THE ISSUE OF HAZING
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Hazing - To force (a new or potential recruit to the military, a college fraternity, etc.) to perform strenuous, humiliating, or dangerous tasks.
The first time I heard about a hazing death was in September, 2002, when I heard about the deaths of two female students in California, who were allegedly tied up, blindfolded and made to walk into the ocean late at night, where they both drowned. The family of the female students allege that their daughters were pledging to join a sorority. The sorority denies this was a hazing and claims the female students were exercising on the beach late that night and went to rinse off in the water and a strong wave overtook them.
This brings us to November 19, 2011, when a student, who was a band member, was found dead on a bus in Florida after taking part in festivities surrounding his college's big football game. It is suspected that this too was a hazing incident. Police officials are further investigating the death of this student, so I am sure more information will be revealed as the investigation continues.
I am sure there are many more stories out there regarding hazing, and every time I hear of one of these incidents it makes me wonder why these students felt they needed to endure this kind of torture to belong to a group. Hazing has been a part of our society for a very long time, but I think it is time to re-evaluate this practice and decide whether it is beneficial and safe for our young people. Maybe we should start teaching our young people to believe in themselves so they won't feel the need to belong to groups that could be harmful to their physical and emotional health.
Some of these groups have a good purpose and they probably do good things for their communities, but if the only way to join these groups is to be humiliated and abused, is being a part of these kinds of groups really worth it? This is a teachable moment for parents with children of college age. It would be wise of you to speak to your children about what groups they are joining or planning to join. Find out what sort of initiation practices these groups require. Ask your child their reasons for wanting to join these groups. This would be a good time to open the lines of communication with your child because for those students who died to be a part of these kinds of groups, it could be a matter of life and death for your child.
The first time I heard about a hazing death was in September, 2002, when I heard about the deaths of two female students in California, who were allegedly tied up, blindfolded and made to walk into the ocean late at night, where they both drowned. The family of the female students allege that their daughters were pledging to join a sorority. The sorority denies this was a hazing and claims the female students were exercising on the beach late that night and went to rinse off in the water and a strong wave overtook them.
This brings us to November 19, 2011, when a student, who was a band member, was found dead on a bus in Florida after taking part in festivities surrounding his college's big football game. It is suspected that this too was a hazing incident. Police officials are further investigating the death of this student, so I am sure more information will be revealed as the investigation continues.
I am sure there are many more stories out there regarding hazing, and every time I hear of one of these incidents it makes me wonder why these students felt they needed to endure this kind of torture to belong to a group. Hazing has been a part of our society for a very long time, but I think it is time to re-evaluate this practice and decide whether it is beneficial and safe for our young people. Maybe we should start teaching our young people to believe in themselves so they won't feel the need to belong to groups that could be harmful to their physical and emotional health.
Some of these groups have a good purpose and they probably do good things for their communities, but if the only way to join these groups is to be humiliated and abused, is being a part of these kinds of groups really worth it? This is a teachable moment for parents with children of college age. It would be wise of you to speak to your children about what groups they are joining or planning to join. Find out what sort of initiation practices these groups require. Ask your child their reasons for wanting to join these groups. This would be a good time to open the lines of communication with your child because for those students who died to be a part of these kinds of groups, it could be a matter of life and death for your child.
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