National Hazing Prevention Week is demonstrated during the last week of September every year. The week is spent spreading awareness in an effort to stop hazing in fraternities, sororities, sports teams and other communities.
IU’s Interfraternity Council has started an anti-hazing initiative called Hoosiers Against Hazing, IFC Vice President of Membership Development Sean Ndebele said.
“Unfortunately, hazing is part of the fraternity culture across the nation,” Ndebele said. “We want to make sure that’s not happening at our fraternities at IU.”
Hoosiers Against Hazing’s ultimate goal is to eradicate hazing in all capacities, Ndebele said.
The campaign is new this school year but it plans to follow a similiar model like those of the sexual assault awareness groups such as Safe Sisters and Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault (MARS).
The IFC booklet defines hazing as any voluntary or involuntary act that may degrade, intimidate or harass an individual physically, mentally, emotionally or psychologically.
The punishment for reported instances of hazing is chapter suspension. Hazing or other bias misconduct can be reported to the Office of Student Ethics or Student Life and Learning, according to the Culture of Care website.
Greek members can also go to the IFC and Panhellenic Association membership development or risk management chairs as a resource.
Both the IFC and Panhellenic Association chairs do not have jurisdiction, though, because hazing is viewed as a crime, Ndebele said.
As part of the Hoosiers Against Hazing initiative, the IFC has given chapter presidents an anti-hazing oath to distribute among their members.
The oath is based off the National Hazing Prevention pledge but has been edited to be greek specific, Ndebele said.
The oath reads, “As a fraternity man and member of the community, I am vowing to prevent hazing before it occurs, stop hazing when I see it happening and help empower others to do the same in their organizations, schools and communities.”
The Panhellenic Association addressed National Hazing Prevention Week with a social media campaign through their Twitter account, @IUBPHA.
Abby Kloberdanz is a sophomore in Phi Mu sorority who participated in the twitter campaign.
“We think sisterhood is so important, we can’t imagine doing anything to harm at all,” Kloberdanz said. “The sisterhood is top priority.”
The account spread awareness through the hashtag “Be the Change”, urging sororities to take a pledge against hazing.
Individual sorority Twitter accounts such as Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Omioron Pi and Phi Mu posted pictures of sisters with signs that read, “pledges against hazing” as part of the campaign.
“I don’t think joining a house should have anything to do with harming others,” Kloberdanz said. “You’re joining to be sisters or brothers.”
The first Hoosiers Against Hazing seminar will be Oct. 6, with an expected 200 fraternity members present. Hoosiers Against Hazing plans to hold assemblies one to two times a semester, Ndebele said.
“Hazing is something that’s been going on in America for decades,” Ndebele said. “I think as a society we’ve turned a blind eye to it for too long.”
