Hazing Essay, Research Paper

18 October 2000

HAZING

According to the California Hazing Law, ?hazing includes any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a student organization or any pastime or amusement engaged in with respect to such an organization which causes, or is likely to cause, bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm, to any student or other person attending any school, community college, college, university or other educational institution in this state; but the term hazing does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competition. No student, or other person in attendance at any public, private, parochial, or military school, community college, college, or other educational institution, shall conspire to engage in hazing, participate in hazing, or commit any act that causes or is likely to cause bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm to any fellow student or person attending the institution. The

violation of this section is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100), nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or both.?

St. Mary?s College has a hazing policy. ?For any individual or group to engage in or conspire to engage in any such activities is grounds for disciplinary action. If any team, club or student group engages in such activity, the team, club or student group risks losing any and all privileges.?

St. Mary?s College is an excellent Catholic institution which expect us students to respect each other and abide by certain rules of conduct. The college expects us to act mature and responsible in everything that we do. When hazing is committed by any St. Mary?s student, the school finds the act unacceptable. Our institution has a reputation to hold. I decided to attend St. Mary?s College for several reasons. One of them included the positive remarks everyone made about this school. St. Mary?s does not want to be known as a school where misconduct is spread throughout the student body. It want to be recognized as the perfect environment for learning and succeeding in educating your mind. I believe every institution

throughout the nation should have, in some form or another, a hazing policy. It?s a serious issue that demands attention and should be addressed before it?s too late. Deaths have occurred in the past due to

hazing. If the death of an individual isn?t enough, what is. Remarkably, there are still a few states that have not yet established hazing laws. Once a tragedy occurs, I?m sure the state will think twice about their decision allowing hazing to continue.

It was irresponsible of the soccer team to hold ?Century Club?. I did not feel pressured in any way to take part in the drinking game. I am a freshmen and feel that ?Century Club? should not have taken place, however, it was a tradition that had been a social part of the soccer team for a few years. The goal of the game was to drink 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes. Whoever did not want to take part in the event did not have to or would not have been looked down upon in any way. There is no excuse for my actions or anyone else?s, what we took part in was unacceptable and we all knew it was the wrong thing to do. When you are young, you seem to block out all the possible consequences resulting from bad decision making. Our ignorance could have cost us somebody?s life. That?s serious business

we were dealing with but we were too ignorant to realize things could have found themselves severely out of hand. We were having too much of what we thought was ?fun?. I believe the soccer team is lucky to have

administrators who care for the well being of each and everyone of us. We have been taught a huge lesson rather than simply punished for our actions. ?Century Club? is a drinking game which will no longer be a part of the soccer team?s annual tradition. We have learned from our mistake and I personally have shared the story with my friends. I had no clue that a drunk person, choking on their own vomit, could die in four minutes. That was shocking to find out, and I have discussed that fact with several people on several different occasions within the Gael community. It?s important that people take notice of these things and think twice before drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. College students take too much for granted, we must value our lives and the lives of one another more than we do.

Eileen Stevens is a heartbroken mother whose son, Chuck, died from an alcohol/hazing event. On one very chilly night in New York State, Chuck was kidnapped from his dorm by fraternity ?brothers?. He was locked in the trunk of a car and forced to drink a mixture of beer,

wine, and bourbon. Within a few hours, Chuck had died of alcohol poisoning and exposure to the freezing weather. There were other pledges involved who were also sent to the emergency room but they luckily

survived to tell their side of the story. There are numerous other ways of initiating pledges into a fraternity that are much safer and just as fun. Unfortunately, most fraternities decide on taking part in irresponsible and fatal forms of initiation. If only these situations were planned with precaution, carelessness, and more responsibility, tragedies such as these could have been prevented.

Once Eileen learned how to move on with her life, she began speaking at college campuses throughout the nation. She does not speak against fraternities if that?s what you are thinking, she speaks against hazing. She has founded an organization in her son?s name, C.H.U.C.K., Committee to Halt Useless College Killings. She describes her committee?s purpose as the following: to increase awareness, to work to find alternatives to hazing, to encourage educational programs, and to petition for anti-hazing laws. Eileen Stevens speaks to college students for a great cause. She believes in the people she speaks to; that is the sole reason she does

what she does. She asks us to take part in her mission respect each other along with value each other?s lives so something like her son?s death never happens again.

References

http://www.stophazing.com

http://studentlife.tamu.edu/scrs/

http://www.angelfire.com/ky/collegepopularity/hazing.html

http://www.alphiaphi.org/Featured/tragedy.html