‘Hazing’ under scrutiny
Hazing has not been a problem at Ithaca College since the days of
social fraternities and sororities in the early 1980s. While these
organizations have been banned from campus life, the recent
discoveries of alleged hazing photographs involving athletes and the
college’s subsequent investigation bring home a culture athletic departments
across the country are trying to control.
Ongoing coverage
The Ithaca College men’s wrestling and men’s basketball varsity teams have been put on probation for hazing. Some members of those teams and of the women’s gymnastics and women’s basketball teams have been referred for possible violations of campus and athletics conduct codes.
When photographs of student-athletes engaging in alleged team initiations at more than a dozen colleges and universities were posted on BadJocks.com in May, the issue of hazing once again came to the forefront in the world of collegiate athletics.
Now, the issue has arrived on South Hill.
Now, the issue has arrived on South Hill.
Vice president of Student Affairs and Campus Life Brian McAree said he was informed of a public online photo gallery that included pictures of members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams by Mike Lindberg, the associate director of intercollegiate athletics, who was told by a member of the sports information department on Sept. 14.
Ithacan Editorial: When athletes go hazing
If a class required licking whipped cream off a man’s chest or downing a shot lodged between a woman’s breasts, it would be considered inappropriate and nobody would stand for it. This same behavior is considered hazing, which is defined by the college as actions with the intent to humiliate or disconcert a peer. Put in a collegiate sport setting, this degradation is no more in line with the objectives of an athletic organization than it would be as supplement to an academic course.
De Los Rios: Leave initiation on playing field
On the surface, recent incidents — including the alleged incident here and the confirmed ones at countless other schools — are just examples of a bunch of college kids drinking. But hazing isn’t about teams hanging out socially; it’s veteran players assuming a role of power to put rookie players in humiliating positions. Then, in some situations, this is followed by the recklessly stupid act of posting pictures of the event on the Web for everyone to see.
Members of two Ithaca College varsity sports teams are currently under investigation for possible hazing activities.
Brian McAree, vice president of Student Affairs and Campus Life, confirmed Tuesday that an investigation by the college is under way after photographs of current members of the men’s wrestling and women’s gymnastics squads were posted on a public Web site.
