NIF and NASPA Study

In collaboration with:
Alpha Phi Omega ΑΦΩ
American College Personnel Association ACPA
Association for Student Judicial Affairs ASJA
Association of Fraternity Advisors AFA
Center for the Study of the College Fraternity The CSCF
Fraternity Executives Association FEA
Kappa Alpha Order KAO
National Association of Campus Activities NACA
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics NACDA
National Association of Student Personnel AdministratorsNASPA
National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA
National Consortium for Academics and Sports NCAS
National Orientation Directors Association NODA
National Panhellenic Conference NPC
Pi Beta Phi Fraternity ΠΒΦ
Professional Fraternity Association PFA
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation ΣΑΕ

Elizabeth J. Allan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Higher Educational Leadership
University of Maine

Background and Need for Study

News accounts and personal stories increasingly document the problem of hazing among college and university students. Psychological and physical harm to individuals are common consequences of hazing—and sometimes hazing can be lethal as evidenced by the 2002 death of Walter Jennings, a freshman at Plattsburgh State University who died after being forced to drink massive quantities of water through a funnel as part of his fraternity pledge process. In addition to the risks for individuals, colleges and universities also suffer consequences of hazing including student attrition, abusive campus climates, and negative publicity to name a few.

Despite the documented problems related to hazing, scholarly attention to the issue remains relatively scant. The most extensive empirical data regarding hazing practices were generated from the Alfred University/NCAA study on college athletes (1999). Other accounts of hazing have been provided by author/journalist Hank Nuwer (1990, 1999, 2000) and a number of thesis and dissertation studies have focused on hazing in the context of Greek life (Holmes, 1999; Lowery, 1998; Shaw, 1992) and athletics (Johnson, 2000). As manager of the StopHazing.org website, I receive daily email queries from students who have been involved in hazing activities. Many of these include accounts of hazing practices among marching bands, theatre groups, ski clubs, church groups, club sports, freshman camp, orientation groups, residence living units and other social and academic clubs. Such reports range in nature and severity, but commonly include forced and/or coerced consumption of alcohol, sexual simulations, ingestion of vile substances, personal servitude, public humiliation, sexual assault, and participation in theft and other illegal activities.

Once thought of as simply aberrant behavior perpetrated by a few isolated collegiate groups or teams and/or the military, it is increasingly evident that hazing behaviors are far more widespread involving students of diverse identities and experiences. Scholars are now considering how hazing is shaped by many social and institutional forces rather than understanding it as solely a problem rooted in personality traits or other individual characteristics. Viewing hazing as simply a problem of Greek-letter organizations or athletes is shortsighted and may jeopardize the health and safety of students involved with hazing in many other arenas. In the end, this will hinder the overall quality of learning environments in schools and postsecondary institutions.

This proposed research will investigate the nature and prevalence of hazing practices across a range of student groups within diverse types of postsecondary institutions in the U.S. By addressing the lack of empirical data, the study will provide foundational data from which to assess campus climates and to inform best practices for hazing prevention and intervention.

Definition

The term “hazing” is often misused as a synonym for harassment or bullying. While hazing can involve many behaviors that would also characterize harassment and bullying, its definition is more specific. For purposes of this investigation, hazing is defined in terms of the following core components: 1) Hazing involves behavior that is humiliating, degrading, emotionally and/or physically harmful. 2) Hazing is behavior that is expected in order to join or maintain one's full status in a group or membership organization. 3) Hazing can occur regardless of an individual's willingness to participate.

Research Goals and Questions

This study aims to generate breadth of knowledge and promote more in-depth understanding about hazing in postsecondary educational institutions with possible applications to other populations as well. More specifically, the goals of this research are to:

•  Investigate the prevalence and nature of hazing behaviors among students in U.S. colleges and universities.

•  Offer research-based strategies for responding to and preventing the problem of hazing among college students with transferability to middle and secondary schools.

In order to achieve these goals, the following research questions are offered as a guide for the investigation:

1. Incidence of Hazing

1. What is the prevalence of hazing behaviors among undergraduate students at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. ?
2. Does the incidence of hazing behaviors differ among institutional types (i.e. Public Research Universities , Liberal Arts Colleges )?
3. Are there regional differences in the incidence of hazing behaviors among undergraduate students at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. ?
4. Are there race, gender/sex, cultural, and/or socioeconomic status differences in the incidence of hazing behaviors among undergraduate students at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. ?

2. Nature of Hazing

1. What types of hazing practices are experienced by undergraduate students at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. ?
2. Does the nature and/or incidence of hazing behaviors differ between types of student groups?
3. What are students' past experiences of hazing prior to enrollment in postsecondary education?
4. What factors influence student reporting of hazing initiations?
5. To what extent do students report being exposed to information about anti-hazing policies, state laws and/or educational programming about hazing?

3. Institutional Responses

1. How do institutions respond to reports of hazing violations?
2. What are the types of educational efforts and policies related to hazing?
3. To what extent are postsecondary student affairs administrators prepared to respond to hazing behaviors among students on their campuses?
4. What is the perceived effectiveness of educational programming and organizational and institutional policies on hazing?

Design and Methods

We will conduct a multi-year investigation of the prevalence and nature of hazing among students in U.S. colleges and universities incorporating quantitative and qualitative methodologies to generate both breadth and depth of data and analyses. Quantitative analyses will include basic descriptive and advanced statistical analyses of student responses to a nationally administered web-based survey. Qualitative analyses will be based on data generated from student responses to open-ended survey questions, follow-up individual interviews with undergraduate students who complete the web-based survey, as well as surveys and individual interviews with key student affairs leaders and administrative staff at selected institutions (estimated 10-20 individual interviews at 20 different campuses). Additional data sources include educational and policy documents related to hazing and an archive of U.S. news articles related to hazing from 1998 to the present.

Prior to embarking upon the formal investigation, a pilot study will be administered to test the reliability of the survey instrument, effectiveness of recruitment strategies for respondents and to conduct a trial analysis of the data. The pilot study might also incorporate interview data as well. The pilot study is currently underway and involves several institutions of various types and demographic composition.

The following methods will provide data needed to respond to the guiding research goals and questions:

1. Web-based surveys of undergraduate students at sample institutions.
2. Web-based surveys of student affairs and athletics administrators at sample institutions.
3. Follow-up individual, on-campus interviews with undergraduate students at sample institutions.
4. Follow-up individual, on-campus interviews with student affairs and athletics administrators at sample institutions.
5. Educational, training and policy documents from postsecondary institutions.
6. Educational, training and policy documents from national organizations and governing groups linked to postsecondary institutions (i.e. national fraternal groups, NCAA, etc.).
7. Hazing news article archive.

Sample and Rationale

The sample for the web-based surveys and follow-up interviews will draw from two populations: 1) undergraduate students enrolled at representative postsecondary institutions throughout the U.S. , and 2) selected student affairs and athletics administrators (i.e. Student Conduct Officers, Deans of Students, Directors and Coordinators of Student Activities, Athletic Directors and Coaches) employed at representative postsecondary institutions throughout the U.S.

1. In order to gain a representative sample of the undergraduate population in the U.S., the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education will be used as a guide for identifying sample sites representing a diverse range of institutional types (i.e. public research/doctoral granting, private research/doctoral granting, master's degree granting public and private, baccalaureate liberal arts, and baccalaureate general) across different regions of the country. The sampling methods will also incorporate a strategy for obtaining data that are representative of gender and racial diversity among students enrolled in U.S. higher education.

1. In order to generate data in reply to research questions included in #3, a sample of student affairs and athletics administrators from the selected institutions (same as those identified for sample #1), will be invited to participate in the study by responding to a survey and/or participating in individual interviews.

Undergraduate students are the focus of the first sample because they represent those most likely to have recent experiences joining or becoming a member of a campus organization or team. First and second year undergraduates are important to the sample because they will be more likely than upper level students to provide retrospective information about their secondary school experiences which may be precursors to hazing behaviors in postsecondary institutions. Upper level students are also important to the sample as they are more likely than early students to have had longer-term exposure to organizational and team cultures at their institution. Selected student affairs and athletics administrators (i.e. Deans of Students, Student Conduct Officers and Student Activities and Greek Life staff, Athletic Directors and Coaches) are the focus of sample #2 because they are the campus officials most likely to have knowledge of institutional policies and practices related to hazing among undergraduate students at their institutions.

Members of a Research Advisory Committee for the project have been named and will be integral in refining design issues around data collection and subject recruitment.

Methods of analysis will include basic descriptive statistics as well as regression analyses to examine differences and patterns among variables. Established methods of qualitative data analysis will be used including both inductive and deductive approaches to coding and categorizing key themes from the interview and open-ended survey data.

Outcomes

It is anticipated that empirical data generated from the study will inform best practices related to the intervention and prevention of hazing including: sharpened insights about the nature and prevalence of hazing; characteristics of students and institutions most at risk for hazing; factors that facilitate and/or impede the reporting of hazing; and qualities of effective policy and educational efforts designed to prevent hazing. Results of the study will be shared with practitioners, scholars and the general public through reports, publications and presentations. Based on the outcomes of the study, the research team will develop and distribute a wide range of educational materials and serve as consultants to support educators with efforts to transform campus hazing cultures.

A project of this magnitude will require a design that spans multiple years. We are currently conducting Phase One: A Pilot Study. *Preliminary data fron this phase of the project are expected by summer 2005.

Implications and Significance: Making a Difference

Numerous anecdotal and journalistic accounts of hazing practices have documented the problems of hazing (including death, physical injuries, emotional harm, and attrition) among college students (Nuwer, 1990, 1999, 2000; Robinson, 1998). Yet, little is known empirically about the prevalence and nature of hazing in this population. Many students and professional staff in colleges and universities are uninformed about the realities of hazing, and stereotypes shape perceptions of hazing as only a problem for Greeks and athletes and/or simply harmless antics and pranks. Data generated from this study will provide empirical data related to the prevalence and nature of hazing behaviors for students in U.S. higher education. As such, the data will serve as a platform for advancing further understanding of the problem in a larger context and inform more viable approaches to the intervention and prevention of hazing by promoting campus cultures that are more fully aware of the realities of hazing and are less tolerant of harmful hazing practices.

*The Pilot Study is funded by the North American International Foundation, the NASPA Foundation and the University of Maine.

References

Allan, E. J. (2003). Hazing in High School and College. In Kimmel, M. & Aronson, A. (Eds.). Men and Masculinities: A Social, Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Allan, E. J. (2003). Athletic Team Hazing. In Kimmel, M. & Aronson, A. (Eds.). Men and Masculinities: A Social, Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Allan, E. J. & DeAngelis, G. (2004). Hazing, Masculinity and Collision Sports: (Un)Becoming Heroes. In Johnson, J. & Holman, M. (Eds.). Making the Team: Inside the World of Sport Hazing and Initiations. Canadian Scholars Press.

Allan, E. J. (2004). Gender and Hazing: Analyzing the Obvious. In Nuwer, H. (Ed.). The Hazing Reader: Examining Rites Gone Wrong in Fraternities, Professional & Amateur Athletics, High Schools and the Military. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Allan, E.. J. & Iverson, S. (2004). Initiating Change: Transforming a Hazing Culture. In Nuwer, H. (Ed.). The Hazing Reader: Examining Rites Gone Wrong in Fraternities, Professional & Amateur Athletics, High Schools and the Military. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Allan, E. J. & Nuwer, H. (2003, 2004). Hazing Prevention and Eradication: Beyond the Basics. National Audioconference sponsored by Magna Publications. October 15, 2003 & February 24, 2004.

Holmes, H. (1999). The role of hazing in the sorority pledge process . Unpublished doctoral dissertation. State University of New York at Buffalo .

Johnson, J. (2000). Sport hazing experiences in the context of anti-hazing policies—the case of two southern Ontario universities . Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada .

Lowery, K. L. (1998). The perceived effectiveness of administrative intervention programs to decrease fraternity hazing at independent and church-related colleges in Ohio . Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Toledo .

Nicoletti, J., Spencer-Thomas, S. & C. Bollinger (2001). Violence goes to college: The authoritative guide to prevention and intervention . Springfield , IL : Charles C. Thomas.

Nuwer, H. (2000). High school hazing: When rites become wrongs . Grolier Publishing.

Nuwer, H. (1999). Wrongs of passage: Fraternities, sororities, hazing and binge drinking . Bloomington , IN : Indiana University Press.

Nuwer, H. (1990). Broken pledges: The deadly rite of hazing . Atlanta : Longstreet Press.

Robinson, L. (1998). Crossing the line: Violence and sexual assault in Canada 's national sport . Toronto , Canada : McClelland & Stewart.

Shaw, D. (1992). A national study of sorority hazing incidents in selected land-grant institutions of higher learning . Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Auburn University .