What is Hazing?

Behaviors that emphasize a power imbalance between new members / rookies and other members of the group or team are termed “intimidation hazing” because these types of hazing are often taken for granted or accepted as “harmless” or meaningless.

Intimidation hazing typically involves activities or attitudes that breach reasonable standards of mutual respect and place new members / rookies on the receiving end of ridicule, embarrassment, and/or humiliation tactics. New members / rookies often feel the need to endure intimidation hazing to feel like part of the group or team. (Some types of intimidation hazing may also be considered harassment hazing).

The university defines hazing as follows: PACAOS 102.12 –Participation in hazing or any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a campus organization or other activity engaged in by the organization or members of the organization at any time that causes, or is likely to cause, physical injury or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in psychological harm to any student or other person.

Some examples:

• Deception
• Assigning demerits
• Silence periods with implied threats for violation
• Deprivation of privileges granted to other members
• Tasks of personal servitude
• Memorization of information not explicitly required by the national new member process
• Requiring new members / rookies to perform duties not assigned to other members
• Socially isolating new members / rookies
• Line-ups and drills / tests on meaningless information
• Name calling
• Requiring new members / rookies to refer to other members with titles (e.g. “Mr.,” “Miss”) while they are identified with demeaning terms
• Expecting certain items to always be in one's possession

Behaviors that cause emotional anguish or physical discomfort in order to feel like part of the group. Harassment hazing confuses, frustrates, and causes undue stress for new members / rookies. (Some types of harassment hazing can also be considered violent hazing.)

Some examples:

• Verbal abuse
• Threats or implied threats
• Asking new members to wear embarrassing or humiliating attire
• Wearing publicly, apparel which is conspicuous and not normally in good taste, or requiring shaved hair
• Stunt or skit nights with degrading, crude, or humiliating acts
• Participating in personally degrading or humiliating games or activities
• Expecting new members / rookies to perform personal service to other members such as errands, cooking, cleaning etc
• Creation of extensive fatigue or forced or coerced participation in calisthenics, push-ups, sit-ups, running, and other fatiguing activities
• Tuck-ins
• Required (explicit or implicit) participation in quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips, or any such activities
• Engaging in public stunts or buffoonery
• Requiring the carrying of objects, such as bricks, buckets, or large objects
• Sleep deprivation
• Late work sessions or activities that interfere with scholastic activities, including exhausting and time consuming projects that are too disruptive to normal study patterns
• Sexual simulations
• Intentionally creating clean-up work
• Expecting new members / rookies to be deprived of maintaining a normal schedule of bodily cleanliness
• Be expected to harass others
• Any activity considered morally offensive by an individual participating
• Any activity without constructive aspect or reasonable purpose, including but not limited to "line-ups," "rat courts," mock trials, interrogations, yelling of obscenities, or votes of continuance not consistent with the national constitution of, or sanctioned by the national fraternity or sorority

Behaviors that have the potential to cause physical and/or emotional, or psychological harm.

Some examples:

• Forced or coerced alcohol or other drug consumption
• Forced, required, or coerced consumption of any food, liquid or other substance
• Physical abuse including paddling, beating, tattooing, pushing, hitting, physical threats, exposure to the elements, or other physical harm, or forms of assault
• Branding
• Forced or coerced ingestion of vile substances or concoctions
• Burning
• Water intoxication
• Expecting abuse or mistreatment of animals
• Public nudity
• Expecting illegal activity
• Bondage
• Confining participants to rooms or areas that are uncomfortable due to temperature, noise, size, or air quality for the purpose of harassment
• Any dangerous activity including, but not limited to long swims, jumps from high places, binding, and blindfolding
• Member ditches, abductions / kidnaps
• Exposure to cold weather or extreme heat without appropriate protection
• Any other activity which is not consistent with the fraternal law, ritual, or policy and/ or University Policies