The Senate Site: Student Hazing Issues

Is hazing becoming a problem in Utah? You tell us. If you have information you would like to share with the education committee, give us a call (801) 538-1035.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2009

CONTACTS:

Howard Stephenson
Utah State Senator, Co-Chair of Education Interim Committee
Email: hstephenson@utahsenate.org

Greg Hughes
Utah State Representative, Co-Chair of Education Interim Committee
Email: greghughes@utah.gov

LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION COMMITTEE SEEKS FEEDBACK
ON EFFECTIVENESS OF UTAH LAWS PROHIBITING STUDENT HAZING

SALT LAKE CITY – Senator Howard Stephenson and Representative Greg Hughes, the committee chairs of the Legislative Interim Education Committee announced today that the committee will be investigating the problem of hazing within the State of Utah and would like to hear from the public.

“Recently, we have been working with a few isolated, but extreme reports of hazing at the high school and college levels. There is a concern about how widespread hazing may be in Utah schools,” said Stephenson. “We believe most incidents of hazing are taken care of promptly at the local level and that most school districts and colleges are vigilant in preventing it. But if students are suffering hazing and coaches and administrators are condoning or ignoring it, we would like to know, so we can consider further statutory solutions. We are also interested in knowing of instances where schools and coaches are proactive in prevention or prompt correction of hazing,” Senator Stephenson said.

Representative Greg Hughes said, “With practices beginning for the approaching football season, we wish to remind students, coaches, and parents that high school football, along with any high school sport, should be about competition, camaraderie, and discipline, not embarrassment, indignity, and assault. Under any circumstances, the act of hazing is wrong and in fact, illegal.” He said he believes most Utah schools and coaches have been exemplary in ensuring that hazing is prevented through training of leaders and conscientious efforts toward unity, loyalty, teamwork, common respect for team members and opponents, and school spirit.

Senator Stephenson said he has been in communication with national experts on hazing who have expressed concerns about Utah hazing laws and the ineffectiveness of their enforcement. Hank Nuwer, the author of four books on hazing, including two recent scholarly books - The Hazing Reader and Wrongs of Passage, says Utah’s law as currently written is inadequate. Mr. Nuwer said that while there is no federal hazing statute, forty-three states have passed hazing laws which vary widely. Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, Hawaii, New Mexico and Wyoming do not have a hazing law. “Florida has the toughest law in my opinion, and two fraternity men from Florida A & M have received two-year sentences in the beating of a pledge,” Mr. Nuwer said.

“In my opinion as one who follows the national scene daily, the challenge Utah faces with regard to hazing law reform is that defense attorneys mount challenges to the law alleging that hazing laws are too broadly defined and thus are unconstitutional,” Nuwer explained. “Rather than possibly lose a conviction altogether, prosecuting attorneys tend to drop the initial hazing charges and go for easier-to-obtain convictions (serving alcohol to a minor, simple assault). Defense attorneys often agree to let their clients plead guilty to charges that have less of a lifetime stigma attached to them,” he said.

Senator Howard Stephenson represents district 11 which encompasses parts of southern Salt Lake County and northern Utah County.

Representative Greg Hughes represents parts of Draper and Sandy.

Hank Nuwer is the author of four books on hazing, including two recent scholarly books (The Hazing Reader, Wrongs of Passage) for Indiana University Press. He is an associate professor of journalism at Franklin College and teaches computer-assisted reporting with an emphasis on writing about risks. . His role is not to be an activist or lobbyist for hazing legislation, but rather to quantify the number of hazing deaths and serious hazing incidents, as well as to report how a particular state's hazing statutes work or fail to work when tested in court. He maintains a daily list of hazing incidents and deaths at hanknuwer.com/blog

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