WSU Greek councils hosted hazing prevention week

WSU Greek councils hosted National Hazing Prevention Week on campus from Sept. 21 to Sept. 25, featuring events spreading the message of a nation-wide call to stop hazing.

The week of activities, including a remembrance walk, hazing prevention programming, and a wall of posters memorializing victims of hazing, focused on spreading awareness of the realities of hazing and promoting hazing prevention, both within and outside the Greek community on campus.

“Greek organizations are taking the lead in educating all students at Washington State University about the dangers associated with hazing,” Interfraternity Council President Ben Wagner said.

“There are better practices and more effective methods that can be used to create bonds between people,” Wagner added. “We are challenging student organizations to rethink their practices and find ways to attain that bond without the dangers of hazing.”

Wagner stressed that hazing is not specific to the Greek community.

“Hazing is not just a Greek issue, and this week was intended to serve any student organization that wants to find alternatives to hazing,” he said.

Washington is among 43 other states that have hazing statutes, as listed in a document available on Hazing Prevention’s website. Ray Cuthbert, the interfraternity council director of policy and procedure, said WSU has a “zero-tolerance” policy.

According to WSU policy, hazing is defined as "any activity expected of someone joining a group (or

maintaining full status in a group) that causes or is likely to cause a risk of mental, emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate."

Hazing Prevention’s website states that 47 percent of students come to college already having experienced hazing, and an estimated 55 percent of all college students belonging to student organizations, clubs, or teams experience hazing.

The national statistics of hazing incidents show that hazing still remains embedded in the culture of an array of organizations across the country.

For those heading up Greek standards positions, the message is clear that any cases of hazing should be reported, regardless of which group or organization the hazing is carried out in.

Khalie Janes, the Panhellenic vice president of policy and procedure, said an anonymous report form found on the WSU website is the easiest way to bring attention to acts of hazing.

“No matter what, I think an individual from any club or organization or team really has to have the courage to stand up and speak out against hazing, and there are many different ways they can do that,” Janes said.

Janes said the form is accessible by searching ‘report hazing’ on the WSU website and following the first link.

Cuthbert said one of the most important actions to take, specifically for members of the Greek community experiencing hazing, is to inform those in executive positions in their organization of the hazing incident.

“We don’t do guilty or not guilty – we do responsible or not responsible,” Cuthbert said. “So, if it’s a really big case of hazing, that’s out of our hands and the school will take that over.”

In the remembrance walk on Thursday from Bryan Hall to Chi Omega sorority, the massive line of students remained silent, highlighting solidarity in working toward hazing prevention while remembering victims of hazing. Participants of the walk wore T-shirts with the words “Learn – Prevent – Change” printed on the front of them.

Janes said she created the slogan to embody the theme of the week.

“I think learning and trying to help prevent hazing are some of the easier parts, but actually making that change is probably the hardest part,” Janes said.

Following the walk, students listened to a speech by Milton Lang, the senior associate vice president of the division of student affairs, equity and diversity, enjoyed refreshments and talked about the importance of the events during the week.

Senior communication major Avery Berschauer said the wall of remembrance helped show that hazing affects lives in very painful ways.

“It brings it home that it’s real,” Berschauer said. “Seeing those kinds of things reminds you that this is a serious issue and that we need to remember the past.”