Link to the self-published book by Ruth Harten is
Ruth’s contact info is rhartensoul@gmail.com
Author: Hank Nuwer
Journalist Hank Nuwer tracks hazing deaths in fraternities and schools. Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. In April of 2024 and April 2025 , the Alaska Press Club awarded him first place in the Best Columnist division.
He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His current book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Fairbanks, Alaska. Nuwer is a former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird and former managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska.
Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his “After Darke” column in the Early Bird. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. “The move is a sort-of coming home for us,” said Nuwer. As a journalist, he’s written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Read his musings in his blog at Real Alaska Daily--http://realalaskadaily.com
Categories
Kappa Sigma statement
Kappa Sigma Fraternity RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT
CONCERNING INVESTIGATIONS INTO ACTIVITIES OF ITS CHAPTER
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (September 5, 2008) – Kappa Sigma Fraternity today
released the following official statement concerning an ongoing
investigation of its chapter at the University of Southern Mississippi.
The Epsilon-Nu Chapter at the University of Southern Mississippi was
ordered to cease all activities effective August 29, 2008, when the
General Fraternity learned of an incident that allegedly occurred
Thursday, August 28, 2008, pending completion of the University of
Southern Mississippi’s investigation and Kappa Sigma’s own internal
investigation.
Subsequently, the Supreme Executive Committee of Kappa Sigma Fraternity
today voted to suspend the charter of the Epsilon-Nu Chapter, following
the University’s decision to withdraw the chapter’s recognition.
The activities alleged to have occurred last Thursday represent
violations of Kappa Sigma’s Code of Conduct, including the Fraternity’s
policies prohibiting hazing and concerning alcohol use and social
events. Â In addition, Kappa Sigma’s Code of Conduct expressly prohibits
“little sister” programs. Â These types of programs have in fact been
prohibited by the Fraternity for more than 20 years. Â The activities
which allegedly occurred last Thursday run contrary to everything for
which Kappa Sigma stands and, if true, will not be tolerated.
Kappa Sigma has and will continue to cooperate fully with local law
enforcement and school officials regarding this matter.
About Kappa Sigma Fraternity
Kappa Sigma Fraternity was founded December 10, 1869 at the University
of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Â Kappa Sigma is one of the
five largest fraternities in North America, with more than 235,000
initiates. Â Currently, Kappa Sigma has over 250 Chapters and Colonies in
the United States and Canada. Â Known as the most preferred Fraternity in
North America, more men pledge Kappa Sigma each year than any other
Fraternity.
# # #
Categories
Bad month for hazing incidents
RITES AND WRONGS
Students pushing back against hazing and bullying
September 06, 2008
Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator
(Sep 6, 2008)
This spring in a small city outside Edmonton, eight Grade 9 students told police they had been paddled as many as 30 times each with hockey sticks and cricket bats by a group of Grade 10 students.
Police in St. Albert charged 14 teenagers with a total of 28 counts of assault.
Two weeks ago in San Diego, on the eve of the first day of school, senior students at a private Christian college on the Pacific coast roused freshmen at 2 a.m., marched them to the ocean and ordered them to swim naked.
Some say the newcomers to Point Loma Nazarene University were slapped and one was urinated on along the way.
A dormitory director has since been fired, the university has apologized and it is still investigating with an eye to disciplining the students responsible.
This week in Hamilton, a Grade 9 student who apparently came to the aid of a classmate being hazed by a Grade 12 student at Delta Secondary School was stabbed on the first day of school.
The alleged attacker has been charged with aggravated assault.
The bad news in these and other incidents is that hazing is still alive — that young people are still being coerced and traumatized, physically and mentally.
The more hopeful news is that in all three cases, young people pushed back against group bullying that tries to justify itself as initiation, says a Canadian expert on violence and youth.
Hazing, the ritual humiliation of newcomers eager to fit into school, sports, military and social groups — especially teenaged boys and young men — is a dubious tradition dating back centuries, but one whose days may be numbered.
Initiations that involve coercion, degradation, physical abuse or forced consumption of alcohol or other substances cross the line to hurtful hazing, explained Debra Pepler, a York University psychologist and a scientific director of PREVNet, a national network promoting safe, healthy relationships for Canadian children and youth.
The most effective way to stop it, she said, is by immersing a community — in the case of a school, its faculty, staff, students and their parents — in a culture that rejects hazing, and following through with enforcement and clear communication.
Hazing often coincides with a period of brain development before self-control and good judgment are established, Pepler said. It is fuelled by group behaviour, the stress of transition and even one’s own experiences as a victim.
“The potential for severe aggression and violence is very high,” she said.
“All of these things can conspire to create a context that’s ripe for problems.”
Above all, she said, it’s about power.
“Hazing says that those who have the power get to use it aggressively. It’s a very extreme form of bullying,” she said. “Everybody needs to identify it and speak up.”
At McMaster, where a 1991 residence hazing left a student paralyzed from a broken neck, the university has repudiated hazing in all forms, said associate vice-president for student affairs Phil Wood.
“It’s just not acceptable,” he said. “It’s not part of our ethos here at McMaster. We’re all about inclusion. Not just diversity, but inclusion. You need to feel included, no matter what your distinction might be.”
A symbol of the university’s effort to eliminate hazing stands over the athletic fields on the north side of campus.
The Alpine Tower, a 15-metre rope climbing structure, was built in part to create constructive new traditions to replace degrading hazing rituals.
Now athletic and other teams bond and build trust by climbing, said outdoor recreation director Wayne Terryberry.
“The key thing we focus on is challenge by choice, where you accept the challenge. You’re not forced to do the challenge,” he said. “We want people to be proud to be on a team, as opposed to intimidated by the whole experience.”
Before building the tower in 2003, the university and its athletics department had both explicitly barred hazing — including severe sanctions — and made anti-hazing education an important part of coaching, said athletics director Therese Quigley.
The three-pronged approach of policy, education and alternatives appears to have been effective, she said, though only vigilance can keep hazing in check.
“It’s something you always have to manage,” she said. “You can never be totally confident it’s under control.”
Link to blog item from Orlando Sentinel
The Facebook site below DOES claim he was hazed, but the medical examiner’s report ruled otherwise. Stay tuned to this site see if the family takes this allegation to police. Here is the correction from Fox 35. Fox 35 said they had the cause of death wrong and named the wrong fraternity — Moderator
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) – We want to correct our earlier reports about the death of the UCF student. Contrary to our earlier reports, there is no indication the student’s death was connected to activities conducted by his fraternity.The Medical Examiner with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office says the student, McAndy Douarin, had heart problems and said he died a natural death.Our earlier report also incorrectly identified a fraternity.UCF police say they are not handling the investigation because the death did not occur on campus.“
Here are the burial details from a Facebook group set up to honor Douarin:
The funeral will be on Monday September 8th, 2008 at 11AM at the same location.
Messages and expressions of sympathy can be sent to the family at wemissmac@gmail.com
USM investigating alleged hazing
Lesley Walters
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: News
The University Police Department has begun the investigation of an alleged hazing incident that took place Thursday, August 28 in the Kappa Sigma house on Fraternity Row.
Two female students involved were admitted to a local hospital for treatment of alcohol poisoning. One of the students was released over the weekend, but the other is being held in the Intensive Care Unit at Forrest General Hospital for continued treatment and observation.
University Police Chief Bob Hopkins said there is no open investigation of the USM chapter of Kappa Sigma, but that UPD is following up on a complaint regarding an incident that took place in that house. Hopkins said there are several students involved in the investigation, including witnesses, possible suspects and perhaps more victims.
The incident was not immediately reported to the UPD, Hopkins said, so piecing together the information will be an added challenge. He added that because of the holiday weekend and the threat of Hurricane Gustav, Wednesday was the first time students coming back to campus could be questioned.
Hopkins said the penalties for hazing involve disciplinary action from the university as well as criminal charges since “hazing is a violation of the law.” Hopkins said the UPD is looking into violations of the university’s alcohol policy as well as criminal charges. He added that some of the students may have been under the legal drinking age at the time of the incident.
“Yes, they could be [underage]. I have not seen the ages of them but I would suspect, dealing with the number of people that we are, that’s a strong possibility,” Hopkins said.
University President Martha Saunders said alcohol and drug education are a key factor involved in USM’s safety efforts, and that any incident of substance abuse is taken very seriously.
“Our students are our treasure, and we place their safety and well-being at the top of our list of priorities,” Saunders said in a statement to the USM Department of Marketing and Public Relations. “Incidents such as what allegedly took place last week are unacceptable.”
In another statement to the Department of Marketing and Public Relations, Vice President for Student Affairs Joe Paul said that any actions that threaten students’ lives, including hazing, will not be tolerated.
“We will not rest until we have secured every detail regarding this incident, and any persons and organizations found to be responsible will be held harshly accountable,” Paul said. He added that the university administration is in “close contact” with national fraternity offices now, and in any case of hazing.
President of the Inter Fraternity Council George Napier, a second-year senior and economics and business management double major from Mandeville, La., said the IFC and the University of Southern Miss “do not condone nor allow community alcohol, underage drinking or hazing of any sorts.”
“We never want this stuff to happen,” Napier said, “and we’ve never condoned or accepted this kind of activity.”
The university’s institutional policy on hazing states that “Individuals and organizations both must be responsible for ensuring that all activities exclude any form of hazing. While chapter members may not be present at a new-member activity, it is still the chapter’s responsibility to ensure the activity does not include hazing.”
The university policies regarding hazing and alcohol on campus are included in the Student Handbook which can be found here.