Category: Hazing News

story link is here

excerpt: click for link

 

Who determines where the fine line begins and where it ends? What I find acceptable, others might find embarrassing and inappropriate. Every individual is different, and two people rarely see things exactly the same.

When I was a freshman in college, I don’t remember dreading anything. I wasn’t nervous or scared about anything, except maybe people thinking I wasn’t good enough to stick around. I don’t know if my classmates ever dreaded something that was coming their way. It would be an interesting question to ask.

Looking back on my college experience, a lot of stupid things happened but all of them make me laugh. During my first semester, two upperclassmen called my room and told us coach wanted us to put the tarp on the field. At 3 a.m., with a clear sky overhead, all 15 freshmen trudged down to the field. Twenty minutes later, with nobody but freshmen around, we went back to our rooms.

When my older teammates were freshmen, they had pranks played on them. When they were the veterans, it was their turn. I don’t see any harm in that.

We weren’t forced to drink and nobody was ever embarrassed or humiliated. We had fun with one another and things like the tarp incident made us closer as a team.

There isn’t a steadfast rule about what is right and what is wrong. We can only hope that student-athletes use their best judgment and never seek to embarrass and degrade their teammates.

Link is here to the weakness of the Vermont Law and the so-called Brokeback

Mountain party in which a fraternity chapter is challenging that law. Case thrown out by judge (updated 11/29/06)

On June 1 the Mecosta County Prosecutors
 Office notified the parents of hazing victim Stephen Petz that a convicted former rogue fraternity member Robert Markhja of the Knights of College Leadership has filled a 
petition to get his judgment set aside on his criminal record.

Ruth Petz adamantly opposes the setting aside of the conviction. “We are 
trying to get as many people as possible to write in protest against having 
his judgment set aside,” James and Stephen Petz have written Hank Nuwer, a columnist for stophazing.org and this blog’s moderator.
Should you wish too express your view to the magistrate, you may write a letter to Mecosta County Building, attention Judge Scott Hill-Kennedy, 400 
Elm Street Big Rapids, Michigan 49307 before June 12th of 2006.

To review the facts of the case,
click here:
http://www.edc.org/hec/news/hecnews/events/000609d.html

news clip here