Preventing Hazing at Harvard crimson shield

 

Harms of Hazing

Student groups (meaning student organizations, both recognized and unrecognized, and athletic teams) may engage in hazing activities with the best of intentions – perhaps looking to build team spirit or to make their new or potential members feel like a part of something important. But, regardless of their intent, by engaging in hazing, these groups put their peers at risk, both physically and emotionally. Below are just a few of the myriad physical and psychological harms resulting from some kinds of hazing practices. Obviously, this list is not intended to be comprehensive; other types of conduct not listed below may also endanger students’ physical or mental health or safety.

Physical Activity
Forcing new or potential members of a student group to perform calisthenics or other physical activities, such as running or wrestling, may lead to injuries, headaches, heat exhaustion, dehydration, or even something as severe as seizure or coma.1.6 New or potential members (even new or potential members of sports teams or clubs) may have not had a recent physical examination and/or may be at extreme risk of injury or illness brought on by physical activity.

Harvard has had its share of incidents that attest to the unintended consequences of hazing through physical activities. For example, one student was injured upon collision with a glass window during a naked run through Harvard Square.2 Another was paralyzed during a wrestling match on a beer soaked floor.3

Dangerous Tasks
Any activity that tests physical strength or courage, if not managed by a trained professional, puts new or potential members at risk. Indeed, these kinds of activities can be outright deadly. For example, forcing students to climb roofs, ledges, or bridges (especially in combination with alcohol or drug consumption) can lead to death or life-altering injury. Similarly, making students attempt “trust falls” or “confidence climbs” on makeshift obstacles and/or without proper supervision and safety equipment can lead to serious harm.

Sexual Assaults and Simulations
Any kind of forced sexual assault, whether against new or potential members of a student group or team or against persons outside the group or team, can lead not only to physical harm or trauma, but also to extreme psychological distress.5 Moreover, such actions may lead to the spread of sexually transmitted infections and/or unintended pregnancies.1 Simulated sexual assaults or sex acts can have the same psychological effect as the activities they imitate.5

Consumption of Alcohol and Other Drugs
For a full explanation of the harms associated with alcohol and hazing, please see The Role of Alcohol and Other Drugs.

Consumption of Food, Water, and Other Substances (non-alcoholic)
Forcing individuals to consume large amounts of food or drink, or non-food substances, is inherently dangerous. Students may have unknown allergies or other medical conditions. Even something as apparently harmless as water can be deadly – the rapid intake of too much water can lead to water-intoxication (water poisoning) and death. In the past five years, at least two deaths have occurred on college campuses as a direct result of forced water consumption.4

Exposure to Inclement Weather
New England is well-known for extreme weather conditions. The heat and the cold can both lead to serious injury if students are forcibly exposed to the elements – especially when equipped with inappropriate clothing (for example, swimsuits in the winter or heavy, restrictive clothing in the warm spring or summer months).

This activity is a form of hazing 
This activity is a form of hazing: it involves exposure to the weather without proper attire and is potentially embarrassing or humiliating
 for participants.
(Photo Credit: David E. Stein, Crimson Photographer)

Kidnapping and Isolation
Kidnapping, like assault, is a crime independent of its association with any hazing practice. Restraining someone with duct tape or other bonds can easily lead to injury (duct tape can strip off hair and skin and cause burns). Harvard is in an urban environment, and leaving students in an area with which they are not familiar can lead to harm. Confining someone in an enclosed space is criminal conduct and can cause severe stress (and physical harm, depending on the space used).

Harassment and Humiliation
Whether it is being yelled at or being asked to wear clothing that persons of the opposite gender typically wear, hazing that embarrasses new or potential members of an organization or team can be harmful to their emotional well-being. Students may experience feelings of anxiety, confusion, fear, anger, or depression from these hazing practices, as well as difficulties in concentrating and poor academic performance.6-7

Hidden Harm

As indicated above, in addition to the obvious harms associated with some hazing activities, there may also be unintended consequences of hazing activities that place students in immediate peril, but further, hazing can affect peers and teammates in unforeseen and more subtle ways.

Sleep deprivation, alcohol and drug consumption, and other hazing abuses can be traumatic for all students, regardless of their mental health status. But, more and more students arrive at college with some type of a mental health concern.8 In fact, 14.5 percent of enrolled students across the country have been diagnosed with depression—a form of mental illness—according to the results of the 2006 National College Health Assessment (N=23,863).9 For Harvard students who live with mental illness, hazing activities may be particularly difficult. The stress and challenges that accompany hazing activities may exacerbate a pre-existing mental condition or trigger a new one.5,7-8 A hazing incident might also jolt a student’s memory of an earlier stressful life experience, such as domestic abuse.

An activity that seems innocent to some may cause pain and suffering to others.7 For instance, expecting students to run naked through the Quad during a new member process may appear to be a silly tradition for an organization or team. However, this ritual can pose emotional trauma for a particular member, triggered by the memories of an experience of childhood sexual abuse. Similarly, new member activities that involve expressions of homophobia could easily create significant discomfort for new members who are gay or exploring their sexuality.

For more reasons why hazing is harmful, and to understand why groups continue to haze despite these risks, check out Reasons for and Against Hazing.

Sources:

1 Finkel, M.A. (2002). Traumatic injuries caused by hazing practices. AJEM, 20(3), 228-233.

2 Marchell, T. (2006, April 6). Hazing: A revealing look at hidden rites. Presentation given at Harvard University.

3 Korry, A.D. (1979, September 28). Pi-Eta Club Initiate Seriously Injured Following Fraternity's Initiation Rites. The Harvard Crimson Online Edition. Retrieved from
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=262735.

4 May, M, (2005, February 4). CHICO fraternity pledge died of water poisoning, San Francisco Chronicle, Retrieved from http://sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/04/BAGNSB576121.DTL.

5 Lipkins, S. (2006) Preventing hazing: How parents, teachers, and coaches can stop the violence, harassment, and humiliation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

6 Cornell University. (2006). Consider the Issues: Arguments for and Against [Hazing]. Hazing.Cornell.edu: A revealing look at hidden rites. Retrieved from
http://www.hazing.cornell.edu

7 Guynn, K.L. and Aquila, F.D. (2004). Hazing in High Schools: Causes and Consequences. Bloomington, Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

8 Apgar, T., Szabo, R., Sullvian, T.J. Hidden harm: The dangerous impact of hazing
on students with existing mental health issues. National Hazing Prevention
Week Resource Guide. Campuspeak.

9 American College Health Association. (2007). American College Health Association – National College Health Assessment: Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2006. Baltimore: American College Health Association; Retrieved from: http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/ACHA-NCHA_Reference_Group_ExecutiveSummary_Fall2006.pdf