Most people desire acceptance.
Students are no exception, especially when they are new on campus. When
acceptance into a group requires some form of “initiation” that humiliates,
degrades, or risks emotional or physical harm, the group has engaged in hazing.
The subject of hazing has recently gained national media
attention following the death of Robert Champion—a drum major in Florida
A&M’s high-profile marching band The Marching 100. According to
university officials, Champion was punched repeatedly by a small group of band
members on a bus following a football game. According to Fox News, he suffered blunt trauma blows to
his body and died from shock caused by severe bleeding. Authorities suspect
that the attack was part of hazing ritual.
The Marching 100 is internationally recognized
and has performed at numerous prestigious events like presidential
inaugurations, the Grammy Awards, and five Super Bowls. At Florida A&M, the
popularity of the band exceeded that of its football team. Band members are
treated like celebrities; however, celebrity status did not come easy. There
is evidence to suggest that hazing incidents, such as the attack on Champion,
was a part of the band’s subculture for decades. Unfortunately, Champion’s
death was not the first serious hazing incident at the university.
The notion that acceptance into a group would be based
on enduring violent physical attacks by peers is disturbing. Nevertheless,
students seeking acceptance into certain groups often voluntarily subject
themselves to hazing, while existing members readily participate in acts that
put new members in danger. It could be that students do not fully appreciate
the gravity of hazing. Many see hazing as just harmless pranks. Others view
hazing as a rite of passage or a time-honored tradition that must be continued.
However, in most states hazing is illegal and students who haze could be prosecuted and sent
to jail.
