Hazing Information

Hazing involves the creation of an environment and/or any reckless or negligent acts that coerces an individual, who wishes to join or maintain membership in a group or organization, to engage in activities that humiliate, endanger or cause mental harm to the person.

Hazing activities are often framed as community- or team-building. In addition to harming the person(s) being hazed, it damages the group, organization or team by undermining the cohesion it claims to build. Regardless of whether an individual has consented or seems willing to participate, hazing creates a cycle of humiliation, degradation or violence.

Hazing has occurred in various types of student groups, sports teams, and residence life. Hazing is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any context at the U of A. Hazing is a form of misconduct under the university’s Student Conduct Policy as well as the Student Groups Procedure. Understanding the mechanisms that perpetuate hazing traditions help us make the changes necessary to end violence and humiliation in favour of activities that truly build strong and supportive communities.

STUDENT CONDUCT POLICY - HAZING DEFINITION & EXAMPLES

Organizing, participating or engaging in hazing another person, regardless of whether the individual who is the subject of the hazing has consented to participate in or be subjected to the activities in question, or whether the activities in question constitute a ritual or tradition of an organization.

Hazing is creating an environment or committing any intentional, reckless or negligent act that:

  • endangers the physical health, mental health or safety of another person; or
  • produces physical or mental discomfort, embarrassment, humiliation, harassment, or ridicule; or
  • results in the destruction, damage or removal of any public or private property; or
  • causes, induces, pressures, coerces, or requires another person to violate any federal, provincial, municipal or University regulations;

for purposes that include, but are not limited to, initial or continued admission, affiliation or initiation with any student group, athletic team, or any formal or informal organization in the University Community. Examples of hazing include, but are not limited to: any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, paddling, or electric shocks, exercise not legitimately related to a sport, forced consumption of alcohol or other substances, inappropriate exposure to the elements, compulsory nudity or immodest dress, transportation and abandonment, threats or implied threats, verbal abuse, physical or psychological abuse, sleep deprivation, physical confinement, coerced hazing of another, compulsory servitude, degrading activities, sexual simulation, sexual assault, or theft or misuse of others’ property.

STUDENT GROUPS PROCEDURE - HAZING DEFINITION & EXAMPLES

The creation of an environment or any intentional, reckless or negligent act, that occurs on or off University property, that

  • endangers the physical health, mental health or safety of a person; or
  • produces physical or mental discomfort, embarrassment, humiliation, harassment, or ridicule; or
  • results in the destruction, damage or removal of any public or private property; or
  • causes, induces, pressures, coerces, or requires another person to violate any federal, provincial, municipal or University regulations; for purposes that include, but are not limited to, initial or continued admission, affiliation or initiation with the group.

Examples of hazing include, but are not limited to: any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, paddling, or electric shocks, exercise not legitimately related to a sport, forced consumption of alcohol or other substances, inappropriate exposure to the elements, compulsory nudity or immodest dress, transportation and abandonment, threats or implied threats, verbal abuse, physical or psychological abuse, sleep deprivation, physical confinement, coerced hazing of another, compulsory servitude, degrading activities, sexual simulation, sexual assault, or theft or misuse of others’ property.

Hazing can occur regardless of whether the subject(s) of the hazing have consented to participate in or be subjected to the activities in question, or whether the activities in question constitute a ritual or tradition of a group.

Myths and Facts

Myth Fact
Myth: Hazing builds strength and character. Living through a traumatic experience is not guaranteed to build strength. In fact, it is more likely to lead to anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, low self-esteem, alienation from the community, as well as other negative effects that deeply impact an individual.
MYTH: Hazing creates community. FACT: Hazing perpetuates power and hierarchy. Communities are built on trust and mutual respect. Hazing undermines the very things that a strong community needs to sustain itself.
MYTH: Hazing fosters unity and brings people closer together. FACT: Hazing is abusive, and fosters resentment and fear. People simply cannot form healthy bonds with abusers, no matter how much they want to convince themselves that they can.
MYTH: Hazing teaches respect and discipline. FACT: Respect must be earned; it cannot be taught. Likewise, discipline imposed is not discipline learned. On the contrary, it teaches mistrust and alienates recruits from senior members of the group.
MYTH: Hazing is entirely voluntary. Only those who want to be hazed do it. FACT: In an attempt to feel accepted, new team or group members are subject to extreme peer pressure to participate, even when organizers do not intend to exert pressure.

The consequence of not participating may be alienation and isolation which are undesirable to any person new to campus or a group/community. Consent to participate is not valid when it is coerced through the consequences of not participating.
MYTH: Hazing is all in fun. Sometimes pranks go sideways, but it is harmless. FACT: Hazing is premeditated abuse characterized by attempts to humiliate, harass, ridicule, embarrass, and/or cause physical and/or psychological harm. Members of a safe and respectful community will stop activities when people are being harmed, and take proper measures to avoid harm in the first place.

Examples of Hazing

Examples of hazing from stophazing.org

1. Subtle Hazing

  • Deception
  • Assigning demerits
  • Silence periods with implied threats of violation
  • Deprivation of privileges granted to other members
  • Requiring new members/rookies to perform duties not assigned to other members
  • Socially isolating new members/rookies
  • Line-ups and drills or tests on meaningless information
  • Name-calling
  • Requiring new members/rookies to refer to other members with titles (e.g. "Mr.," "Miss", “Boss”) while they are identified with demeaning terms or terms that communicate a power imbalance
  • Expecting certain items to always be in one's possession or restricting access to one’s possessions

2. Harassment

  • Verbal abuse
  • Threats or implied threats
  • Asking new members to wear embarrassing or humiliating attire
  • Stunt or skit nights with degrading, crude, or humiliating acts
  • Degrading, crude, or humiliating punishments for losing games or not completing certain tasks
  • Expecting new members/rookies to perform personal service to other members such as carrying books, errands, cooking, cleaning, etc.
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Sexual simulations
  • Expecting new members/rookies to be deprived of maintaining a normal schedule of bodily cleanliness.
  • Being expected to harass others

3. Violence

  • Forced or coerced alcohol or other drug consumption
  • Beating, paddling, or other forms of assault
  • Branding
  • Forced or coerced ingestion of undesirable substances or concoctions
  • Burning
  • Water intoxication
  • Expecting abuse or mistreatment of animals
  • Public nudity
  • Expecting illegal activity
  • Bondage
  • Abductions/kidnaps
  • Exposure to cold weather or extreme heat without appropriate protection