Hazing – Let’s Call It What It Is

You might’ve seen that Sigma Nu was recently kicked off the row at the U for hazing and violating university policies. Greek life is often a topic in conversations surrounding violence, including sexual violence. Most of the time, though, that conversation focuses on what happens at parties—alcohol, drugs, women looking out for each other, and the harm that happens between fraternity men and sorority women.

But what’s often missing is a conversation about the harm happening within these groups. Not just the stereotypical “frat boy harms sorority girl” narrative, but the stuff that happens between members of the same organization. Sexual violence and hazing have been categorized as two separate offenses, based on who is being harmed. 

The redacted investigation report released by the U detailing the events that occurred at Sigma Nu was not shocking. There is a reason for the hazing prevention programming that exists on nearly every college campus, and it is almost a secret that isn’t actually all that secretive that people in close-knit, exclusive groups haze. It’s not just fraternities. It’s clubs, sports teams, jobs, even friend groups. Hazing is everywhere; it’s just more visible in Greek life.

Hazing is described by the Office of the Dean of Students as behavior,

“in which a group or individual knowingly, intentionally, recklessly, negligently engages in behavior that has the tendency to humiliate, degrade, ridicule, harass, or embarrass another person or endangers the mental, emotional, or physical health safety or wellbeing of another person regardless of the other person’s willingness to participate; and that is committed as the result of a person’s initiation into, admission into, affiliation with, holding office in, or continued membership in any organization, team, or group.”

Many of us have seen, or maybe even participated in, a form of hazing, but reading through the report about Sigma Nu, I couldn’t help but think that we might over-rely on this word. “Hazing”. It sounds formal. It sounds like a policy violation. But when people are being forced to watch porn, taken to a strip club without consent, or threatened with sexual acts as punishment for not doing chores, what I see is sexual violence.

A lot of times, people in tight-knit communities, especially those that rely heavily on tradition, power structures, and exclusivity, might not identify group practices as sexually violating. But… they are. In any other relationship dynamic, these behaviors would be seen as sexual harm. Yet, I’ve never seen anyone talk about hazing in this way. 

Why don’t we often identify hazing as sexual violence?

There’s not a single reason why. But there are a few we can begin to address. 

Tradition and Group Belonging

The person before you was forced to watch porn. You were also forced to watch porn. You’ll force the new member to watch porn, too. It’s tradition. Traditions are there for a reason; they enforce connection and collective bonding. Still, when certain behaviors become ingrained in the culture of an organization, it becomes more difficult to identify them as harmful because they are so pervasive. 

Power 

Hazing would not exist without power. Members who have more tenure are empowered to harm, just as (calling back to tradition) they were likely harmed too. We want our groups to be close, tight-knit, and loyal. Abuse of power can be an easy way to get this. There is a simultaneous reverence and fear of the older members of the group. If one makes it through the hazing, one day, they will be the ones doing the hazing; they will have power. Power can be intoxicating, and when it is built into the structure of an organization, it is unsurprising that we may seek to gain more, even if that means hurting the people around us. 

This is informed by a long, long history (and current reality) of sexual violence being used as a way to demonstrate and exert power over others. There are fewer explicit ways to degrade, humiliate, and disempower individuals than through sexual violence. Whether we consciously realize it or not, our behaviors are informed by this history. We have been taught that sexual violence is a tool to be used to advance our power, so of course it is replicated in hazing contexts.

Same-Gender Dynamics

Many organizations with ingrained hazing practices are gendered segregated, and we do not often recognize the harm that men cause other men, or that women cause other women. It may seem “less severe” for same gender violence to occur, and this may be more apparent for systems like fraternity and sorority life, where there are documented and prevalent instances of violence between men and women. We can recognize both as harm; one does not deserve the “lesser” categorization of hazing when they are both sexually violating. 

Hazing can be sexual violence. And it is important for us to label it as such. It is doubtful that the harmful cultures established within organizations that haze stay within those organizations. We take what we learn with us. Having experienced or participated in hazing reinforces the concept that community is formed through violence, which subverts the beautiful and transformational nature of true reciprocal connection. 

Honestly, I wish that Sigma Nu didn’t have to be kicked off the row. Not because I unequivocally love fraternities (I can assure you, I do not), but because I believe that exclusion will not bring true accountability and change. What did we learn from Sigma Nu’s punishment, besides fear and secrecy? Rather, I wish that we lived in an environment where we could genuinely learn, repair, and stop cycles of harm and violence. None of us started the world where sexual violence in the form of hazing is secretly acceptable, but we can certainly work to end it.

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