrasting color, so it just looks like "Phi Mus Hazing."

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by SoCalGirl

What do you think?

While anti-hazing has merit and all of our GLOs have anti-hazing policies and practices, none of these mainstream anti-hazing campaigns represent the diversity of Greekdom, diversity of Greek experiences, and diversity of GLO traditions.

That's why I only pay attention to anti-hazing Greekdom campaigns that include LGLOs, AGLOs, MCGLOs, BGLOs, religious-based GLOs, LGBTQ-based GLOs, etc.

Originally Posted by Phigirl04

But, relationships are not walks in the park. There will be frowns, uncomfortable moments, uncertainty, inconveniences, apathy, and overall things you don't want to do if the decision was solely up to you. Thus is the nature of human interactions and relationships.The same goes for our sisterhoods and brotherhoods.

Unfortunately, there are people who will claim hazing if there are no rainbow pissing ponies. Thank goodness for GLO investigative procedures for hazing claims and legal procedures if hazing allegations get beyond the GLO and the school.

[SoCalGirl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

While anti-hazing has merit and all of our GLOs have anti-hazing policies and practices, none of these mainstream anti-hazing campaigns represent the diversity of Greekdom, diversity of Greek experiences, and diversity of GLO traditions.

That's why I only pay attention to anti-hazing Greekdom campaigns that include LGLOs, AGLOs, MCGLOs, BGLOs, religious-based GLOs, LGBTQ-based GLOs, etc.

What types of anti hazing education campaigns does Delta use? Do you think they're effective? Do you think similar campaigns would be beneficial for other groups to implement?

[DrPhil]

http://deltasigmatheta.org/policies_moratorium.html

http://deltasigmatheta.org/policies_antihazing.html

Click on "Membership" to see chapter suspensions, chapter probations, member expulsions, applicants barred from membership, member probations, and member suspensions. Most of these are due to hazing.

[SoCalGirl]

It's been a good 12+ years since I've checked out any of the NPHC group sites. Thanks for posting the links.

[PersistentDST]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

While anti-hazing has merit and all of our GLOs have anti-hazing policies and practices, none of these mainstream anti-hazing campaigns represent the diversity of Greekdom, diversity of Greek experiences, and diversity of GLO traditions.

But, relationships are not walks in the park. There will be frowns, uncomfortable moments, uncertainty, inconveniences, apathy, and overall things you don't want to do if the decision was solely up to you. Thus is the nature of human interactions and relationships.The same goes for our sisterhoods and brotherhoods.

Yes to the bolded! Amen.

The hazing definition is so broad, and I don't think every single solitary thing on these "hazing" lists is life threatening or detrimental. I don't like/want to see (non-dangerous) traditions destroyed because of how we define hazing.

For high school track, every year at the end of the season (on a hot day) we would act like we were taking class pictures. We would have the seniors take theirs first, all the way to the freshmen. When the freshmen would go, the upperclassman would go to the top of the bleachers, and pour water on them as they were taking the picture. Afterwards, a water fight would ensue, with water guns and the whole nine with the entire team. It was something that happened to us, and we would pass it down. I know this would be considered hazing, but it was just a fun tradition that we had.

[LAblondeGPhi]

Originally Posted by PersistentDST

For high school track, every year at the end of the season (on a hot day) we would act like we were taking class pictures. We would have the seniors take theirs first, all the way to the freshmen. When the freshmen would go, the upperclassman would go to the top of the bleachers, and pour water on them as they were taking the picture. Afterwards, a water fight would ensue, with water guns and the whole nine with the entire team. It was something that happened to us, and we would pass it down. I know this would be considered hazing, but it was just a fun tradition that we had.

Yes!!

I was never hazed in Gamma Phi, but by our definition, I was legitimately hazed three separate times in high school - for cheer, cross country and band (not for track, interestingly). They each involved being "kidnapped" early in the morning, being dressed in ridiculous outfits, and singing/performing in a public place, sometimes AT school. This was all done with parental consent. Most parents thought it was hilarious and took pictures.

For cheer my freshman year, I didn't get a chance to brush my teeth, wash my face, or brush my hair, and I wore thick face paint and a costume all day while I went to classes.

[ChioLu]

http://hazingprevention.org/home/pre...evention-week/

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by ChioLu

http://hazingprevention.org/home/pre...evention-week/

http://hazingprevention.org/home/hazing/facts-what-hazing-looks-like/

They are at least attempting to recognize the diversity of perspectives and experiences when they say it isn't black and white. That 2009 research cited also attempts to give a head to diversity of perspectives and experiences.

Yet they still essentially say "we understand your traditions or team-building exercises...but you're in denial. It is still hazing. PERIOD."

There is tremendous subjectivity in that website saying "HAZING is any action taken or any situation created intentionally that causes embarrassment, harassment or ridicule and risks emotional and/or physical harm to members of a group or team...."

As for this:

If you’re not sure whether or not something happening to you or to someone else is hazing, ask yourself these questions:

• Would I feel comfortable participating in this activity if my parents were watching?
• Would we get in trouble if a school/college administrator walked by and saw us?
• Am I being asked to keep these activities a secret?
• Am I doing anything illegal?
• Does participation in this activity violate my values or those of this organization?
• Is this causing emotional or physical distress or stress to myself or to others?
• Am I going to be able to get a job if I have to put a criminal arrest on my application?

The items that I bolded are extremely up for discussion and debate.

[troutmaroon]

All hazing statistics are an underestimate of the actual amount of hazings that occur. This is due to the fact that most students do not even recognize hazing when they are involved, and furthermore, there is a strong code of silence that inhibits students from reporting a hazing. Perhaps the most startling statistic is that there are no, as in 0, state or federal agencies that collect statistics on hazing, nor is there a central place (like the CDC) to report hazings.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by troutmaroon

Perhaps the most startling statistic is that there are no, as in 0, state or federal agencies that collect statistics on hazing, nor is there a central place (like the CDC) to report hazings.

Not that startling when you consider that there is no agreed-upon definition of what constitutes "hazing." State laws defining hazing vary widely, as do university and GLO policies.