Hazing: The Impact
Dan Bureau
Assistant Dean of Students
University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign
What I am and What I am not
 Don’t
love talking about hazing
 Have knowledge and have dealt
with it quite often
 Not an expert on policy but I know
where to look to find them
 Have not done extensive research
 Committed to the fraternal
movement
 Perception that hazing serves a
purpose
Hazing Re-defined

Denial of the problem of hazing and dismissing
hazing as harmless are two major barriers to
eliminating hazing and promoting positive
change. The following definition is offered to help
address these common myths about hazing:
– Hazing is a serious social problem. (See problems with
hazing)
– Hazing is about power and control over others.*
– Hazing is humiliating and degrading.*
– Hazing harms people.
– Hazing hurts relationships and group trust.
*Hazing is not simply about the particular
activity—but the power dynamics operating
within the group around the activity.
All these policies! (can you read the
small print?)

http://www.odos.uiuc.edu/greek/bfahazing.asp

http://www.odos.uiuc.edu/greek/bsahazing.asp
More policies!

FIPG Policy on Hazing
– the Industry Standard for Fraternities

No chapter, colony, student (pledge or member) or alumnus shall
conduct nor condone hazing activities. Hazing activities are
defined as:
Any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or
off fraternity premises, to produce or causes mental or physical
discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such
activities may include but are not limited to the following: use of
alcohol; paddling in any form; creation of excessive fatigue;
physical and psychological shocks; quests, treasure hunts,
scavenger hunts, road trips or any other such activities carried
on outside or inside of the confines of the chapter house;
kidnappings, whether by pledges or active members; wearing of
public apparel which is conspicuous and not normally in
good taste; engaging in public stunts and buffoonery; morally
degrading or humiliating games and activities; and any other
such activities that are not consistent with academic
achievement, fraternal law, ritual or policy, or the
regulations and policies of the educational institution, or
applicable state law.
State Law


Illinois Hazing Law
§ 720 ILCS 120/0.01. Short title
Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Hazing Act.
§ 720 ILCS 120/5. Hazing

Sec. 5. Hazing. A person commits hazing who knowingly
requires the performance of any act by a student or other person
in a school, college, university, or other educational institution of
this State, for the purpose of induction or admission into any
group, organization, or society associated or connected with that
institution if:
(a) the act is not sanctioned or authorized by that educational
institution; and
(b) the act results in bodily harm to any person.

§ 720 ILCS 120/10. Sentence
Sec. 10. Sentence. Hazing is a Class A misdemeanor, except
hazing that results in death or great bodily harm is a Class 4
felony.
Chapter Leadership Beware!


Criminal law has frequently resulted in
chapter leadership aware of hazing being
tried and sentenced for failing to stop the
activity
Cases are emerging where “by-stander
responsibility” is growing. If you are aware
of activities, you have the ability to
attempt to stop it. Failure to do so results
in not meeting your “duty of care”.
National Policies

Know policies on hazing and pledging

Ignorance is not an excuse

Have dialogue with headquarters
(nationals) - some activities can be
adapted
The spectrum of hazing
Activities defined as hazing are hazing
activities; however, I often will use a
spectrum to determine where
activities fall
A
B
C
D
E
The spectrum of hazing
A type activities – things such as
interviews, wearing the same t-shirt
on a specific day of the week,
cleaning the house
A
This does not mean that I think these are not hazing activities and you
should always consult your state law, campus and headquarters policy.
Any of these instances would be investigated by me. I do think these
types of activities can be preserved with some tweaking such as
involving active members, not involving alcohol, and having the same
expectations for all members to complete the task.
The spectrum of hazing
B – this would involve kidnappings/road trips,
engaging in public stunts such as streaking,
keeping pledges up late, pledge swaps, any
activities from A could also be here depending on
context and other credentials
A
B
C
D
E
These will always be interpreted as hazing activities but they are probably not
likely to have a long term mental impact or cause physical harm. Intent is highly
evaluated in this category.
Any of these instances would be investigated by me. Context and intent would
be very important to evaluate as some of these could move to an A level though
most could easily move to a C, D level when involving alcohol.
The spectrum of hazing
C – creation of excessive fatigue, anything that makes
someone feel uncomfortable, anything that involves hitting,
blindfolding, anything involving sexual connotations,
restrictions on contact with individuals outside of the
organization, anything that involves personal risk. Anything
in A or B if it involves alcohol or drugs and requires pledges
to do something risky or inappropriate to complete the
task.
A
B
C
D
E
All of these are hazing activities that would assuredly result in a
discipline hearing and sanctioning.
This is where the hazing becomes more severe and can be more
harmful.
All of these could be a D or E depending on context. None of them
would be a B or A in my opinion.
The spectrum of hazing
D – anything physical that results in injury, any activities that
mentally degrade or humiliate individuals, any effort to
intentionally injure another person, hitting
(wood/paddling), forced consumption of alcohol, leaving
people in the woods to find their way home, taking
anything on A,B and C and using force, alcohol or other
manner to jeopardize a person
A
B
C
D
E
All of these would result in some sort of probation and/or suspension of
the organization.
The spectrum of hazing
E – alcohol consumption resulting in transport of
individual; life placed in jeopardy. Anything that
involves complete and utter humiliation of
individuals. All physical hazing resulting in shortterm or permanent damage to an individual.
A
B
C
D
E
These activities are unquestionably hazing. My recommendation would
be removal from campus for a specified period of time.
Subjectivity

Hazing is subjective

People interpret differently

Sanctioning could vary

Participants have different thresholds


Universities and lawyers will cover their
butts!
Policies exist to address multifaceted issue
Study done by Cornell
University


In the study surveying about 700 undergraduates
at Cornell University, an Ivy League school, just
6.7 percent reported they had been a hazer,
while almost twice as many -- 12.4 percent -reported they had been hazed.
The hazing environment is one where people
rarely feel empowered to impact change or walk
away.
– "People felt like they needed social support to
get out of a hazing situation, and if all of your
friends are in the group, it's going to be
harder,"
Victims
The Impact of Hazing
 Community
nationally)
(both here and
 Organization
 Individual
Values
 How
would you define values?
 What
are Greek values?
– Friendship
– Leadership
– Scholarship
– Service
Your organization
What does your mission statement mean?
What purpose does it serve?
Hazing contradicts with our purpose
Share purposes of some of Greek
organizations
Your Greek Community
Mission Examined

Our Mission
As members of fraternities and sororities at the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,
we are committed to ensuring our success as
students and invested partners in our
organizations through celebrating friendship,
leadership, scholarship, service, and social
advancement while appreciating the diversity
of our member organizations.
http://www.odos.uiuc.edu/greek/communitystatement.asp
Where does Hazing Fit in our
Mission?
 Our
missions clearly state that our
organizations produce friendships,
advance personal and professional
development, help others through
service, provide leadership, assist in
scholarship, and provide connections
to others through common values
FRIENDSHIP
“Three plead guilty to charges in alleged
hazing death”
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.-- Three more
members of the Phi Epsilon Chi fraternity
pleaded guilty Monday to charges
stemming from the death of a Plattsburgh
State student who police say was forced to
drink pitchers of water through a funnel
2004
while pledging.
LEADERSHIP
“Student sues U. Toledo, sorority for hazing
incident”
A University of Toledo student is suing the Sigma
Gamma Rho sorority and the university for
$25,000 for injuries she said resulted from a
hazing incident last March.
2005
SCHOLARSHIP
“Scholar alleges hazing by fraternity brothers”
A Woodruff Scholar who was hospitalized and arrested
after spring break for issues relating to bipolar disorder,
has accused some of his Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity
brothers of hazing him during last year’s pledge process,
and drugging him and his girlfriend during spring break
this year.
Emory University 2004
SERVICE
“Alcohol-related deaths at colleges this fall
raise long-standing question for
administrators - what can be done?”
“It's a sad but recurring campus story: This
autumn, students are again drinking
themselves to death”
A national newspaper 2004
People picking on us?
The Greek System Nationally Under Attack?
(a.k.a. we’re doing dumb stuff and people
are telling us to stop it)
There is no answer for what we are doing
other than stopping it.
Community Service and good grades
mean jack when we’re killing people and
putting them in jeopardy
Credibility
Credibility happens when espoused
values are congruent with actions.
Leaders who state what they believe
in are frequently asked to model
those beliefs through their actions.
What is our reputation?
 “Reputation
is human collateral,
the security we pledge against the
performance of our obligations as
leaders, friends, colleagues, and
constituents…Reputation is to be
cherished…A damaged one lowers
people’s estimation of a leader’s
worth and their motivation to
follow…”
Kouzes and Posner, p. 25).
Incongruence
We are saying we do these amazing
things…
We are being exposed for the things
we don’t want to talk about that we
do…
We wonder why we have no credibility
with some people
Hazing’s impact on your
organization
Student organizations cite many
"reasons" for hazing including:
building character, fostering
teamwork, forming a common bond
among new members, proving
loyalty, carrying on "tradition,"
testing endurance, and serving as a
contrived rite of passage.
From http://tuintranet.tiffin.edu/sild/hazing.htm Tiffin University in Ohio
Hazing Builds Pledge Class
Unity
 Some
hazing activities do indeed
allow for pledge classes to
bond….however;
– It is often times through fear of the
unknown
– It stratifies the organization and the
pledge class can often fail to connect
with older members
– Pledging is intense, then you have no
responsibilities
Patterns of Involvement in
Chapters
 Typically
new members and pledges
have the most work to do….
 Gradually, as you get older you can
do less and less because the pledges
will do it for you. This creates a
pattern where many members
gradually move away from the
organization.
 Aren’t we supposed to be members
for life?
Pledges are viewed as providing a
service….
Cleaning the house
 Attending the events for the older
members
 Doing errands
 Entertainment for active members
 Bullying – have you ever seen a 5’2”
man get away with yelling in the face
of a 6’3” man?
 Drinking – the more they drink the
better you think your reputation is
 "Hazing is like having a human
Playstation."

Aren’t we based on common
values?

Then shouldn’t we “prove” the worthiness
of pledges to earn membership through
their actions involving:
–
–
–
–
–
Academics
Leadership
Serving others
Being a Good friend
Helping with the planning of activities and
events to make the chapter look good
“Closet Greeks”

People who won’t reveal their
affiliations because of what they
endured or did in college
– “I was a (fill in the blank)”
– Parents/Siblings
 Know
the stuff that goes on
 Won’t let their kids/brothers/sisters join

Long term impact of hazing is
detrimental to lifelong membership
(and involvement)
One bad apple….
 Sometimes
it is just a few people
who ruin things
 Individuals in your organizations can
ruin the experience for all
 Individuals can put your
organization’s future on the line…..
If hazing is so great…..
 If
we were honest, would they join?
 If
hazing is so great, why don't we
talk about it?
 Call
a spade a spade….
History in Jeopardy












Since 1872, 114 organizations have been a part of our Greek
Community
1st Fraternity: Delta Tau Delta, 1872
1st Sororities: Kappa Alpha Theta & Pi Beta Phi, 1895
1st historically African American Fraternity:
– Kappa Alpha Psi, 1913
1st historically African American Sorority:
– Alpha Kappa Alpha, 1914
1st Latin Co-Ed Fraternity Greek-letter organization:
– Alpha Psi Lambda, 1986
1st historically Asian-American Fraternity:
– Lambda Phi Epsilon, 1997
1st historically Asian-American Sorority:
– Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, 2001
6300 Greek Students at Illinois
22% of the Undergraduate population
90 chapters (32 sororities & 58 fraternities)
63 Chapter Houses- Certified Housing by University
The Impact on the Individual
Hazing impacts well-being
 Health
Issue vs. Policy Issue
 Spectrum
of hazing – well being is
holistic and subjective; even minor
hazing can have strong negative
impact on individuals
Mental Health Statistics
1 in 3 college students are depressed
 1 in 4 contemplates suicide

http://news-info.wustl.edu/tips/page/normal/4198.html?emailID=0
82 percent of depressed individuals
drink alcohol
 56 percent of them indicate that they
drink to get drunk
 23 percent of students who are
depressed and drank indicate having
five or more harms from drinking

– Harvard School of Public Health
Eating Disorders



In the United States, as many as 10 million females
and 1 million males are fighting a life and death
battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or
bulimia. Approximately 25 million more are struggling
with binge eating disorder (Crowther et al., 1992;
Fairburn et al., 1993; Gordon, 1990; Hoek, 1995;
Shisslak et al., 1995).
The Prevalence of Eating Disorders Because of the
secretiveness and shame associated with eating
disorders, many cases are probably not reported. In
addition, many individuals struggle with body
dissatisfaction and sub-clinical disordered eating
attitudes and behaviors. For example, it has been
shown that 80% of American women are dissatisfied
with their appearance (Smolak, 1996).
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=286&Pro
file_ID=41138
Sexual Abuse
 10-20
percent of all boys are
sexually abused in some way
(http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats.htm#Child)
 80
percent of rape victims will suffer
from chronic physical or
psychological conditions over time
(1995, Strategies for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual
Assault).
Peer Pressure and its influence
 Peer
Pressure is as strong in
college as it is growing up.
– First opportunity to address peer
pressure without the day to day
influence of
parents/teachers/counselors
– People do not walk away from the
organization due to the pressure they
feel to stay, sometimes to stay and
save others.
– leaving the fraternity/sorority can
greatly impact your social status and
relationships on the greater campus.
Do you want to risk it?
 You
never know the background of
the people that are joining your
organization.
 Hazing can bring back memories of
violence, self-esteem issues, and
affect mental illness and disease.
 If we’re about friendship and helping
people be better, why would we risk
breaking them to a point of no
return?
Common Barriers to Changing a
Hazing Culture


In order to make meaningful change, it is important to identify
the key barriers to change and work on dismantling these.
Common barriers to eliminating hazing include:
– Denial of the problem
– Dismissing hazing as harmless
– Silence
– Fear
– Insufficient support for victims of hazing
– Cultural norms that promote acceptance of hazing as
“normal”
Hazing is a complex social problem with no “easy answers.”
Those of us who have worked with groups to transform a
hazing culture know there are many challenges to making
meaningful change. However, we must not forget that every
individual has an important role to play in helping to solve the
problem of hazing. Each individual action can make a
difference. Together, we can continue to build awareness and
develop effective intervention and prevention strategies to
eliminate harmful hazing!
Recommendations
1.
2.
Ask yourself, would you want your
(mother/father/administrator) to watch
the activity. If the answer is “no” or you
are not sure, stop the activity.
Talk with administrators about how to
take hazing practices and make them
non-hazing practices. I have yet to meet
a Greek Advisor who would turn in a
chapter for coming to them with this
problem. It would be the actions that
follow that would or would not make me
turn in the chapter.
Recommendations cont’d
3. Set mutual expectations for ALL members.
You can have expectations for
pledges/aspirants/new members but
expectations should be the same for
anyone. Ramifications for not meeting
expectations should be the same for
anyone.
4. Evaluate the actions your chapter takes
when new members fail to meet acceptable
expectations. If hazing is going on, then
stop it. Create a culture where they will
want to meet expectations, not one where
they do so because they are afraid.
Recommendations cont’d
5. Always ask if there is something different
that can be done to accomplish the same
thing as hazing activities do. If you need
help coming up with these activities, ask
your national organization and your Greek
Advisor.
6. Know the policies.
7. Remember the mission of your organization
is not to break them down and recreate
them but to take good people and make
them better through the mission and
values of your organization
Recommendations cont’d
8. If the only people who know and
attempt to enforce your policies are
your national organizations and your
Greek Advisor, then they will always
be the ones who hold you
accountable. You don’t want this.
Councils should have a mechanism to
hold their chapters responsible
(honest conversation, secret warning)
Recommendations cont’d

And finally..
– Accept hazing as a serious problem that can
impact your community, your organization
and individuals
– Accept that hazing is about wielding power
over others and is nothing more than
bullying
– Over the long run hazing will hurt a group
and will impact a person’s trust and
dedication to an organization
– Your help is needed to address this issue and
preserve the future of Greek organizations
Dan Bureau
Assistant Dean of Students
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
dbureau@uiuc.edu