The Exponent - editorial


11-04-2004	Previous edition: 11-03-2004

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Greek think tank hopes to stop hazing

Although it may conjure goofy images of harmless pranks portrayed in "Animal House" and "Old School," the reality of hazing is a far cry from the silly antics of Bluto and Frank the Tank. It happens in grade school, high school, college, the workplace and many other institutional type settings. It is humiliating, threatening and even fatal. It is hazing, and it must be stopped.

Next week, Purdue is hosting a think-tank seminar on hazing. The Indiana Greek Leadership Conference will meet on the same day.

The think-tank seminar is the first National Hazing Symposium. It will attempt to integrate diverse points of view. Those involved in the seminar include high school and college administrators and leaders in band and athletics. The seminar is open to all interested in ending hazing.

It is critical that the National Hazing Symposium include a diverse group of participants in its seminar. The roots of hazing run much deeper than fraternities and sororities. Much of the behavior is learned before students get to college.

According to a 2002 Teen People article, 1.5 million high school students are hazed each year. And many adults in charge look the other way or even encourage the divisive behavior.

The consequences of hazing may soon include federal punishment.

Last year the Hazing Prohibition Act of 2003 was introduced. The bill’s purpose is to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to withhold federal student financial assistance from students who have engaged in hazing and other purposes. The bill is being referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.

The anti-hazing bill would be a critical ally in the fight against hazing. It would take away precious money from hazers and deter their peers from engaging in similar behavior.

Besides formally punishing hazing, the best way to deter it is to attempt to remove it from popular culture. Seminars such as the National Hazing Symposium and the Indiana Greek Leadership Conference are vital because they formulate ideas to stop hazing as well as encourage college-aged students to refrain from it.

Despite what is sometimes mistaken as a jovial nature, hazing is a grave problem that exists in many facets of adolescent and adult life. It is a detrimental and sometimes fatal practice that must come to an end. The best way to end it is to discourage adolescents from engaging in it and carrying the message on to college campuses.

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