Hank Nuwer, Author; Hazing Deaths Database

Here is the link and an excerpt

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 12) — Voting 19-0, the Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill completely banning hazing as a requirement for admission into a fraternity, sorority, or organization.

Senate Bill No. 1662, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law, aims to strengthen the existing measure and regulate other forms of initiation rites.

It defined hazing as “any physical or psychological suffering, harm or injury inflicted on a recruit, member, neophyte, or applicant for admission or continuing membership into the fraternity, sorority or organization.”

The existing law allows hazing as part of an initiation rite if there is a written notice addressed to the school a week before the event.

The House approved its version of the bill on January 22.

READ: House OKs new anti-hazing bill on third and final reading

Senator Panfilo Lacson, chair of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, said the bill will cover not only hazing activities in schools, but also in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Military Academy, and Philippine National Police Academy.

Lacson added the bill requires fraternities, sororities, and organizations to submit an application to school authorities for the initiation rite, detailing the activity within seven days prior to the scheduled date.

School authorities should then monitor, record, and report that no hazing was conducted in the initiation rites.

The bill penalizes violators with up to life imprisonment or a fine of up to P3-million, if a hazing rite leads to death, rape, sodomy, or mutilation. Other penalties will be imposed for lesser violations.

The school would also be held liable and be imposed a P1 million fine if its officials failed to prevent hazing

Licenses of professionals involved in acts of hazing would also be revoked for up to three years, which may then be reinstated after affidavits certifying the individuals’ good moral standing are submitted.

The filing of the bill follows the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas freshman law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo in the hands of Aegis Juris Fraternity members on September 2017.

Here is the link and an excerpt

“Jim and Evelyn Piazza are pleased to see Tim Bream gone from Penn State”, attorney Tom Kline said in a statement.

http://www.wafb.com/story/37464660/dying-to-belong-university-leaders-admit-challenges-in-preventing-fraternity-hazing

Yes, treat hazers like the criminals they are–moderator

https://www.inlander.com/spokane/among-the-revelations-about-hazing-at-wsu-is-this-some-people-dont-know-what-it-is/Content?oid=7997487

Above is the link and an excerpt. Hope you can read it all–Moderator.

……Likewise, the two new AKL members taken to the Pullman Regional Hospital caused WSU concern, MacKay says. Investigative notes reveal that on Aug. 20, the last night of Rush Week — when fraternities recruit students — one upperclassman at AKL heard about a new member who was sick. The upperclassman walked into the bathroom, according to the upperclassman’s account of the incident, and found the new member “flopping” around, “vomiting and throwing his upper body around while staying seated.”

The upperclassman took him to the hospital, and the new member was released by early the next morning. (In the records provided to the Inlander, in response to a public records request, names of students were redacted.)

In early October, days before WSU launched their investigation of hazing, a new fraternity member fell out of his bed after drinking and got a concussion, MacKay says. He was taken to the hospital.

Incidents alleged to be hazing took place in what the frat called the “party room.” There, records say, new members were forced to finish bottles of beer. When they did “Edward Forty-Hands,” one new member reported that his hand was taped to another member’s hand with a bottle in between. Each person had another bottle taped to his free hand. They were told to finish all three bottles between the two of them.

At least once, the upperclassmen dumped out bean bags and made the new members clean all of it up while taped to another person. In another incident, a new member had his finger burned by an upperclassman’s lighter used to illuminate the dark party room, according to records.

Yet upperclassmen interviewed said that these types of things happened when they were pledges, too. And, at first, they told the school it was character building. One member said it was “not meant with malicious intent,” and instead was supposed to be about teaching accountability. He said the “definition of hazing has become muddy.”

But Jeremy Slivinski, CEO of the fraternity at its headquarters, told the members at WSU that the incidents were “abusive and a demonstration as to why fraternities are viewed poorly in this day and age. Brothers don’t hurt each other to prove or receive a demonstration of loyalty.”

The individual students involved are facing charges through the university’s student-conduct process that could result in discipline, MacKay says.

“We take this stuff really seriously,” MacKay says. “Protecting the health and safety of our students is critical.”

NO CHOICE?

To prevent future hazing incidents, Nuwer says there needs to be a change in culture. Fraternities are founded on principles of camaraderie and loyalty to one another. When they get in trouble, they tend to cover for one another.

“There’s a lot of self-delusion after the incident,” Nuwer says.

Fraternity members don’t know when they’re hazed, he says, because often they can’t identify hazing behaviors. And when they try to reform the system, they often get pressure from alumni.