University of Kentucky's Hazing Definition
• Forced consumption of food, alcohol, or drugs
• Paddling in any form
• Creation of unnecessary fatigue
• Personal servitude
• Physical and/or psychological shocks
• Forced wearing of apparel that is conspicuous and not normally in good taste
• Degrading or humiliating games and activities
• Sleep or food deprivation
• Unreasonable exposure to the weather
• Kidnapping or abandonment
• Line-ups and berating
• Undue interference with academic pursuits
• Expectation of participation in activities that are illegal, lewd, or in violation of University policy
Interfraternity Council Anti- Hazing Policy
The Interfraternity Council's anti- hazing policy is located in their IFC Code of Conduct form under Article VII- Member Health and Safety (Governance). In Section I they lay out the hazing prevention policy. There are four specific requirements underneath this section. The first being that no fraternity should begin a program with non- initiated members that includes hazing (Governance). Second, the policy states that the University of Kentucky IFC supports any and all hazing prevention policies in place on campus (Governance). Third, the policy states that all policies must be followed by both individual fraternity members and IFC fraternity members (Governance). Lastly, the policy points out that infractions to any of the policies will be dealt with in a serious manner by both the IFC Council and the University of Kentucky (Governance).
History
Hazing was said to begin in the early 1800s (Robbins). Today, 73% of Greek Life involves hazing. Hazing generally involves alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep deprivation, as well as sex acts (Robbins). More extreme forms of hazing has occurred and caused death to the victims. At Wilmington College, brothers watched and/ or participated in the act of blindfolding, telling pledges to strip, and whipping them so violently that a doctor had to surgically remove a 19- year- olds testicle (Robbins). This is only one of the many cases reported of extreme hazing.
Cracking Down on Hazing
Colleges and law enforcement have gotten involved in many cases of hazing all over the country. Many colleges have enforced a policy that condemns hazing on their campus. The University of Kentucky is one of these campuses. Their official policy is AR 6:10 of the Administration Regulation (Administration Regulation). To read more on their policy, you can find It linked above. Furthermore, there have been many cases where law enforcement has gotten involved. Many incidents have called for investigations by the police force. In a recent incident on the University of Kentucky's campus, the UK Police got involved in the investigation of the death of FarmHouse member Lofton Hazelwood to find out what truly caused his death (Investigation Reports).
Incidents at the University of Kentucky
1
Kappa Alpha Psi
In March of 2017, the Kappa Alpha Psi chapter at the University of Kentucky was suspended for six years due to hazing (Kenny). Dwayne Sutton, the chapter president at the time came out and confessed to hazing occurring in their fraternity. He stated that new members were forced to line up, recite information regarding their fraternity and sometimes even hit with a paddle (Kenny).
2
FarmHouse
In October of 2021, sophomore Lofton Hazelwood was found unresponsive at the fraternity on campus (UK FarmHouse). When found, his blood alcohol concentration was 4.5 times the legal limit (UK FarmHouse). After investigation by UK Police It was found that there was no evidence of hazing being the cause of this incident. However, FarmHouse was found practicing hazing, often (UK FarmHouse). Their fraternity chapter status has since been revoked (UK FarmHouse).
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
To stop dangerous hazing, measures must be taken to prevent it. Creating strong social bonds between members of fraternities is important to this process. These bonds can be cultivated in alternative ways from hazing.
NEW MEMBER RETREATS
Let new and current members get to know each other through retreats. Instead of hazing, take time to get to know each other.
These retreats can include:
- camping/outdoor activities
- games
- food
It really doesn't matter what you chose to do, as long as it brings the group together to bond.
SOCIAL EVENTS
STUDY GROUP
Getting together to do homework can not only help improve grades, but also strengthen friendships
MOVIE NIGHT
Watching a movie can give members a chance to relax and spend time together
COOKOUTS
Food has a way of bringing people together, so try having a cookout with new and old members
"Pledges"
- A "pledge" is a person that receives a bid from a fraternity but is not yet initiated. This is the group that gets hazed. In order to prove their loyalty and dedication to the frat, members use hazing as a sort of test.
- Referring to new members as "pledges" makes It seem as if new members are less than their brothers.
- Pledges are often used as errand boys for older members
- Eliminating the usage of the term "pledge" to refer to potential brothers could prevent the need/ want to haze from becoming so prominent in the initiation process.
Big/Little
Fraternities often have Big/Little programs in which an older member (the Big) acts as a mentor/friend to the new member (the Little). This program creates strong family-like bonds between the members of the fraternity. The older members are able to offer advice, help, and guidance to the new member in any aspect of life. Creating strong bonds like the ones in this initiative can prevent the use of hazing to try and forge connections.
Stay In The Loop
For regular updates on this topic, follow us on social media. Be the first to know about upcoming events as well as new ways to mitigate hazing in fraternities.
Works Cited
Robbins, A. (2019, February 11). Why does frat hazing still happen? because alums want it to. Medium. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://gen.medium.com/why-does-frat-hazing-still-happen-because-alums-want-it-to-801491d6d36d
Administrative regulation 6:10 university of ... - uky.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.uky.edu/regs/sites/www.uky.edu.regs/files/files/ar/ar_6-10_2018_final.pdf
Investigation reports released in death of UK student Lofton Hazelwood. UKNow. (2021, December 22). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/investigation-reports-released-death-uk-student-lofton-hazelwood
Kenny, T. (2021, May 7). Kappa alpha psi fraternity at UK suspended for hazing. ABC 36 News. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.wtvq.com/kappa-alpha-psi-fraternity-uk-suspended-hazing/
UK Farmhouse Fraternity's chapter status revoked after Student's death. UK revokes FarmHouse fraternity's chapter status after death. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2021/12/22/uk-farmhouse-fraternity-lofton-hazelwood-death-hazing
Governance. Kentucky Interfraternity Council. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from http://www.kentuckyifc.com/governance