Proposed bill seeks to criminalize hazing

[moe.ron]

Proposed bill seeks to criminalize hazing

By Michael Gurovitsch
Daily Staff Reporter
October 17, 2003

Two bills introduced yesterday morning in the state Legislature would make hazing a criminal offense in Michigan. Michigan is one of only a handful of states that does not have anti-hazing legislation on the books, said Emily Carney, chief of staff for Sen. Michelle McManus (R-Traverse City), who introduced the bill.

"This would expressly prohibit hazing practices at education institutions," Carney said. The bill applies to all public or private middle schools, high schools, vocational schools and universities in the state.

Carney said the proposed bill would be particularly effective because it would remove student consent as an allowable defense.

That provision would have changed the outcome of the recent Sigma Chi fraternity hazing on campus. Earlier this week, Washtenaw County prosecutors decided not to press charges against Sigma Chi members for the hazing of a pledge who was sent to the hospital with acute kidney failure. Prosecuters said the pledge consented to the hazing activities, according to reports from The Ann Arbor News.

Although the timing of the legislation comes after the allegations against Sigma Chi, Carney said McManus began looking into the legislation this summer after the issue was brought to her attention by a resident adviser at Ferris State University in Big Rapids.

Interfraternity Council President Branden Muhl said the Greek community is not only against hazing, but was also in the early stages of formulating its own legislation in cooperation with University officials, which they hoped would be introduced by a state legislator sometime in the future.

"We fully support this bill," Muhl added. "The IFC has always come down hard on the side of anti-hazing in the past."

Under the provisions of the bill, penalties for hazing range from 93 days in prison and a $1,000 fine for a non-serious injury to 20 years in prison and $10,000 for injuries resulting in death.

[hoosier]

Comparing:

Marine Corps boot camp at Paris Island, SC:

about 16,000 recruits per year

3.5 percent leave due to illness or injury (half later return)

Since 1990, 14 recruits have died. One 2003 Atlanta area HS grad near-drowned this summer, and is severely brain damaged.

- from Atlanta newspaper article 10/20/03

[DeltAlum]

Let's hope the projected bill has some substance and some specificity.

What we don't need is something else that says:

"Hazing is against the law."

Then it's open to any interpretation.

[Tom Earp]

Dont think I can say this is a good thing or bad. It is another reason for The Politicos to enterject them selves in to something that All Greek Organizations of National order Profess via their Constitutions and by-laws.

What if I do not like LXAAlum or DeltaAlums Hair cut. I am in the legislature, I will propose a Bill to set into law that they can not wear that hair style!

Whoa Nellie, we are starting to have a problem of GOVT. Intervention!

So what else is new Hi I am Uncle Teddy and I am here to help you!

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by Tom Earp
What if I do not like LXAAlum or DeltaAlums Hair cut.

Then you have bad taste. Just kidding.

[SplitzSTG]

Why is everyone's response always to create a law. My opinion is that this falls under IFC and Panhell. Many national fraternities have Anti-Hazing policies written into their bylaws. I honestly think the problem starts with new member education and how the chapters represent themselves. Too many greek organizations out there refer to themselves as a 'Frat'.

My chapter's definition of a frat is a group of kids that drink, follow, and flunk out of school. One that has limited respect for themselves and their chapter.

My chapter is a Fraternity. We strictly follow the No-Hazing set forth by our national. We have a HIT Squad in place for every event that we sponsor to enforce risk management. We excell both in and out of the classroom.

Not enough effort has been put forth to seperate fraternities from the public stigma of 'Animal House'. It seems to me that many organizations have given in to the mentality of, 'this is how they expect to see us, so let's give them what they want.'

Crawling out from this overall reputation is an uphill battle. One that my chapter fights every day, but the end result is what keeps us going. And that is what truly makes a fraternity great. Every brother, working together for a common goal.

[Kevin]

I really don't see where a law is necessary. I mean, if something bad happens, the organization suffers monetary loss, there are assault charges or whatever.

I'm just wondering exactly what the law seeks to accomplish?

[madmax]

Originally posted by ktsnake
I really don't see where a law is necessary. I mean, if something bad happens, the organization suffers monetary loss, there are assault charges or whatever.

I'm just wondering exactly what the law seeks to accomplish?

Your premise is wrong. There will not be assault charges in many cases. Go back and read the story about SX at Michigan.

A fraternity could beat the shit out of a pledge and put the kid in the hospital but if hazing isn't illegal in the state the police can't do anything unless the pledge actually files charges. This law would allow the cops to charge the fraternity with or without the pledges help.

[madmax]

Originally posted by SplitzSTG
Why is everyone's response always to create a law. My opinion is that this falls under IFC and Panhell. Many national fraternities have Anti-Hazing policies written into their bylaws. I honestly think the problem starts with new member education and how the chapters represent themselves. Too many greek organizations out there refer to themselves as a 'Frat'.

If someone dies as a result of hazing, do you expect the IFC or Panhell to handle the punishment?

In the case at Michigan, a pledge was sent to the hospital with acute kidney failure and he could have died. What is the IFC going to do other than kick the fraternity out of IFC?

[Tom Earp]

madmax, I dont think that is what the toal premis is here.

NIC and IFC have nothing to do with this. They can and will sanction a Chapter on Campus along with the school who can and will suspend a Chapter.

There are Laws against violaton of another persons rights for irreresponsabilty such as bodily harm!

"But, The Premis", the more Laws enacted will further constrict any and all of us to do certain things. That does not give it a right to Haze. But if someone catches a cold because of a Greek Situation, it could lead to further problems!

Example:

you have a disease and you knowingly transmit it, that is against the law! So, where do you end up? What is the penality for this against the law!

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by madmax
If someone dies as a result of hazing, do you expect the IFC or Panhell to handle the punishment?

Max,

A very good point.

How far will a chapter or IFC type of organization or even a national organization go to enforce rules? How far should they go? Where is the line when you cross from local administration to legal authorities?

I believe the reason we started seeing these state (and now possibly national) laws is precisely because we didn't or couldn't enforce the rules ourselves.

And, as I think Max points out, it isn't the job of anyone except the legal authorities and court system to handle penalities for things like assault, DUI, drunkeness, theft, property damage, etc.

[AGDee]

Not only that, but this law specifically addresses the athletic teams and other student organizations,not just Greeks. The swim team/soccer team/etc has no "national" org to handle things or dish out punishments.

Back in '84 and '85 I took 2 different fraternity men to the ER with injuries that they incurred during "hell" week. None of them were intentional injuries, but sometimes seemingly "harmless" activities cause serious injuries. One young man was blinded in one eye, permanently, because a raw egg was thrown at him and hit him in the eye... a piece of shell penetrated. Another young man was blindfolded and hit his head on a door jamb getting out of the car (being yanked out of the car, actually). When he woke up the next morning, he was bleeding out of his ear from a head injury.

But, to avoid the "it's just Greeks" mentality, while we were talking at lunch at work the other day about Sorority Life and Fraternity Life and the "hazing" that occurs, one of my co-workers told me in detail what she had to do to be "initiated" into the college swim team and it was worse than anything I'd heard a fraternity or sorority do. She admits now that they were very lucky that nobody was ever injured or died.

Anyway, my point is, it isn't just targeting Greeks. The "final straw" that led to this bill being introduced was the incident at U of Mich, but there have been numerous sports team hazing incidents in Michigan that have gotten a lot of press too.

Dee

[SplitzSTG]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by madmax
[B]If someone dies as a result of hazing, do you expect the IFC or Panhell to handle the punishment?


You're talking about something that falls under the jurisdiction of Law Enforcement. In which case, I'm all for prosecution.

The majority of hazing, however, does not cause serious injury or death. That is where it is the responsibility of the Greek Community to hand dpwn punishment.

[madmax]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SplitzSTG
[B]

Originally posted by madmax
If someone dies as a result of hazing, do you expect the IFC or Panhell to handle the punishment?


You're talking about something that falls under the jurisdiction of Law Enforcement. In which case, I'm all for prosecution.

The majority of hazing, however, does not cause serious injury or death. That is where it is the responsibility of the Greek Community to hand dpwn punishment.

Then why are you complaining about Michigan passing a law that criminalizes hazing? When is the last time the someone was ever prosecuted for something other than a serious injury or death? It's not like the police are going to start charging people with hazing because of scavenger hunts.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by SplitzSTG
Why is everyone's response always to create a law. My opinion is that this falls under IFC and Panhell. Many national fraternities have Anti-Hazing policies written into their bylaws.

[TKEmanKM]

Again I see the need for such legislation, but dont go to hell with the joke. Things that are innocent are seen as hazing and real hazing is seen as boy or girls just being boys or girls.

I do think however that this move is just one more move to be able to discriminate against greeks particularily, because if any activity gets back to the cops then they can go and just arrest people without the facts.

I dunno...