Office of Greek Life

Hazing . . . There Is a Better Way

Fraternities and sororities, as well as other student organizations or athletic teams, are prohibited from hazing. Many are surprised that it is not only a violation of University policy, but hazing is also prohibited in the state of Georgia and a violation of state law.

There are many hazing "myths."

Myth #1: Hazing is primarily a problem for fraternities and sororities.
Fact: Hazing is a societal problem. Hazing incidents have been documented frequently in the military, athletic teams, marching bands, religious cults, professional schools and other types of clubs and/or organizations.

Myth #2: Hazing is no more than foolish pranks that sometimes go awry.
Fact: Hazing is an act of power and control over others - it is victimization. Hazing is premeditated and not accidental. Hazing is abusive and degrading, and may be life-threatening.

Myth #3: As long as there's no malicious intent, a little hazing is okay.
Fact: Safety may be compromised by traditional hazing activities, even those considered to be "in good fun," and even in the absence of malicious intent. For example, serious accidents have occurred during scavenger hunts and kidnapping trips. The risks of hazing far outweigh any potential "benefits" of such activities.

Myth #4: Hazing is an effective way to teach respect and develop discipline.
Fact: Respect must be earned - it cannot be taught. Victims of hazing rarely report having respect for those who have hazed them. For example, would you respect the person that yells at you or the person that helps you wax the floors for parents weekend? As with other forms of victimization, hazing breeds mistrust, apathy, and alienation in an organization/group. It does nothing to bring the group together as one.

Myth #5: If someone agrees to participate in an activity, it cannot be considered hazing.
Fact: In states that have laws against hazing, consent of the victim cannot be used as a defense in a civil suit. This is because even if someone agrees to participate in a potentially hazardous action, it may not be true consent when considering peer pressure and the victim's desire to belong to the group.

Myth #6: It's difficult to determine whether or not a certain activity is hazing - it's such a gray area sometimes.
Fact: It's not difficult to decide if an activity is hazing if you use common sense and ask yourself the following questions:

• Will active/current members of the organization refuse to participate with the new members and do exactly what they're being asked to do?
• Is there risk of injury or a question of safety?
• Would you object if the activity were featured in the school newspaper or on a local TV news program?
• Would you have any reservation about describing and justifying the activity to your parents, to a professor, or to the Chancellor?
• Would you hesitate to invite the Executive Director of your International fraternity or sorority?

If the answer to any one of these simple questions is "yes," the activity is probably hazing.

What are some examples of hazing?

These activities have at one time or another been construed as hazing by the courts and/or institutions or higher education:

• Paddling or striking in any manner
• Marking or branding
• Physical harassment: pushing, cursing, yelling, etc.
• Staging any form of "line-up"
• Conducting any type of "hell week" activities
• Requiring new members to practice periods of silence
• Phone duty
• Requiring the carrying of items such as statues, rocks, paddles, etc.
• Requiring calisthenics such as sit-ups, push-ups, etc.
• Sleep deprivation
• Preventing / restricting class attendance
• Forcing or coercing someone to eat or drink against their will
• Completing tasks in order to obtain signatures
• Preventing personal hygiene
• Causing indecent exposure
• Requiring uncomfortable attire
• Keeping the date of initiation into the group a secret
• Work parties / clean up for new members only
• Scavenger or treasure hunts

What can I do to combat hazing in my organization?

As a member - new or initiated - of a fraternity or sorority at Georgia Southern, you have an obligation to ensure that your organization upholds the principles upon which it was founded, as well as to protect your own dignity. Georgia Southern University and your fraternity or sorority headquarters will be anxious to work with you to combat this problem. It is important that you are completely honest about your situation. If you have witnessed or know about inappropriate activities taking place on your organization, it is important that you notify the following persons or offices:

• International headquarters
• Chapter/Regional advisor to the organization
• Office of Greek Life
• Call the Georgia Southern Hazing Hotline at 1-888-893-6544

Some traditions are better broken . . . but how?

Universities are challenged to help Greek organizations come up with ways to combat hazing. Through our Students Halt Hazing committee, we are working closely with the Greek organizations and their officers to educate them on the policies against hazing and alternative activities. Providing alternative programming is not the only solution to ride your organization of hazing. Replacing a questionable activity with another activity does not attack the problem completely. To deal effectively with hazing in your organization, you should make efforts to increase:

• Awareness among your members - Use case studies, surveys, news stories, international policy statements, or special national publications that discuss hazing practices to help inform members of the dangers and negative ramifications of hazing.
• Education of your members - Employ on-campus resources, such as leadership conferences, resource libraries, videos, manuals, or Vanderbilt professional staff to help educate members of your organization on ways to address and correct hazing problems.
• Detection of violations by your members - The organization can be held responsible for the hazing actions of individual members, even if the organization as a whole is not involved. It is important to look for activities and comments that may suggest a member or group of members is hazing other members.
• Corrective action - Do not overlook any hazing problems you find in your organization. It is crucial that those members who are found in violation of hazing policies be disciplined for their actions. Corrective action should be tailored to the incident, taking the severity and nature of the problem, alumni/ae involvement, environment and any other pertinent factors into consideration. Your willingness to address these problems will help if you are found responsible for hazing by your International organization or the University.

University Policy on Hazing

State of Georgia Hazing Law

§16-5-61. Hazing

                   (a) As used in this section, the term:

1. "Haze" means to subject a student to an activity which endangers or is likely to endanger the physical health of a student, regardless of a student's willingness to participate in an activity.

2. "School" means any school, college, or university in this state.

3. "School organization" means any club, society, fraternity, sorority, or a group living together which has students and its principal members.

4. "Student" means any person enrolled in a school in this state.

(b)  It shall be unlawful for any person to haze any student in connection with or as a condition or precondition   of gaining acceptance membership, office, or other status in a school organization

(c) Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.