Foreword

We can't attack a thing we don't know. That's dangerous. And … foolish. It would be like trying to chop down a tree from the top of it. If we understand how the tree works, how the trunk and roots are where the power lies, and how gravity is on our side, we can attack it, each of us with small axes, and change the face of the forest. The years in higher education are a developmental time in the lives of students. For traditional-aged college students, it's the bridge from childhood to adulthood. It's a time when young people are trying to find themselves which makes them more susceptible to external factors that can impact their judgment, sense of belonging, and actions. It is also the age when many students experience hazing. Hazing is deeply embedded in the campus culture of high schools and higher education institutions. It exists in student organizations such as military-affiliated groups, athletic teams, fraternities, sororities, honor societies, chemistry clubs, bands, and more. Hazing is a high-risk behavior that recklessly or intentionally endangers the health or safety of a student or students through acts such as humiliation, abuse, excessive alcohol consumption, extortion, physical abuse, and degradation for admission into a group or membership into an organization. At times, hazing is also used to gain access to other rewards, initiatives, or privileges. Many organizations see hazing as a critical component of the initiation process, or rite of passage, for gaining acceptance into an organization, therefore believing it as just another part of the process, which creates a culture that both fails to problematize and normalizes the behavior. Hundreds of deaths have occurred across the nation because of the dangers of hazing. One of those deaths was my cousin, Adam Oakes. Adam was a first-year student at Virginia Commonwealth University in February 2021 when he died during a fraternity big brother event. His first night as a pledge was also his last. Adam was coerced to drink over 34 shots of Jack Daniels in less than 2 hours. His blood alcohol content was 0.419 at the time of death. Over 40 boys walked over and around him as he lay unconscious and not one called for help. Adam's death ignited a drive in our family to create change. It made us and so many others confront the critical question: what effective actions can campuses and organizations take to eradicate hazing? Hazing is a multifaceted issue that has evolved over time. Due to its complexities, hazing cannot be treated with just one solution. Hazing must be addressed at all angles: prevention, education, accountability, and more. Through the research and information you are about to read, we can identify the roots of hazing and begin to attack it. This monograph will show how campus professionals, researchers, and other organizations have partnered in an effort to eliminate the tradition of hazing. If we can learn where the roots of hazing lie, we can begin to cut those roots one at a time. The key to a different outcome, the end of hazing, is to do things differently. Courtney White, EdD, is the president of the Love Like Adam Foundation, a nonprofit that provides research-based hazing prevention education to Virginia high schools and higher education institutions. She has worked in education for over 20 years and served in various roles throughout her career. She is currently the grants coordinator in Fairfax County Public Schools and a lead doctoral faculty mentor at Marymount University.