By Michael Popke - Athletic Business

11/13/03
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H
RASH OF UGLY HAZING
INCIDENTS IS LEADING
SCHOOL AND ATHLETIC
ADMINISTRATORS TO
ADOPT MORE-STRINGENT
PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
www.athleticbusiness.com
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he Bellmore-Merrick (N.Y.) School
watched. One of the victims was injured so
Board sent a strong message to the
badly that he reportedly required surgery.
Mepham High School football team, stu-
Fueling the controversy were former
dents and fans this fall when it canceled the
Mepham players publicly recalling their own
Pirates’ season three days before the sched-
hazing episodes, including one who said
uled opener. The board’s bold move came in
older players dunked his head in a toilet at
the wake of allegations that three varsity
the beginning of the 1995 season and later
players sodomized three junior-varsity play-
beat him with cleats and helmets. Another
ers at a preseason training camp in Penn-
former player told reporters that those kind
sylvania, reportedly using a broomstick,
of “swirlies” were “just the usual thing.”
pinecones and golf balls while other players
Kevin McElroy, Mepham’s football coach for
By Michael Popke
December 2003
ATHLETIC BUSINESS
101
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17 years, publicly apologized for the most recent
books about hazing. He adds that nearly 50 hazing
incident, claiming he was not aware of the hazing
incidents involving sexual misconduct have come
— coaches reportedly slept in a different cabin
to light since 1983 — most of them after 1995.
than the players at the Pennsylvania camp — and
In October, Athletic Business surveyed high
that he also did not know of any previous hazing
school athletic directors to find out how they’re
incidents. In November, McElroy was fired.
addressing hazing, if at all. One in five of 58
All players and parents signed a letter prior to
respondents reported that their school had expe-
the team leaving for the camp,
rienced what they consider a hazing incident dur-
specifically stipulating that play-
ing their tenure there. (Defining hazing can be
ers not participate in hazing
dicey, but according to Nuwer’s 2000 book, High
Tale of
the Tape
ideotape proved to be the damning
evidence last May against 33 senior
girls expelled from Glenbrook North High
School in Northbrook, Ill., after a powderpuff football game turned ugly. But adhesive tape has become the modus
operandi among high school hazers this
fall. Consider these reports from the first
two months of the 2003-04 school year:
V
• In Wisconsin, at least seven Port Washington High School students were each
issued disorderly conduct fines ranging
from $81 to $500 for a homecomingrelated hazing incident that included
binding cheerleaders to a tree with duct
tape and then covering them with syrup,
eggs, flour and other items. One football
player and one cheerleader were suspended from the homecoming game for
their involvement in the incident, and a
cheerleading coach was placed on
administrative leave.
• In Pennsylvania, four Lakeland-Lehman
High School varsity football players
received 10-day suspensions for taping
the head, arms and legs of a 15-year-old
junior-varsity quarterback to a wheeled
chair, then allegedly rubbing painreliever cream in his eyes and face. When
they tried to wheel the boy into the
school’s gymnasium, the chair got
caught on a door threshold and tipped
over, leaving the boy with a broken jaw.
• In Ohio, seven Bellefontaine High
School football players faced criminal
charges after they allegedly taped a
sophomore player to a
locker room bench and
broke his hand,
sidelining the player
for the rest of the
season.
• In Fulton, Md.,
seven Reservoir
High School soccer players were
suspended for taping a freshman to
a goal post and
then kicking soccer balls at him.
— M.P.
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ATHLETIC BUSINESS
December 2003
activities, according to Saul
School Hazing: When Rites Become Wrongs, hazing
Lerner, athletic director for the
“involves activity that requires new members to
district. “The expectations are
show subservience to older members of the
everywhere — and in print. The
group, lowering the self-esteem of newcomers.”
message is out there,” Lerner
Another common rule of thumb: “If you have to
told New York’s Newsday. “Is
ask if it’s hazing, it is.”)
that enough to stop a crime?”
Nearly one in three respondents indicated that
Apparently not, as McElroy,
either they do not have a specific hazing-preven-
four other coaches who accom-
tion policy in place or their school’s code of con-
panied the team to the camp
duct does not address hazing in any way. Several
and the three accused players
respondents are in the process of updating their
were called to testify before a
policies, and one — who encountered hazing this
Wayne County, Pa., grand jury
fall but isn’t offering details — is creating a policy.
this fall. The players were also
“No matter what you do, you’re never going to
suspended from school but will
stop everything that’s possible from occurring.
be tried as juveniles on charges
Hazing does happen, and it could happen any-
ranging from aggravated and
where,” says John Morgan, athletic director for
simple assault to involuntary
Bexley (Ohio) City Schools, which implemented a
deviate sexual intercourse.
new anti-hazing policy June 1 for its three elemen-
In the wake of Mepham’s inci-
tary schools, one middle school and one high
dent — and perhaps because of
school. “We just have to create an environment
it — numerous other hazing
that makes it less likely to occur. If kids are out
reports made headlines in
there, getting hurt and intimidated, we can’t just
newspapers around the country
brush it off. We have an obligation to make a safe
during the first two months of
learning environment for them.”
the 2003 high school fall sports
“I have been in education long enough to know
season. (See “Tale of the Tape,”
that we’ve probably had some incidents,” says
left.)
Don Patrick, athletic director at Newton-Conover
As these stories demon-
(N.C.) High School, who admits his school should
strate, the victims aren’t the
have a written hazing-prevention policy in place
only ones who suffer in a hazing
but doesn’t. “We have always asked our coaches
episode. The Bellmore-Merrick
to take a strong no-tolerance rule toward hazing.
School Board has paid a high
We let student-athletes know that they face the
price for canceling the football
possibility of being eliminated from any team if
season, not only financially but
found guilty of any form of hazing, we try to teach
also publicly, in the form of
a ‘togetherness’ approach and let student-athletes
irate parents, student protests
and parents know that hazing violates that expec-
and potential lawsuits.
tation, and we hope tomorrow is as good as yes-
“Anytime a hazing incident —
terday.”
especially one involving sexual
There’s no question in Nuwer’s mind that
misconduct — occurs at a
administrators in schools across the country need
school, it’s the biggest problem
to implement some sort of hazing-prevention pro-
that school will ever have,” says
gram to make students aware of the consequences
Hank Nuwer, a professor at Indi-
that come with violating it. An effective policy
ana University and Franklin Col-
accomplishes four major objectives, he says. It
lege, and author of several
protects a school legally, it makes students aware
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that their actions will not go unpunished, it demon-
Since last spring, officials from Glenbrook North
large that hazing will not be tolerated and it invites
and its school district developed a task force to
input from victims and concerned observers.
examine the factors that contribute to hazing, such
Says Morgan, “Having a policy is like having
as underage drinking, bullying and parental
insurance: You need it, but you hope you never
involvement. (At least two parents were charged
have to use it.”
with providing alcohol to students prior to the
W
powder-puff football game.) The task force
ith a history that dates back to ancient Greece,
includes officials from other schools, teachers, par-
hazing as a rite of initiation takes many forms, from
ents, students, state representatives, community
playful foolishness (requiring newbies to carry
leaders and police officers.
older players’ equipment, for example) to danger-
The Glenbrook North debacle was the last
ous and sometimes fatal practices (forcing exces-
straw for Bill Stanley, a business teacher and head
sive alcohol consumption). Once the domain of
boys’ tennis coach at West Aurora High School,
college fraternities and sororities, hazing has now
located about 45 miles southwest of Northbrook.
become common — some experts may
When he realized his school did not have a writ-
argue even more common — in college
ten policy against hazing, he created his own task
and high school athletics.
force of sorts. As a class project, Stanley encour-
“ANYTIME A HAZING
INCIDENT — ESPECIALLY
ONE INVOLVING SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT — OCCURS
AT A SCHOOL, IT’S THE
BIGGEST PROBLEM THAT
SCHOOL WILL EVER HAVE.”
That trickle-down effect is illustrated
aged the 29 students in his spring semester Busi-
by a series of major incidents that came
ness Law II class to search the Internet for
to light at all three levels this year. Wal-
anti-hazing policies at other high schools and
ter Dean Jennings, an 18-year-old fresh-
school districts around the country, compile
man at the State University of New York
them, solicit input from classmates and other
Plattsburgh and a pledge to Psi Epsilon
teachers, and develop a district-wide policy for all
Chi, an underground fraternity without
students. The school board welcomed the input,
campus recognition, fell unconscious
made a few alterations to the policy, and put it
and died in March after a 10-day hazing
into effect this summer.
ritual known as “water torture,” during
Stanley also has a personal stake in the policy. In
which he drank so much water (some-
1990, his friend Nicholas Haben, a freshman at
times via a funnel) that his brain swelled.
ATHLETIC BUSINESS
December 2003
Western Illinois University, died from alcohol poi-
Around the same time the Mepham story was
soning after a lacrosse club drinking ritual. In fact,
breaking, news came from the University of Mary-
Haben’s mother, Alice, who speaks to groups
land that 44 members of the men’s and women’s
about the hazards of hazing, was instrumental in
lacrosse teams were suspended for all or part of
providing information and insight to Stanley’s
the fall season because of hazing allegations involv-
class. (See “Rite Answers,” May 2000, p. 32.)
ing underage drinking.
104
coming “tradition.”)
strates to other students and the community at
West Aurora has never experienced a serious
But the story that really caught the nation’s
hazing incident, Stanley says, and he wants to
attention — and that of Oprah Winfrey, who aired
make sure it never does by heightening hazing
a video of the incident in its entirety on her show
awareness. “I figured if the kids created it, the kids
— happened last May during an off-campus pow-
would follow it,” he says of the policy, adding that
der-puff football game at Glenbrook North High
teachers and coaches emphasized the policy to
School in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Ill.
students at the beginning of the school year and
Caught on tape were senior girls beating junior
each sports season.
classmates and smearing mud, paint, garbage and
Following that credo, Bexley, Ohio, officials last
feces on them. Five victims were hospitalized, 16
spring developed a community-wide committee to
students were charged with misdemeanor battery
update that district’s previously vague policy. In
and 33 seniors were expelled after the incident —
addition to including administrators, coaches, the
which generated hundreds of e-mails and phone
mayor and the police chief as members, about 20
calls to Glenbrook North administrators during the
or so students invited by Bexley High School’s stu-
final weeks of the academic year, lambasting the
dent council participated in updating the policy.
school, its students and staff. (The incident was
“The only way that kids’ behavior is going to
not an isolated one: In September, as many as 60
change is to empower kids,” says Morgan, head of
upperclassmen boys and girls from Huron High
the committee. “Hazing is related to athletics, but
School in South Dakota allegedly dumped vomit,
it’s not an athletics-only issue. However, if you can
urine and cow manure on 20 freshman girls at an
get the message to the athletes, you go a long way
off-campus site as part of an unsanctioned home-
toward changing the behavior of a lot of other stuathleticbusiness.com
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dents, as well. The main thing the committee did
Catholic Diocese. Athletic directors are responsi-
was take hazing and make it something that was
ble for enforcing the policy.
OK to talk about. People knew we were working on
To at least one parent, that policy is not enough.
this. That, in and of itself, was probably a deterrent
The victim’s father told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
to hazing behavior.”
that the policy was a case of “too little, too late as
Bexley’s policy — which requires students,
far as I’m concerned,” while the boy’s lawyer called
faculty, administrators and other employees to
the policy “damage control” and said one should
report possible hazing incidents and was explained
have been in place long before his client
to individual high school classes during sessions
became a victim.
with the school principal — does not spell out the
T
consequences for specific actions, because each
case is different. Instead, it simply states that disci-
hat said, the mere existence of a
DO, YOU’RE NEVER GOING
policy doesn’t guarantee compliance.
plinary action, including civil and criminal penal-
At SUNY Plattsburgh, such anti-hazing
ties, is possible.
measures as a hotline for anonymous
Neither West Aurora nor Bexley officials waited
tips, education workshops, a bill of
for an ugly incident to occur to jump-start their
rights for fraternity and sorority mem-
new hazing policies. But last January, Central
bers and a pamphlet distributed to all
Catholic High School in Pittsburgh adopted one
students titled “Hazing: A Trust
after a 2002 football practice during which a
Betrayed” were in place at the time of
sophomore and junior restrained another boy and
Jennings’ death. Glenbrook North
reportedly touched his face with their genitals.
reportedly had an anti-hazing policy in
After teammates refused to talk to school officials
place, too. So what went wrong?
about what happened, administrators withdrew
“NO MATTER WHAT YOU
TO STOP EVERYTHING
THAT’S POSSIBLE FROM
OCCURRING. WE JUST
HAVE TO CREATE AN
ENVIRONMENT THAT MAKES
IT LESS LIKELY TO OCCUR.”
“Having a policy is certainly not
the team from the Western Pennsylvania Inter-
enough,” says Elizabeth Allan, professor of higher
scholastic Athletic League football playoffs. The
education leadership at the University of Maine
new policy requires athlete supervision at all times
and co-founder of StopHazing.org, an Internet
and is in place at all schools within the Pittsburgh
resource with the motto “Educating to eliminate
CIRCLE 91 ON REPLY CARD
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December 2003
ATHLETIC BUSINESS
105
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hazing.” “The issue of hazing is far too complex to
sored by a local Coca-Cola bottler and an area
just think that having something written on a piece
newspaper. Three times a year (once per season),
of paper will be the answer.”
two players from each school and each sport are
A policy’s effectiveness depends on the people
invited to dine with their peers and discuss impor-
placed in the position of enforcing the policy, she
tant issues like hazing and ways in which it can be
says, including their title and authority, their
prevented.
understanding of hazing
Additionally, Nuwer suggests athletic directors
and their morals regard-
apply for grant money to help train administrators
ing hazing. Indeed, some
about hazing-related issues. They should also
hazing incidents report-
interview students involved in hazing to find out
edly occur in the pres-
why they did it, and even rally judges to include as
ence of coaches, who
part of a convicted student’s community-service
either turn a blind eye to
agreement talking to groups at surrounding
the behavior or consider
schools about the cold realities of hazing. “Kids
it a good-natured and tra-
aren’t going to listen to someone my age, who’s
ditional component of
almost 58,” Nuwer says. “They’re going to look to
participating in team
their peers.”
sports.
SUPPORT
FOR THE
HAZING VICTIMS AT
MEPHAM HIGH
SCHOOL IN BELLMORE,
N.Y,. INCREASED AS
SOME RESIDENTS
CALLED FOR THE
have mentoring programs in place that match
tors hope they have
older players with younger players, similar to the
found successful ways to
buddy system. “Usually, a freshman’s first contact
mitigate hazing. For
with the high school is athletics,” Morgan says,
example, in addition to
referring to fall sports programs that start practice
enforcing a district-wide
prior to classes beginning. Every upperclassman
zero-tolerance policy
football player at Bexley this fall was assigned two
against hazing, Clovis (Calif.)
freshmen to help ease the transition to high
West High School athletic
school. “If they can develop positive relationships
director Karen Sowby also
with older students before they get into those
makes her student-athletes
halls, they’ll feel more comfortable, and the older
sign and abide by a co-curricu-
ones will be looking out for them,” Morgan says.
REMOVAL OF HEAD
lar code of ethics. If anyone
Because many hazing incidents occur off school
FOOTBALL COACH
violates the code, that stu-
property, some of the latest hazing-prevention
dent-athlete and his or her
methods focus on camps and road trips. By imple-
parents must face an athletic
menting policies that make varsity and junior var-
board comprised of Sowby,
sity players travel on different buses, stay in
the school’s deputy principal, the learning director
separate cabins and require coaches to sleep in
and the coach. A first-offense violation of the “Haz-
the same rooms as or in close proximity to their
ing/Intimidating/Harassment” section of the code
players, schools are trying to convey the point that
results in a suspension from athletics ranging in
hazing will not be tolerated.
Top photo by David L. Poress, bottom photo by Karen Wiles-Stable/Copyright, 2003 Newsday. Reprinted with permission. Distributed by Tribune Media Services.
KEVIN MCELROY. IN
EARLY NOVEMBER,
THEY GOT THEIR WISH.
106
That’s why some schools and districts now
Many athletic direc-
ATHLETIC BUSINESS
December 2003
length from two to 18 weeks, depending on the
The National Federation of State High School
severity of the violation. A second offense can
Associations hopes to boost its involvement in
result in a 19- to 36-week suspension, while a third
hazing-prevention tactics next year by developing
offense will likely force a student-athlete to sit out
a handbook for all athletic directors that defines
for one to two years.
hazing, offers suggestions for coping with a hazing
“Coaches remind their athletes weekly about
incident and provides resources to combat hazing.
proper behavior,” says Sowby, who also makes her
Developed with input from Nuwer, the handbook
coaches sign a code of conduct. “Many coaches
is expected to be available in time for the begin-
end their Friday practice by reminding their ath-
ning of the 2004-05 school year.
letes to ‘Have a safe weekend,’ ‘Remember to do
“We’ve always had a position that hazing is
the right thing,’ stuff like that. We tell our athletes
unacceptable, but it’s just getting worse and
to use the code as their excuse for just saying no.
worse,” says Elliot Hopkins, director of educational
‘Sorry, I am an athlete and I can’t do that. I want to
services for the federation. “This handbook is not
stay on the team.’ ”
going to be a cure-all. We just want to give those
On the other side of the country, student-ath-
schools that have no policy a point of reference.”
letes from the Eastern Connecticut Conference
Other points of reference include laws against
participate in student leadership luncheons spon-
hazing that are on the books in no fewer than 43
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states. But “a lot of them aren’t worth the paper
Harmless or not, these incidents are sending
they’re written on,” Nuwer says, adding that some
the wrong message to high school student-ath-
are too specific while others remain too vague.
letes who emulate the pros, Nuwer claims.
Some state laws aren’t even invoked in hazing
“There’s been no leadership at all from profes-
cases because prosecutors focus on the heftier
sional sports teams,” he says. “They’ve been
charges, such as involuntary manslaughter, under-
totally derelict in this area.”
age drinking or sexual assault.
Even more galling to Nuwer is the sexual nature
C
of some hazing practices. This is an area he’s cur-
rucial to combating hazing is understanding why
rently researching, but his preliminary findings
students haze in the first place. In an Alfred Univer-
indicate that many male hazers engage in sexual
sity study of more than 1,540 high school students
misconduct as a means to prove their masculinity.
published in 2000 — in which 48 percent of respon-
“At that age, there is a great concern to not be con-
dents admitted they’d been subjected to activity
sidered insecure sexually. Students actually partic-
they consider hazing — students revealed that the
ipate in this deviant conduct to show that they’re
top three reasons they haze is because it’s “fun
not gay,” Nuwer says, his voice expressing some of
and exciting,” to feel “closer as a group” and “to
the frustration his research has wrought. “It’s a dis-
prove myself.” Such responses as “I wanted
tasteful topic. I mean, we’re talking sodomy.”
revenge” and “I was scared to say ‘no’ “ received
fewer responses.
One day after Nuwer made his comments, the
sordid details of another hazing involv-
Yet consider what 16-year-old Josh Jackson told
ing sexual misconduct, this one in
The Virginian-Pilot last spring in a story the paper
Friendship, N.Y., began to emerge.
published about hazing: “I believe hazing makes
A 17-year-old soccer player for Friend-
athletes strive to become stronger physically so
ship High School was charged with sex-
one day, they can haze others.” That mind-set can
ual abuse after a locker room incident
be one of the most damaging factors at play when
during which the boy allegedly held a
trying to empower students to fight hazing among
14-year-old player to the floor, and
their peers, experts say.
exposed his genitals to the side of the
Almost all of the Alfred University study respon-
younger boy’s face. Following the Bell-
dents (98 percent) thought dangerous hazing was
more-Merrick School District’s lead,
wrong, 86 percent considered humiliating hazing
Friendship administrators canceled the
wrong and 43 percent assumed it was illegal. That
remainder of the soccer team’s season.
said, 35 percent of the students still indicated that
“FRATERNITIES AND
SORORITIES ARE BETTER
ARMED AND BETTER
PREPARED THAN THEY’VE
EVER BEEN. THAT WILL
HAPPEN WITH HIGH SCHOOL
ATHLETIC DIRECTORS, TOO.”
Don’t be surprised to hear about
hazing was socially acceptable. (For more results
even more canceled seasons. If the news stories
from the study, go to www.alfred.edu/news/html/
that broke nearly every week this fall are any indi-
hazing _study.html.)
cation, hazing appears to have reached a new level
That’s not surprising, Nuwer says, considering
of acceptance among high school student-athletes.
that professional athletes engage in hazing on a
And judging by the radically different reactions by
regular basis. In a well-publicized 1998 incident, for
schools and communities affected by those inci-
example, three rookies were injured on the final
dents, there appear to be no easy answers.
night of the New Orleans Saints training camp at
But change eventually comes about. For proof,
the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse while run-
Nuwer points to the Greek organizations on college
ning a gauntlet of veterans and being struck with
campuses. “What’s happening in high schools par-
bags of coins. During NFL training camp this year,
allels what happened with fraternities and sorori-
veteran members of the Minnesota Vikings,
ties in the ’70s, only then there was a rash of
according to a lighthearted story in the Minneapo-
alcohol-related hazing deaths,” Nuwer says, adding
lis Star Tribune, taped rookies to a goal post, pulled
that many organizations — despite what hap-
down their shorts and poured water and Gatorade
pened at SUNY Plattsburgh — now have strong
on them. The Oakland Raiders of late have report-
leadership programs in place that don’t tolerate
edly made a practice of physically overpowering
hazing. “Fraternities and sororities are better
rookies, restraining them and giving them unap-
armed and better prepared than they’ve ever
pealing haircuts, and Houston Texans rookies
been. That will happen with high school athletic
were bound with tape and doused with Gatorade
directors, too. I would bet it’s going to take
during the preseason. Even LeBron James, the
between eight and 10 years for it to happen —
NBA’s No. 1 draft choice, isn’t immune, as his fel-
unfortunately, it will take one death or more
low Cleveland Cavaliers have made him carry their
sodomy cases to shorten that amount of time —
bags and buy them doughnuts.
but it will happen.” ■
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December 2003
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