#ruhpa

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

Research-Based Action

The plan to create the Rutgers Hazing Prevention Alliance was driven by scholarly research. Aldo Cimino, a professor at UC Santa Barbara has done a great deal of research on hazing and the factors that cause it. These graphics illustrate two of his theories. The first involves Cimino’s planned failure theory, which proves that hazing is not a binary test in which subjects either win or lose. Hazing victims always lose, just to different extents. The hazing activities are structured in a way that makes it nearly impossible for subjects to succeed and avoid punishment. This is important to refute any claims that hazing is beneficial for new members.

The second graphic illustrates the automatic accrual theory, which states that newcomers into well-formed coalitions receive automatic benefits upon joining. In terms of greek life, these benefits are usually seen as a heightened status among peers. Thus, hazing was designed by veterans to protect their coalitions from new members who wanted to immediately take advantage of the benefits the veterans had worked hard to develop (Cimino refers to this as veterans defending their group from “newcomer exploitation”). He also refers to hazing as an “anti freerider strategy” which really resonates with the culture on college campuses today. Cimino also refers to similar studies performed, particularly on chapters of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, that indicated “a positive association between the prestige and toughness of the induction process”. The more highly brothers and pledges thought of the fraternity, the more severe the hazing was. This idea of the justification of punishment for prestige ties closely with Cimino’s hazing motivators and further extends the danger of such common mentalities that allow hazing to continue.

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

Hazing in view is an in-depth research study conducted by Dr. Allan and Dr. Madden in 2008 to reveal the prevalence of hazing on college campuses.  Over 50% of subjects that were involved in fraternities and sororities, both social and service reported experiencing hazing. Hazing is happening in student organizations of all kinds. RU HPA is working hard every day to change this sad reality. 

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

Mom details daughter’s alleged sorority hazing with rotten food, ‘paddle’ attack

A University of Pittsburgh student was attacked by her sorority sisters in a brutal hazing incident during which the 20-year-old woman was beaten with pieces of wood in a darkened room and forced t…

“As a mom, I’m sorry but I wish I could have protected her but I entrusted her to the university,” she told CBS Philly. “I entrusted her to my sorority.”

-Sue Levy Giles, The Mother of the Victim

So upsetting to see yet another brutal act of hazing in the news--RU HPA is working thoroughly to end hazing of all kinds on our campus. We understand the level of trust parents place with our University’s administration to keep their sons and daughters safe.

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

4 Ex-Fraternity Members Sentenced In Pledge's Hazing Death

Four men from New York City were sentenced to jail time Monday in the 2013 hazing death of a Baruch College freshman during a fraternity trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.

Hazing is a crime and it comes with serious consequences. 

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

Burning Sands | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

“Burning Sands takes you on a raw, voyeuristic journey of fraternity pledging through the eyes of one favored pledgee, who is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Led by a breakthrough performance by Trevor Jackson, director Gerard McMurray's feature directorial debut brings an emotional honesty to the classic tale of "rites of passage" and the complicated bonds of brotherhood.”

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

[ruagainsthazing-blog]

Our Plan

Phase One: HPA Creation (1-2  months beginning of Fall semester)

-Establish Rutgers Hazing Prevention Alliance (HPA) made up of the following members: Dr. Anne Newman- Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students JoAnn Arnholt- Director of OFSA Amy Vojta- Associate Director of OFSA Fthi Hassan- Vice President of Recruitment Interfraternity Council Ashley George- Vice President of Intake MultiCultural Greek Council Alyssa Ramella- Vice President of Recruitment Professional Fraternity Council Victoria Sidorakis- Vice President of Recruitment Panhellenic Council -Determine mission and goals of alliance -All members spend one month going through training sessions (StopHazing and Clery Center educational resources) -Determine detailed research plan and anonymous survey questionnaire to determine hazing reality on Rutgers campus for phase two -Build additional section on OFSA website for HPA to serve as primary source for students to learn and interact with HPA -Revise hazing hotline -Create anonymous form reporting system in addition to the hotline--form can be found under HPA section of website 

Phase Two: Awareness/Multimedia Creation (1 month) -Promote awareness: Contact The Daily Targum, The Medium, Asbury Park Press, Star Ledger, and other local publications to inform them of HPA and develop press for its origin and mission -Create social media accounts for HPA (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube) -Hire a student to manage HPA website and social media and scan social media for hazing implications

Phase Three: Research (3 weeks) -Administer hazing survey to all Greek life members-mandatory participation, survey should determine -Hazing frequency in each council -Hazing awareness amongst Greek students -Self proclaimed reasons for hazing -Level of severity of hazing witnessed -Compile research results -Review results with HPA -Determine necessary multimedia creation from research results that would most benefit/educate/inspire change amongst students

Phase Four: Multimedia Hazing Prevention Creation (3-4 weeks at the end of Fall semester) -Hire videography services -Find Greek life volunteers to participate in videos -Develop hazing education video -Develop emotional video on the effects of hazing -Develop video on hazing alternatives

Phase Five: HPA Intervenes ( Following the end of Spring recruitment-3 weeks to allow time for all Greek organizations to coordinate their seminar times) -HPA education becomes mandatory part of new member process for all Greek organizations -HPA administers hazing seminar for all Greek organizations (with at least 80% of attendance required) during which the hazing education and effects of hazing videos and hazing alternatives videos are shown -Multimedia will be uploaded to HPA website to be available for students’ later reference

Phase Six: Programming and Promotion to Change the Culture (3 months- the rest of Spring semester) -Begin speaker series: Anti-hazing speaker once a year following Spring Recruitment -GLU conference (Greek Leaders Unite): presidents of all chapters invited to participate in conference regarding positive initiation processes--conference will feature keynote speakers on anti-hazing, as well as team building activities, and extensive discussions on alternatives to hazing -Establish HPA Contest(no later than March): Sororities and fraternities all design alternative rites of passage program the winners will receive $1500 for their chapter (one sorority and one fraternity and one co-ed fraternity)--Chapters will have one month to develop their program and then winners will be chosen, but after the first contest run the duration will shorten to 3 weeks once Greek Life is more aware of the contest

Phase Seven: Ongoing (No set time duration) -Update HPA website with news and resources/HPA calendar with events -Maintain HPA social media with positive anti hazing messages and examples -Administer campus research annually to determine progress of HPA HPA meetings