Hazing refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status or leadership position in a group) that humiliates, degrades, or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate.

Hazing activities are typically defined as actions taken, or situations created intentionally or unintentionally by an individual or group, whether on or off-campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule in another person or group, regardless of the consent of the participants. Any act that interferes with regularly scheduled classes or academic pursuits of a student may also be defined as hazing.

Examples of Hazing

• Coerce through the use of social or physical pressure to consume any food, liquid, alcohol, drug or other substance to a likely risk of vomiting, intoxication, or unconsciousness.
• Forcing or requiring the drinking of alcohol or any other substance.
• Forcing or requiring the consumption of food or any other substance.
• Calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups, jogging, runs, etc.)
• Treeing, Paddle swats, Line-ups
• Theft of any property
• Road trips, scavenger hunts
• Causing fewer than six (6) continuous hours of sleep per night
• Conducting activities which do not allow adequate time for study
• Nudity at any time
• Running personal errands for the members (driving them to class, cleaning their individual rooms, serving meals, etc.)
• Any Physical Contact
• Misuse of authority by virtue of one’s class rank or leadership position.
• Striking another student by hand or with any instrument.
• Any form of physical bondage of a student.
• Taking of a student to an outlying area and dropping him/her off.
• Causing a student to violate the law or a University rule such as indecent exposure, trespassing, violation of visitation, etc.
• Solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another in engaging in hazing
• Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly permits hazing to occur
• Has firsthand knowledge of the planning of such activities or firsthand knowledge that an incident of this type has occurred and failing to report it to appropriate University officials.
• Forcing or requiring the violation of University, Federal, State, or local law.

Please click on Georgia Anti-Hazing Law to read more about the Hazing law in Georgia.

The Spectrum of Hazing graphic (Allan, 2005; Allan & Kerschner, 2020) represents how the frequency of hazing incidents is inversely correlated with the severity and recognition of hazing incidents (i.e., as an act is more severe and more widely recognized as hazing, it is generally less common in occurrence than lesser recognized and less severe acts of hazing).

The graphic outlines the three categories of hazing behavior – intimidation, harassment, and violence.

More information can be found about The Spectrum of Hazing by clicking on the following link: https://stophazing.org/resources/spectrum/

• Disrupted sleep patterns/chronic fatigue
• Not sleeping in residence halls, leaving residence hall in the early morning hours, and not returning until next day or days later (middle of the night unexplained disappearances)
• Disheveled appearance
• Wearing the same clothes daily Changes in communication habits, i.e., no longer talking to people outside of group
• Lack of appetite
• Non-attendance in class Declining grades Unusual photos or other posts on social media
• Depression, mood swings, lack of enthusiasm for usual activities, unusual injuries
• Carrying things in pockets or backpacks that are not “usual”
• Increased incidents of alcohol or drug intoxication
• New tattoos, other marks, shaved or cut hair

This is not an exhaustive list, but is used to illustrate varying examples of warning signs.

If you suspect a student is being hazed, talk to them. Speak with them respectfully and out of concern. Most victims of hazing don’t want to discuss the issue, so be persistent. Additionally, many hazing victims don’t even realize they are being hazed, and many who do realize they are being hazed are in denial about it. There is typically a great deal of pressure from the group or organization for the individuals to be silent.

Remember that hazing is really about power and control. The desire to fit in is strong for many students. Some students may do anything to gain acceptance. Individuals who engage in hazing know this and use it to their advantage to control those being hazed. Additionally, most people who engage in hazing were hazed themselves and are seeking to outdo the group that hazed them. For this reason, even minor hazing must be addressed. If it goes unchecked, it will lead to more serious and dangerous forms of hazing.

Hazing in View: College Students at Risk

Inside Hazing

We Don’t Haze

Hazing Prevention Network

StopHazing.Org