Ridding American Colleges and Universities of Hazing Practices

Hazing on College Campuses

Introduction

Hazing rituals of varying types and severity date to antiquity, but their practice has become institutionalized today to the extent that some fraternities continue to risk their charters by forcing applicants to engage in potentially lethal activities, most especially the overconsumption of alcohol. Nevertheless, hazing on college campuses is a longstanding tradition across America, but the practice has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as young, aspiring fraternity pledges die as a result of extreme initiation rites.[footnoteRef:1] In fact, 44 states currently have some type of law that makes specifically defined hazing a criminal offense, but these laws frequently go unenforced. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the relevant literature to develop the argument that current criminal laws concerning hazing should be more rigorously enforced at all American colleges and universities, Following this review, the paper provides a summary of the research and an analysis of the implications of criminalizing hazing on American college and university campuses in the conclusion. [1: “Dangers and impacts of college hazing: Research roundup” The Journalist’s Resource at https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/problems-college-hazing-research/]

Background and current state of college-based hazing in the U.S.

Hazing practices are not limited to educational settings only but they been historically pronounced in institutions of higher learning. Originally characterized as “practical jokes played by unruly young men that injured and hazed the citizens who got in the way”[footnoteRef:2] in the past, modern hazing practices are virtually ubiquitous on American college campuses today. While fraternities and sororities are frequently implicated in hazing, other college organizations also report significant hazing practices as well. For example, a study by Campo, Poulos, and Sipple (2005) found that, “Greeks, males, varsity athletes, leaders, and upperclassmen were more likely to engage in hazing. Hazing is occurring on campus, although not always recognized as such by students.”[footnoteRef:3] [2: Nuwer, H. (1999). Wrongs of passage: Fraternities, sororities, hazing, and binge drinking. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.] [3: Campo, Shelly, Gretchen Poulos, and John W. Sipple. “Prevalence and Profiling: Hazing Among College Students and Points of Intervention.” American Journal of Health Behavior 29, no. 2 (March 1, 2005): 149.]

Notwithstanding the latter assertion concerning a lack of recognition, it is reasonable to suggest that the countless victims of hazing recognize hazing for what it is and only those who never venture into the realms where it is routinely practiced remain unaware of its existence outside of high-profile media accounts.[footnoteRef:4] Indeed, extracurricular activities that involve some type of hierarchical superiority appear ready-made for hazing. For example, while varsity athletic teams and members of the Greek community are responsible for the largest amount of hazing on college campuses, performing arts organizations, sports clubs, recreation clubs, academic clubs and even honor society organizations report their fair share of hazing activities.[footnoteRef:5] [4: Reid, Gerald M., Melissa K. Holt, Erika D. Felix, and Jennifer Greif Green. “Perceived Consequences of Hazing Exposure during the First Year of College: Associations with Childhood Victimization.” Journal of American College Health 67, no. 5 (July 2019): 402.] [5: “Hazing statistics.” University of Maryland. 2022. Available https://hazing.umd.edu/home/hazing-statistics.]

Furthermore, about half of American college students report being the target of hazing at some point in their educational career, but as many as 95% of hazing incidents are never reported, suggesting that even these alarming statistics are woefully underestimated (Hazing statistics, 2022). In other words, hazing is currently a harsh reality on most if not all American college campuses to some extent. Moreover, every time a fraternity or sorority has its charter revoked or a sports team is suspended for hazing practices, the ugly monster raises its head in yet another college venue, suggesting that hazing provides some type of benefits for its practitioners and these issues are discussed below.

Arguments in support of hazing

Although not everyone makes the cut, survivors of hazing rituals enjoy multiple benefits. Not only have they proven that “they can take it,” they also demonstrate their firm commitment to participate in whatever college activity is involved. In addition, hazing survivors are then able to join with their brothers and sisters who share the same types of experiences and subject the next cadre of supplicants to the hazing ritual as part of an institutional tradition. In this regard, Keller (2005) emphasizes that, “Despite endless attempts to stamp [hazing] out, it always seems to reappear. Why? Because even though these rituals may be repulsive to outsiders, those who practice them often seem to feel that there\'s something defensible, and even necessary, about them.”[footnoteRef:6] [6: Keller, Tony. “No Greater Love.” Maclean’s 118, no. 44 (October 31, 2005): 38.]

The defensible and necessary aspects of hazing likely also date to antiquity, where tribes and clans historically used initiation rites to ensure that up-and-coming warriors possessed the requisite attributes to join them in hunts and raids. This outcome manifests its legacy in the countless rituals that organizations use to test new members, and not all such hazing practices such as the overconsumption of alcohol are dangerous or even considered hazing at all, lending credibility to the assertion that not all victims of hazing recognize it. For instance, some common types of hazing practices that are currently used on American college campuses including requiring pledges to perform servant services for a period of time or wearing uncomfortable or embarrassing clothing.[footnoteRef:7] When hazing practices involve physical violence and abuse, harassment or the ingestion of substances that can kill, hazing assumes a far different character that requires aggressive interventions by appropriate authorities – including law enforcement and the criminal justice system -- as discussed below. [7: “Definition and Examples of Hazing.” University of Arkansas. Available: https://www.astate.edu/ a/hazing/definition-examples-of-hazing.dot.]

Arguments against hazing

The “we all did it so you have to do it too” argument only goes so far in justifying even seemingly benign hazing practices such as wearing a big yellow floppy hat around campus or cleaning up after social events to qualify for acceptance into campus-based organizations which are supported in part by educational institutions and American taxpayers. In far too many cases, hazing becomes criminal assault, kidnapping or even homicide. Further, bans and laws against hazing frequently go ignored or efforts are made to circumvent them by substituting one humiliation tactic or torture method for another. Finally, and more to the point, there is simply no place on American college campuses for hazing practices of any type, even if their proponents claim they are harmless and serve a valuable purpose.