In a haze: when initiations go too far

Penn would be a very different place without hazing.

2007 alumnus Martyn Griffen would not have been brutally beaten during fraternity pledging, Zeta Beta Tau and Alpha Phi Alpha would not have left campus and one student would not have been hospitalized after taking an egg to the eye during Hey Day 2006.

Initiation rituals might just involve "Animal House-style" horseplay, but when taken to extremes - like forced drinking, sleep deprivation, harassment and physical abuse - its consequences can be deadly serious.

According to Hank Newer's 2001 book Wrongs of Passage, 56 college students died in hazing-related incidents between 1970 and 1999, at least once a year for the last three decades.

Hazing in the U.S. goes back to 1657, when Harvard fined upperclassmen for hazing freshmen to build loyalty and unity, according to stophazing.org. Until the mid-20th century, hazing was common in elementary schools and high schools, when schoolboys would engage in "fagging," or performing demeaning tasks for older prefects.

Although hazing is often seen as a Greek phenomenon, it extends to many student groups - business clubs, marching bands, athletes, seniors on Hey Day and more. According to Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Greek organizations account for a minority of hazing incidents, the biggest offenders being sports teams, academic honorary organizations and various social clubs.

A 1999 Alfred University study found that as many as 79 percent of NCAA athletes were subjected to some form of hazing and 60 percent said they would not report it for reasons ranging from "It's not a problem" to "Teammates would make my life so miserable, I'd have to leave school."

Although a few high-profile incidents like the 2005 death of of Chico State University freshman Matthew Carrington spur action against hazing, recognizing and dealing with it remains a challenge.

Last year, the National Study of Student Hazing discovered that 55 percent of college students experienced some form of hazing. Of these incidents, 95 percent were not reported, yet 25 percent of coaches and organization advisors were aware of these groups' hazing behaviors.

OFSA takes action to prevent hazing through education about its dangers.

"Hazing is not tolerated by the Greek community," said College junior Alissa Eisenberg, former Daily Pennsylvanian editor and Panhellenic Council president. "We've heard of no incidents. The whole New Member Education process has gone smoothly."

And when serious hazing incidents do crop up on campus, consequences are severe.

In 2006, APA was forced to close after a junior member was taken off campus and subjected to a physical assault. Campus officials have also repeatedly threatened to cancel Hey Day after allegations of senior hazing.

Said Reikofski, "The situation's been improving over the past four or five years. I think standards are changing for the better ... It comes down to awareness and anti-hazing education, and we're making good progress in those areas."

Not all initiations have to be violent and humiliating, though.

"There's not really anything really bad," freshman basketball player Larry Loughery said. "We just do crappy jobs, like putting away laundry and putting balls on the racks."

In the Mask and Wig comedy troupe, non-club "New Guys" take part in a two-year initiation, in which prospective clubbies are at the beck and call of older members. College freshman Jeffrey Walton described the "New Guy Unity" process as "really busy." First-year New Guys run errands such as buying candy for clubbies, combing wigs and handing out fake breasts during rehearsals. "It's an important part of the experience, though," he said. "We really come together as a class."

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