Editorial Hazing decision represents necessary caution

Author: [no author name found]

Students are doubtlessly grumbling (to say the least) about the College's decision to temporarily disband a cappella group Stuck in the Middle (SIM) for hazing violations. However, the decision - though disappointing for members of the group - ultimately signals the understandable decision of the administration to err on the side of caution.

In this particular case, the hazing that occurred was, administrators admitted, relatively innocuous. Students' health and wellbeing was never in question, and SIM's stumble seems ultimately to have been a result of their decision to delineate a difference between current members and uninitiated members of the group during a group social activity. This, in essence, is at the heart of the debate about hazing. Hazing carries a heavy connotation of coercion, violence and mean-spiritedness, but the violations covered by the College's guidelines include even good-natured events in which students are willing participants.

Though the College must - and largely does - respect the right of consenting students to participate in activities of their own choosing, the language about hazing in the Handbook was drafted to protect students. While the College's black-and-white interpretation of hazing can be frustrating, particularly in cases such as the SIM violation, College administrators had little option but to respond in the way in which they did to the hazing allegations.

Just as administrators must err on the side of caution, so too must individuals and student organizations exercise common sense when planning group activities. SIM's punishment seems especially unfortunate given the widespread student opinion that similar activities are not only prevalent but also acceptable among other organizations. This may, in fact, be true, but given the College's guidelines - and their intent to protect and not persecute students - group leaders must move towards social institutions among their organizations that strive for inclusiveness among members.

The very premise behind an initiation cannot be the standard for establishing group unity, because even in the most benign cases the power dynamic suggested by what the College terms hazing can be dangerous. While we regret than any one organization must bear the brunt of the punishment for this lesson, the SIM hazing violation stands as a reminder of not only the College's policy but also the responsibility of student organizations to function within the context of this policy.