If you’re a college student, you’ve likely heard all about hazing, whether you are a part of Greek life on your campus or not. While hazing has always been something associated closely with Greek life (and especially with fraternities), it happens in other clubs and organizations as well. Regardless of what group you’re in, hazing can be incredibly harmful, dangerous, and even deadly.
When you’re joining an organization for the first time, the possibility of getting hazed can be scary. Many of us have heard horror stories of pledges being forced to drink heavily or take drugs, getting filmed doing embarrassing and stupid things, or even just being yelled at and made fun of. Even though many orgs and universities have severely cracked down on hazing over the years, hazing tragedies still occur.
However, there are many anti-hazing advocates who are doing important work to mitigate the risks of hazing and eventually eradicate it altogether. They have started organizations or come to speak at events, all in the hopes of spreading the message of how dangerous hazing is and teaching others how to combat it. If you’re interested in learning more about these resources — and maybe even bringing some of them to your campus — here are some anti-hazing organizations to look into.
Stop Hazing
Stop Hazing is committed to researching how hazing affects students and spreading the word about how prevalent hazing really is. According to its website, 55% of college students that are involved in on-campus organizations (like sports teams, clubs, and Greek life) have experienced some form of hazing. To combat this stat, the organization offers short, 20-minute online training courses for students on what hazing is and how to prevent it, and organizations can buy the course for all of their members.
Hazing Prevention Network
Aiming to create a culture that stops hazing before it even starts, this nonprofit has programs to teach students about hazing for all ages, from middle school to college. Hazing Prevention Network has several in-person programs that you can bring to your organizations; for college students in particular, these include workshops that student leaders can attend to discuss how to end hazing, and a testimonial panel from parents who have had children harmed in hazing-related incidents. The org also offers online courses that aim to teach what hazing is, how to recognize it, and how to prevent it.
Anti-Hazing Coalition
A collaboration between the National Panhellenic Conference and the North American Interfraternity Conference, this organization is committed to fighting hazing by sharing stories of college students who have been killed through acts of hazing. Campus groups can bring parents of these victims to speak to their members about their and their children’s experiences with hazing in order to shed light on how dangerous hazing can truly become and to continue to raise awareness. The organization is also fighting to make hazing illegal across the country.
Anti Hazing Collaborative
This organization focuses more specifically on how teachers, coaches, and other leaders can prevent hazing for their students, but it has many online resources and courses that are applicable to everyone, including students. The org also offers seminar classes that discuss hazing laws in your state specifically, and about bystander intervention tactics.
I would also recommend looking into resources that your college has specifically to fight hazing, as they likely have school-specific programming, support, and information available for students as well.