Rumors have been swirling around Clemson’s campus since mid–September about an incident related to hazing and a certain fraternity. A minor incident quickly snowballed into giant allegations of hospitalization and a life in danger. The administration promptly suspended the fraternity, which became the subject of university and police investigations. Strangely, the conversation has gone radio silent since September, making me wonder if nothing serious actually occurred as rumors suggested. As a member of Greek life myself, I am the first to fight for justice and safety within the community. However, in this case, rumors spread like wildfire despite no evidence of a significant hazing incident on campus. I argue that the constant gossip about hazing accusations is actually harmful.
Let’s set the record straight by defining hazing. According to StopHazing.org, hazing is “any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them, regardless of a person’s willingness to participate.”For years, organizations, specifically those within higher education, have promised to stop hazing. When conversations on hazing arise, older generations often insist that it is playful, harmless and used to promote community bonding. Still, Hank Nuwer, an author and investigative reporter who has spent decades researching hazing, says fraternity hazing deaths date back to before the 1900s. According to Nuwer, at least one death at a school–related event has occurred every year in the U.S. since 1961. Most deaths and injuries are related to fraternities but have also involved athletic teams, bands and sororities.
Clemson entered the center of hazing conversations when Tucker Hipps died due to an hazing incident in 2014. Since then, Clemson has taken great strides to prevent both on and off–campus hazing. The resources and university policies on hazing and other offenses are listed in the Division of Student Affairs section of Clemson’s website. For three years, Greek life at Clemson has conducted bystander intervention training which instructs students to call out or prevent unsafe interactions, including, but not limited to, hazing and sexual violence. The department also trains Greek life members to become “wellness advocates,” who plan monthly events aimed at the health and safety of the community.
We need to compare gossiping about hazing to a story we are probably all familiar with: The Boy Who Cried Wolf. To summarize, the tale concerns a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricks nearby villagers into thinking a wolf is attacking his town’s flock. When a wolf actually does appear and the boy calls for help, the villagers don’t come to his aid. Because of the earlier false alarms, the villagers believe it is another false alarm. Tragically, the wolf eats the sheep. This familiar fairy tale can relate to hazing today. If we cry “hazing!” to every little rumor of an incident regarding an organization, allegations will lose seriousness. We have had students injured, hospitalized and even lose their lives due to hazing in school–related organizations. Comparing hazing rumors to “he–said, she–said” situations disrespects the names of those victimized by hazing. The community at Clemson needs to consider hazing as a severe offense and stop letting it become the center of their daily gossip because it desensitizes and lessons the seriousness of the offense. If another hazing incident ever occurs on Clemson’s campus, authorities and peers are less likely to respond appropriately if we continue to lessen the severity of hazing allegations.
Stop gossiping about hazing and throwing around serious allegations. Even if you do not condone hazing, you promote the drama of it all by gossiping and hinting about accusations on social media and to your friends. As college students and young adults, we owe it to the past, present and future victims of hazing to be better than that.
