Hating On Hazing
The definition of hazing is stated as “any action taken or situation created intentionally to cause embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule to members of a group or team regardless of the person's willingness to participate”. Hazing is a lot more common than the average American would think. Most believe that the extreme hazing stories that are heard on the news are one in a million, but on average 47 percent of college freshman said they have been hazed at least once throughout high school and college, and that doesn’t include the students who don’t report it or don’t know that they are, in fact, being hazed. Although some cases of hazing aren’t as serious, hazing is highly illegal and discouraged on college campuses. It is most common in schools with fraternities and sororities, but is school wide when including sports teams and music related activities, such as band. Overall, hazing is a major health issue, and all of these components combined show that hazing is a serious issue in college that needs to be explored further and prevented in the future.
Effects of hazing
Physical harm
Anyway it is used, hazing is harmful and should not be tolerated. It causes physical and emotional harm, and in extreme cases, can cause more long term damage as well. Elizabeth Allen, a professor from the University of Maine puts it well when she says, “"There's no such thing as harmless hazing." Other than just physical violence or public humiliation, hazing can include sexual exploitation, or dangerous "pranks", like forcing people to eat unsafe food mixtures or consume large amounts of water. Being forced to consume large amounts of alcohol, causing alcohol poisoning, is also very common. In fact, 82% of deaths from hazing involve alcohol. In all cases, hazing is dangerous to those who participate, and that is why it is a problem. Many don’t realize the serious effects their actions can have. Hank Nuwer, an author that has written multiple books on the subject of hazing, states that in America, from 1970 to 2012, there were a total of 104 deaths related to hazing in college and high school. This number is far too high for these “harmless pranks” and proves that hazing can be physically harmful.
Mental harm
Not only physical harm has resulted from hazing, but mental harm, such as depression and anxiety, has also occurred. A person can never be sure they know the physical or mental background of an individual they plan on hazing and the effects it can have on said person. For a person who already suffers from a mental disorder or people who are introverts, hazing could be traumatizing. It puts them in a social situation that they can’t afford to refuse, and then humiliates them. There could be long term mental and social damage affiliated with this and that is why it is important that hazing, of any kind, is stopped. To do this, we must first understand why hazing is done and rarely reported.
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Causes Of hazing
THe problem with hazing
Physical and emotional hurt are the biggest problems when it comes to hazing but in general hazing also is known to bring a lot more violence to colleges as a whole, around the nation. Physical violence only increases the crime rate on campuses, and a place that is supposed to be safe and reserved for learning can easily become a nightmare to some. If students feel unsafe on campus or when they are with their sport or club, it can only cause emotional damage. Not only does hazing cause harm to students in a biological way, but if students are caught performing illegal activities, such as underage drinking, while hazing, they can be in trouble legally as well. Hazing itself is also illegal in 44 states because they currently have anti-hazing laws that allow victims to press charges, even if the victim consented to the act. Hazing is a major problem when taken legally and the number of deaths from hazing will only increase unless something is done to make hazing itself stop.
How to stop hazing
There are numerous solutions that could be used to stop hazing and, being in place in recent years, have been working quite well. According to an anonymous survey performed by HC, two sororities, including Zeta Phi Beta, say that pledges can refuse hazing and still be initiated. Some sororities even demand that their pledges refuse hazing, to show character. This encouragement from sororities to stop the use of hazing to initiate pledges is causing others all over the nation to follow in their lead. Another solution could be stricter laws against hazing that are enforced all around campus. If people knew they could be expelled from their school, or even arrested, for hazing, there would be a decrease in the number of groups that still use the practice. Campus police, group leaders, and coaches could keep a close eye on the campus teams, groups, and clubs to make sure none of the students are being hazed, and if anyone is caught, their punishment should be severe.