Hazing: A Hidden Reality on College Campuses

As the school year ramps up, students are beginning to find new ways to get involved on campus. Students are offered opportunities that are unique to MSU. However, with all the clubs, teams and organizations that exist on campus, it is important to remember that certain rituals or practices that are harmful to students are still very prevalent on college campuses today. One of the most well-known practices is hazing.

Hazing can be defined as a ritual that involves risk, pain, embarrassment, harm or humiliation as a part of initiation into a given group. Although hazing occurs in multiple different settings, it’s no secret that hazing is most well-known for taking place on college campuses in sports teams, clubs, fraternities and sororities. MSU is no exception. The university is home to eight fraternities, four sororities, fifteen official NCAA sports teams and over three hundred student-led clubs and organizations. Despite the school having a strict anti-hazing policy, hazing is still an issue here. In fact, certain fraternities affiliated with MSU are currently on probation for various MSU policy infractions, including hazing.

MSU may have rules against hazing, but Montana itself does not have any specific hazing laws in place. In the United States, forty-four states have anti-hazing laws in place to protect college students. These laws state that legal action, such as lawsuits, can be taken in the case of hazing and that those who are accused of taking part in hazing behavior can face time in jail. These laws also provide immunity to the first person in a hazing situation to call 911 or administer aid to a victim. Montana, alongside Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska and Hawaii, do not have any of these protections in place. This means that if there is no bodily harm apparent in the case of hazing, lawsuits cannot be filed in Montana in these situations and those taking part in hazing will not be legally punished. To better protect students in Montana, it is essential for specific laws against hazing to be created. Otherwise, it is simply up to individual schools to keep students safe to the best of their ability. 

Hazing is not only humiliating for those looking to gain their peers’ approval, it can also be extremely dangerous. Typically, hazing involves activities that are unhealthy or harmful, such as drinking heavily or performing draining physical tasks. Hazing rituals can easily go wrong, which can lead to injuries, illness, negative mental health, and in extremely severe cases, death. 

On the bright side, hazing can be prevented. Not only can the school itself prevent hazing with rules, regulations, and policies, students can also take part in keeping hazing at bay. On the MSU website, there is a hazing prevention page that provides students with common myths and misconceptions about hazing, which allows students to educate themselves on hazing. On that same page, there are access to forms that allow students to report any hazing that they witness. 

MSU should be a safe place where students can become involved in positive environments without the fear of being rejected, humiliated or abused by organizations, and that starts with keeping hazing at bay.