When Ashley Bomm attended National Hazing Prevention Week, she learned hazing is a serious issue and can have consequences many people do not think about.
“I learned that hazing is really bad, and as much as we think it doesn’t go on, it does all the time," the senior ballet major said. "People don’t really take it seriously, and they should because it could end very badly.”
The week of September 24- 28, Fraternity and Sorority Life, the Alcohol & Drug Education Center, Student Development Services and Order of Omega organized several events last week to bring awareness to hazing.
The events included a luncheon for faculty and staff, a showing of the movie “Haze" and a Hazing Hero's webinar to educate the TCU community about hazing, on Monday.
Additionally, there was a panel discussion composed of Sgt. Kelly Ham from the TCU Police Department, Laura Shrode Miller, who served as president of the national alumni association, Jean Mrasek, Director of Development College of Education at TCU, and Jason Gomez, Director of Chapter Services – West & Northeast for Delta Delta Delta Executive Office.
“It is important to host hazing prevention week to help educate students and the entire TCU community about hazing," AnneMarie Martin, a graduate assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life, said. "The goal is to help make people aware that hazing is a real issue and hopefully give them the courage and tools to help stop hazing if they are aware of it.”
Senior ballet major Julianne Zilahy said she agreed that NHPW would help reduce hazing on campus because of the awareness it brings.
“It is useful for TCU to have prevention week so that people are aware of the serious aspects of it and become aware so that they realize it’s not just a stereotype and that it’s not a joke,” Zilahy said.
Senior biology major Marni Fuller said NHPW is a good way to bring awareness about hazing to TCU, but it does not stop it from happening on campus.
“I do think that it’s a topic people talk about a lot already, so I’m thinking the people who haze will probably continue, and the people who don’t will continue to not haze," Fuller said.
Bomm said even with NHPW, some people do not consider hazing to be a serious issue and continue to do it.
However, NHPW should be more interactive, Bomm said. Bringing in people affected by hazing or the family members of those who have died from hazing could be more effective, she said.
Fuller said she agrees that a different approach should be taken on NHPW.
“As much as I wouldn’t want to get investigated as a Greek chapter, I think that if they don’t go around and search for hazing, it’s going to continue," Fuller said. "Awareness alone won’t help that much."