This isn’t commom behavior. Most guys do not touch each others private parts in a joking manner or any other manner. This is outrageous to me.
Sounds like you can’t be impartial @bay. 
By the way, considering your comments about the elephant walk, some of this was new to you.
I don’t think whether something is new to you or not, or whether it is traditional or not, has any bearing on whether something is wrong.
The Alfred information is really good. I think the recommendations are all pretty straightforward to implement with the exception of party patrols and peer education…I think clear policies and expectations within the athletic contracts are far stronger than expecting young adults to police each other… and I think the NCAA should take the lead in coordinating efforts among all College divisions in all sports.
@hunt I wasn’t aware that hazing took place in high school. Being from NOVA we know lots of students that go there. I think the biggest thing that happened was the Hannah Graham incident. After that incident lots of parents visited their kids on campus. When we toured the campus our guide insisted that those who were serious about attending do an overnight visit to get an idea of the social life and to see if the school was a good fit for them.
raclut, It is understandable that parents were unnerved when Hannah disappeared. It was an unsettling and very sad time . Luckily, the right guy seems to have been caught.
Hazing takes place on many high school teams. Many kids at the level that makes them into college athletes were also on club and travel type teams. There could be hazing there too.
sevmom I just assumed high school teams were supervised since most students are minors. I guess if students are exposed to it in high school then they might expect something similar in college. But is this only with male teams or does this happen on female teams too?
Look at those Alfred University links on this–worse for males.
@hunt That’s what I thought too. Maybe I am extreme in my thinking but why is there a need for these type of initiation activities. I don’t see the point. Is this considered some sort of right of passage. Does going through these experiences make a student or team member a man? Is there some bonding by going through humiliation together? I know streaking the lawn is a tradition too at this school.
Girls have been known to haze as well.
Here is an example of high school hazing, involving incoming freshman that were going to play sports, being hazed by upperclassmen. It is actually the high school that one of the defendants , Kyle, went to( although he definitely would not have been involved in this 2013 incident because he was already in college at the time). I am from Pittsburgh originally and am very familiar with this suburb. It is a rather affluent area. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-investigate-student-hazing-pa-high-school-article-1.1406779
Sevmom, I just read your article and it makes me really angry. I looked at the comments and someone wrote “boys will be boys.” I absolutely hate it when someone says that. Isn’t it the parents responsibility to teach their kids respect and confidence. To not keep secrets from parents and to not allow anyone to cross their personal space. And for the bullies - is this behavior encouraged at home? If I had a son who bullied anyone he would have to answer to me and fear my actions for his behavior. There would definitely be consequences and I would put them through humiliation .I wouldn’t be applauding and supporting them. If they can disrespect other boys what is to stop them from behaving this way with girls. It is a sad state that people find this behavior acceptable. I wish there were stricter rules against this so that one would think twice before daring to bother another team member or student.
@Bay, “the facts we know show that he waited two weeks before talking to his coach about it. I assume he was performing fine before that day.”
So, if a woman is traumatized by rape and doesn’t immediately report it, she is fine? If a child is abused and doesn’t immediately report it, he/she is fine? I am just stunned by your attitudes.
According to the UVa honor code page, “students at the University make a commitment not to lie, cheat, or steal within Charlottesville, Albemarle County, or where they represent themselves as University students in order to gain the trust of others. Because of this commitment, there’s a strong degree of trust among the various members of the University community. Students are also expected to conduct themselves with integrity and are presumed honorable until proven otherwise.”
It seems to me, if nothing else, that in attempting to intimidate the students they hazed to steal and to lie, the upperclassmen violated the honor code and all should have been brought up before the honor committee and expelled. I don’t feel the University sanctions were sufficient.
I just had lunch with a friend who was in the navy. We were talking about the UVA case. He said what happened at UVA is not acceptable. He went through navy team building exercises. The team building was hard but done in a positive way. Nothing demeaning.
For example, if somebody was not in shape, he would have to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning and run 5 miles. He was joined by others who would offer the out of shape guy encouragement as they ran.
The guys worked together.
What went on with the UVA swim team is not the way to build a team.
mathyone, Someone has to bring charges to the Honor committee. That is not often done (only about 40-60 times a year ) and no one is forced to bring charges. My guess is that most people felt that a suspension for an entire semester was a pretty serious consequence. No criminal charges were brought. The plaintiff and his parents want a civil suit beyond that and that is their right.
The plaintiff is transferring to Northwestern. There have been some serious hazing allegations there as well so , unfortunately, most schools do not seem immune to these kinds of things. It is good that there seems to be increased focus and dialogue on the issue of hazing. http://dailynorthwestern.com/2013/11/26/top-stories/students-hazing-story-sheds-light-on-northwesterns-broken-disciplinary-system/
“What went on with the UVa swim team is not the way to build a team.” I think most, if not all, of us agree that what these guys are alleged to have done is not the way to go.
No criminal charges have been filed yet. There may not be, but it ain’t over till the statute of limitations runs out.
That’s gotta be hard to deal with.
50N40W, Virginia requires injury to charge hazing in a criminal court. The one kid that got cut told the police he did not wish to press charges. It will not return to district court for criminal charges in my opinion. The only “way” I could see that happening is if during discovery, if the federal court doesn’t dismiss, would be if new evidence came out and that evidence included bodily injury. Virginia law states that is unlawful to haze, or otherwise mistreat so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school, college, or university.
@sevmom, the coach should have brought the charges.
I think UVa did exactly what they should do. I have no problem with how it was handled by the university.
Well unstun yourself. What I wrote wasn’t an attitude, it was a presumed statement of fact. To collect damages, one must prove actual damages with some kind of evidence. Sure, the plaintiff can claim that he continued to go to practice after it happened, but in reality he was mentally and emotionally devastated. He will probably do that. But it is not as strong of a showing of damage as if he could point to tangible indications of injury. Like, that he went to the health center, or immediately consulted with his coach, took a leave of absence, couldn’t get up in the morning and flunked his classes or make it to practice because he was so devastated. Even women who are raped are going to have an easier time at a civil trial if they can point to a tangible impact the incident had on their lives versus simply mental anguish that is not manifested in any way. I was merely pointing out areas of his lawsuit that are vulnerable to the defense.
The “tangible impact” was that he could no longer swim on the team and transferred to another school. That’s quite an impact.
Right, and I acknowledged in my earlier post that he had the transfer which he might use as evidence of damage, but he is going to have to monetize it. I don’t know how much transferring will get him if he got another scholarship of equivalent value at NWU.