Author: Hank Nuwer

Moderator  A chapter already on notice for bad behavior? Alcohol served freely. An impressionable pledge wanting to belong.  All signs point to yet another hazing death in America. This is the second youth historically from the Buffalo, NY area to die under such circumstances. The first was Scott Krueger of MIT who died of an alcohol overdose in an episode called hazing. MIT settled with the Krueger family for $6 million.

Excerpt

A West Virginia University freshman has died after what the university called a “catastrophic medical emergency” at a fraternity house.

The university suspended all Greek activities after Nolan Burch, 18, was hospitalized Thursday due toincident at the Kappa Sigma house, said WVU Dean of Students Corey Farris.

The suspension of fraternity and sorority activities could last until the end of the semester, Farris said.

Morgantown Police Department officers found Burch at the fraternity “without any pulse or respiration” when they arrived, according to a police release. Someone was performing CPR on Burch when the police arrived, the release said.

The university and police department have not provided details of whether the incident was related to hazing.

Moderator: Proud to be in two articles today written by award-winning reporter Justin Rodriguez of the Times-Record in New York.

• By Justin Rodriguez
• Times Herald-Record
  Posted Nov. 9, 2014 @ 7:00 am

  Hank Nuwer, a professor of journalism at Franklin College in Indiana, has been described as a crusader when it comes to stopping hazing. He authored four books on the topic, including, “High School Hazing: When Rites Become Wrongs.” Nuwer offers these tips to stop the growing problem:

  • Help establish welcome programs for first-year and transfer students. Rites of passage are integral and valuable in welcoming new members to a group or students to a school; but mentoring programs are more constructive than pledging rituals.

  • Reconsider all traditions in all school groups. The school choir is just as likely as the football team to have its own traditions. Faculty members need to be aware of what goes on in each group.

  • Urge your school to adopt a statement of awareness. Signing a written statement agreeing to a specific policy raises awareness of hazing and instills a sense of accountability in all participants.

  • Foster a spirit of camaraderie. A form of hazing includes having younger students perform chores such as carrying equipment. Everyone should share in these responsibilities to create better team spirit.

  • Require supervision at all group functions. Simply having an adult or teacher present at all times can go a long way toward deterring hazing and preventing groups of kids from getting out of hand.

  • Don’t cover up hazing incidents. A “conspiracy of silence” often feeds off itself and becomes difficult to stop. If an episode of hazing is witnessed, it should be reported immediately so it can be dealt with immediately.

  • Eliminate the risk of hazing. Only a zero-tolerance attitude will create an environment in which hazing is unacceptable. Letting episodes slide is counter-productive to stopping hazing.

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   The second article by Justin Rodriguez can be read here. You need to register (free available) for the full article.
• http://www.recordonline.com/article/20141109/SPORTS/141109445/101124/SPORTS

Excerpt

On Oct. 17, Monroe-Woodbury canceled its remaining two JV football games because of alleged bullying incidents in the form of racial slurs and homophobic comments made by players and directed toward teammates. Town of Woodbury police continue to investigate the alleged hazing.

And just last week, Eldred’s varsity football team forfeited its final game because of alleged widespread and pervasive hazing, which was sexual in nature. Eldred Superintendent Robert Dufour said an investigation into the incidents is ongoing.

The transgressions at Monroe-Woodbury and Eldred came to light soon after more sensational cases of hazing involving football teams in Sayreville, N.J. and Central Bucks West, Pa. Both allegedly involved sexual assault. Seven Sayreville students were arrested for their involvement in the scandal.

“The cases of hazing seem to be multiplying,” said Hank Nuwer, a national expert on the topic and author of “High School Hazing: When Rites Become Wrongs,” and three other books on hazing. “When is it going to stop? Nobody has a handle on it, no one. It seems to get worse, but educators and administrators seem to try to get rid of it without any public fuss or attention. It’s definitely problematic.”

The incidents at Monroe-Woodbury and Eldred, which both schools self-reported, have caught the attention of Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. Hoovler will fast-track “Uncommon Athlete” — a program he planned on introducing to local schools. A group called Rachel’s Challenge and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation came together to start the “Uncommon Athlete” program, uniting to empower young athletes to serve as positive influences on and off the field because of their status as school leaders.

Ripken is the late manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Rachel Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999. Scott’s dad, Darrell, and stepmom, Sandy, started Rachel’s Challenge in 2001 after seeing the impact Rachel’s life had on people who heard her story. The foundation aims to make schools safer, more connected places where bullying and isolation are replaced with kindness and respect.

“We definitely want to have programs like this in place after what happened,” Hoovler said. “As the district attorney, the way I look at it, the more kids that are involved in sports, there are less on the street. It fits right in with the crime prevention model. Bullying happens every day, everywhere, in all schools. We are more aware because we are seeing it, and education is the cornerstone in making a difference.”

Dufour would not discuss the status of Eldred’s probe this week, forwarding a Times Herald-Record reporter to a statement from him on the school district’s website, which read in part:

“Young adults can sometimes make poor choices, but that does not mean that they are bad people. However, when horseplay crosses the line into hazing, it’s up to the adults – parents, teachers, administrators and community members – to step in and provide guidance and support. I encourage you as parents to talk with your children about the hazards of hazing, as we are doing through our assemblies and winter student-athlete meetings.”

Town of Woodbury Police Chief Richard Vasquez declined to speak specifically about his department’s probe, but said: “If hazing did occur, and we’re not sure if it did, it goes against what sports are about. Sports should be about bonding and working together. If anything unacceptable was going on, anything criminal, we will handle it.”

Monroe-Woodbury Superintendent Elsie Rodriguez said she will continue to work closely with police until the investigation’s conclusion.

Coaches who are non-teachers must take a six-hour course on the subject, according to Robert Zayas, the executive director of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. The curriculum is part of the certification for teachers who coach.

In July 2012, the state’s Dignity for All Students Act took effect. It expanded the concepts of tolerance, respect for others and dignity to include: an awareness and sensitivity in the relations of people, including but not limited to, different races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, gender identity, and sexes.

“I think we always have to be aware of what’s going on out there. But now we have to be more diligent than ever to monitor the behavior of kids,” Zayas said. “I think that what’s been going on lately is scary and alarming. One of the dangers of hazing is that it gets worse and worse each year. At first, people might think it’s kids being kids. But these acts can get worse and worse over time, starting freshman year a lot of times.”

Asked if schools are doing enough to prevent hazing and raise awareness about it, Zayas said yes, but that the trend needs to be monitored closely.

According to Nuwer, a journalism professor at Franklin College in Indiana, perpetrators haze because they crave a position of power, feel that the victim must go through some kind of initiation to be part of a team or group, and may even find humor in the practice.

– See more at: http://www.recordonline.com/article/20141109/SPORTS/141109445#sthash.qr3Ntd5U.dpuf

Excerp from Tempo Newst:

TAGKAWAYAN, Quezon – Police said one of the suspects in the death of a hazing victim surrendered and was charged along with other members of Tau Gamma Fraternity being the implicated in the crime in this town.

Police Inspector Reynaldo Reyes, town police chief, identified the suspect who surrendered as Manuel Munar Jr., a graduating Industrial Technology student of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), and said to be the Keeper of the Chest of Tau Gamma Fraternity.

Reyes said homicide charges in relation to anti-hazing law were filed at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Calauag town on Nov. 6 against Manuel Munar Jr, Jodel Beringuela, Eric Tonton Buitizon, Joey Bambe alias Joe Bambe, Aljon Bermillo, and six others identified only in their aliases as USA, Jie, Ismael, Thorio, Kalabaw, and Bhn2khie.

They were tagged in the initiation rites that led to the death of neophyte Ariel R. Inofre, 20, a returning SLSU student, of Barangay San Francisco, this town.

Senior Supt. Ronaldo Genaro E. Ylagan, Quezon police director, said a text message that Munar Jr. is being considered as a star witness but this has yet to be confirmed.

Dr. Cecilia Gascon, SLSU president, in a phone interview said that the university does not recognized any fraternity organization in the school.

Moderator Hank Nuwer: This is an exceptionally researched USA Today article on the Groton High School scandal in New York State.

Excerpt:

Parents of football players allege school officials took an overly aggressive approach to discovering evidence, sometimes using intimidation and not doing enough to dispel the notion that all players were guilty.

“They were so amazingly aggressive with these young people,” said Joseph Sirvent, the father of a sophomore player on the team who was not involved in the harassment. “The school was trying to punish as many football players as they could, regardless of any evidence.

“Even those not involved were treated as if guilty,” he said.

In the community, that uncertainty spread into gossip mongering and recriminations that every football player was trouble, Sirvent said. It got as bad as threats of violence on social media, he said.

Sirvent and others are quick to say that no one condones hazing, that the boys responsible were wrong in their actions, and deserve appropriate punishment.

For some, a misdemeanor charge for the two young men fell far short of justice.

“They are getting a slap on the hand,” said Rebecca Mayne, of Groton, who said the incident convinced her son to quit the football team and not to try out for the wrestling team this winter.

The culture of bullying throughout Groton sports created an atmosphere that is dangerous for athletes, and does a poor job preparing them for life, she said.

In the football case, she felt the actions exceeded that of mere bullying and hazing and crossed the line into sexual misconduct.

The family of the victim has come out to criticize the handling of the episode by school officials and authorities.

“I expect my children to be safeguarded and protected while in your care. You have failed at this,” the victim’s mother told the assembled school board on Oct. 20. “You allowed my son to be sexually assaulted, bullied and hazed,” she said. The mother is not named to protect the identity of her son.

The one-page accusatory document from Tompkins County Sheriff’s Investigator Rick Tubbs makes no mention of a sexual nature to the harassment.