HAZING By: Aidan Connors

Define Hazing: Force to perform strenuous, humiliating, or dangerous tasks. Usually to get accepted in to a group, this often done by College Students and Military members.

Statistics: At present in the United States, 44 states have anti-hazing laws. Connecticut is one of the 44 states. Since 1970, there has been at least one hazing-related death on a college campus each year. The first recorded incident of hazing involving sexual abuse occurred in 1983. Other hazing incidents involving sexual intimidation, nudity or stimulation, have been increasing in their frequency since 1995. Among high school students, close to 25 percent of students reported being hazed when joining a sports team. Eighty two percent of deaths from hazing involve alcohol. Found on MSN.com

Examples: Not allowing a group of members or individuals to sleep or eat Changing someone's appearance (i.e. forcing them to wear something or shaving their head) Name calling, insulting, or yelling at an individual or group Forcing an individual to use drugs or drink alcohol Physical abuse (i.e. spanking, paddling, or swatting) Forcing an individual to perform sexual acts Locking an individual or group in a confined space Prohibiting an individual or group from participating in any activity (i.e. going to school events, returning to their residence, or attending classes) Forcing individuals to do personal errands for other members

Someone who has been Hazed: College freshman Jessica L. was hazed and this is her story...“We were made to lick raw food substances off the floor. We were kicked and hit and shoved. We were tied tightly together and made to run through icy, hilly streets.” she did all of the to join a sorority.

Famous people who have been Hazed: Ashton Kutcher’s TV show PUNK’D is a way of Hazing, an example of a famous person who he has Hazed is Justin Timberlake.

Hazing in Court: In Florida, Marcus Jones said he had a ruptured ear drum and injuries to his buttocks that required 25 stitches after his initiation into the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity at Florida A&M University. He told his parents that for four days he was blindfolded, paddled with wooden canes and punched with boxing gloves. Jones, a sophomore, wanted to keep the February incident quiet, but his father called police. They charged five fraternity brothers under a new Florida law that makes hazing a felony if it results in serious bodily injury or death. Possible penalties range from probation to five years in prison. The case is the first major test of one of the nation's toughest anti-hazing laws. Opening statements in the trial start Wednesday, which is the middle of National Hazing Prevention Week, an event organized by the Association of Fraternity Advisors.

My Views on Hazing: I think Hazing is something that people do so that they feel like they have power. People have died because of hazing, and many more were seriously injured. Hazing is illegal in many states but that doesn’t do much. People still haze and still will be hazed unless school crack down on it more and stop leaving it up to the law to stop it.

Link to a article: http://www.drrobertbrooks.com/writings/articles/0404.html