Hazing And Harassment

In today’s society we continue to hear about the effects of hazing, bullying, and harassment among college students. There are questions as whether there has been an increase in exposure or intensity in the recent years. Although such topics has been a focus of research for years such victimization and the negative consequences that are associated with such behaviors has been receiving more attention from the media and policy makers in the last couple years.
For the purpose of this paper, Hazing is defined as the action of hazing; especially: an initiation process involving harassment (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d). Hazing is classified differently than bullying, however, the same influences and dynamics are involved.

The authors felt that hazing was such an important topic to raise awareness around and that there was not enough research or literature on the subject that fully shed light on the negative consequences of hazing. In their study they interviewed and surveyed over 11,000 undergraduate college students throughout the United States. Their findings were astounding; they reported that 55% of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing. That hazing occurs in, but extends beyond, varsity athletics and Greek-letter organizations and includes behaviors that are abusive, dangerous, and potentially illegal. In a sample of college fraternity and sorority members, 53% of respondents reported being the victim of direct hazing-related behaviors such as participating in a drinking game; 31% reported singing or chanting in public in a situation not related to a game, event, or practice; 26% reported drinking alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out; 16% reported associating with specific people and not others; 17% reported sleep-deprivation; and 18% reported being verbally aggressed by other members (Allan & Madden, 2008). Most concerning, the authors found that10% of respondents reported “performing sex acts with the

As an example a study completed by Allen and Madden (2008) found that, 31% of the 9,067 college respondents reported that being the victim of hazing caused them to feel more like a member of the group, whereas only 11% of respondents indicated that it made them feel stressed. Moreover, in the same study, 22% reported a sense of accomplishment, 18% felt strong, and 15% reported doing better in class. Alternately, the perceived negative effects of hazing were minimal. For example, only 4% of students indicated they felt guilty and 2% reported feeling like they were in danger (Allan & Madden, 2008). Moreover, students involved in fraternities and sororities expressed a more favorable impression of hazing than their college counterparts did; they viewed hazing as more fun and less harmful than students not involved (Campo et al., 2005). It may be that fraternity and sorority members minimize hazing behaviors or that they hold different definitions of what constitutes hazing. Thus, participation in hazing appears to foster a mentality that condones hazing as part of the social experiences of members of the Greek