by: Advika Anand
Graphics Editor

Hazing is commonly known as any activity that is conditioned upon recruitment, admission, affiliation, or continued participation in a group and humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers someone, regardless of consent or willingness to participate. Every year, college students join teams, clubs, and organizations hoping to find a place to belong on campus, only to be met with humiliation and coercion disguised as bonding. Because of this, colleges must establish and enforce stricter regulations to ensure that all organizations on campus refrain from excessively dangerous hazing, including but not limited to physical assault, forced consumption, kidnapping or abandonment, sexual acts, and other illegal activities.

Since 1954, there has been at least one hazing death per year in U.S. colleges and secondary schools. Although many colleges have preexisting rules that prohibit hazing, administrators often poorly enforce these policies or ignore them altogether. In many cases, organizations operate under the assumption that their traditions will go unnoticed as long as they are discreet. New members may feel pressured to remain silent because they fear losing their place in the group, and as a result, hazing can persist. Moreover, hazing is a direct result of the power imbalance in which new members are required to listen to and follow the directions of older members with authority. According to the Hazing Prevention Network, 55% of college students involved in fraternities, sororities, teams, and other student organizations experienced hazing, but only one in ten students labeled it as hazing, demonstrating the normalization of indoctrination culture. Even when it is prominent in college, students are being trained not to speak up about these issues, further perpetuating their consequences.

Alcohol poisoning, without a doubt, is the greatest cause of hazing deaths in universities. In February, authorities arrested three Delta Tau Delta leaders at Northern Arizona University following the death of an 18-year-old pledge who attended a Friday night rush party. David Bianchi, America’s leading fraternity hazing lawyer, said, “It just is such a shame. I have seen this so many times, I can’t even tell you…Since the year 2000, over 100 freshman males have died around the United States from fraternity hazing.”

Hazing is entirely preventable, and colleges must take more action to ensure that students are engaging in safe, healthy activities outside of class. Depending on the severity of the hazing act, schools must properly punish the students in charge of the organizations by suspension, expulsion, or even police involvement. In fact, Louisiana lawmakers have been taking action in the form of House Bill 636, which, if approved, would take effect for the 2027-2028 school year. It would apply not only to fraternities and sororities, but also to sports teams, clubs, bands, and other student organizations. If more states enacted similar laws, it would greatly increase students’ safety when joining school organizations.

(Sources: CU Boulder, Fox News, Hazing Prevention Network, KTAL News)