Seton Hall University’s Greek Organizations will be joining forces with schools across the country to try to raise awareness of the problems of hazing; an issue that is even causing controversy around the newly crowned Miss America.
As covered in recent national news, Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev engaged in hazing when she was a student at Hofstra University. In an interview on ABC, she admitted that she was guilty of hazing “under the broad definition of hazing.” Kazantsev was kicked out of her sorority amid the hazing scandal.
This week, Greek Life will be sponsoring events for National Hazing Prevention Week.
According to Rebecca Davison, assistant director of leadership development, this week is designed “to educate and make people aware of what hazing is, how to recognize it, the harmful effects, and what we can all do to stop it.”
Alpha Phi, which first brought this program to the school last year, and the Greek Municipal Assembly are working together with all Greek Organizations on campus as well as the Collegiate Panhellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council, and the Multicultural Greek Council to host this year’s hazing awareness activities and events.
“Although we are supportive of one another,” said Taylor Cox, Alpha Phi’s vice president of campus activities, “rarely do we get the chance to work together on something that is equally important to all of us.”
Cox also sees this week as an opportunity to demonstrate to the community that Greek organizations are more than their “negative stereotype” would have people believe. Hazing has given these organizations a bad reputation, according to Cox.
Cox hopes that students seeing such proactiveness on the part of the Greeks will help change the general perception of them.
“Hopefully,” Cox said. “Dedicating a week will help us to promote our campus culture, and encourage more students to consider going Greek.”
Both Cox and Davison agree that hazing is not limited to Greek life. They hope that opening these events to all students will stop hazing in all sorts of college organizations, including athletic teams.
As Davison sees it, “without awareness and education, these events will continue to go on and hurt many students and individuals across the country.”
Elena Vitullo can be reached at elena.vitullo@student.shu.edu.
