Hazing Seminar Held at Lander

Lander University held a hazing seminar this past Wednesday that included two Greenwood City police officers, the assistant chief of police of Lander and Lander's counselor. The objective was to tell Lander students how severe the consequences can be for any kind of hazing. Hazing is defined as the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training or initiation.  It makes people think of different ways to see if someone really wants to fit into the group or not. Unfortunately, hazing is illegal and can cause harm to people.
 

Hazing can include the smallest things such as blindfolding someone, or making them dress up in humiliating things. As said in the seminar today, you can be arrested for hazing if it is visible to outsiders that someone could be harmed or even humiliated. "When I was part of a sorority, hazing included simply telling a new member what to do. We were not allowed to act superior to anyone or we could get in trouble," says Leigh Langley, a senior at Lander. Some may think it is perfectly harmless to go on scavenger hunts with blindfolds on, but what happens when someone is just playing around and walks out into the road on a dark night and gets hit by a car? It sounds farfetched but as we all know, get alcohol involved and a lot can happen.
 

Now that rush is over, all sororities and fraternities need to be careful of what they make their new members or "pledges" do and think before making decisions. Hazing someone doesn't make you better than that person. Enjoy your college years being involved with different organizations at Lander, but be smart about it. Remember, hazing can lead to jail time and in some cases death. For your friends and your safety, please don't do it!