Hazing

Any and all forms of hazing are completely prohibited at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Hazing Defined

Hazing is any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such activities may include but are not limited to the following: use of alcohol; paddling in any form; creation of excessive fatigue; physical and psychological shocks; quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips or any other such activities carried on outside or inside the borders of the College campus; wearing of public apparel which is conspicuous and not normally in good taste; engaging in public stunts and buffoonery; morally degrading or humiliating games and activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with the laws of the state of Maryland or Code of Student Conduct, or the regulations and policies of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Identifying Hazing  (Will Keim, Ph.D., “The Power of Caring”)

1. If you have to ask if it’s hazing, it is.
2. If in doubt, call your advisor or coach.
3. If you haze, you have low self-esteem.
4. If you allow hazing to occur, you are a ‘hazing enabler.’
5. Failure to stop hazing can result in death.

Examples of Hazing

The following are examples of hazing by category. It is impossible to list all hazing activities, so this list is not intended to be all-inclusive. Each activity can be measured against the definition for each category.

1. Subtle Hazing

   Actions that are against accepted club or team standards of conduct, behavior and good taste.  An activity or attitude directed toward a member or an act which ridicules, humiliates, or embarrasses.  Examples:

   1. Never doing anything with the member (isolation)
   2. Calling a member by any demeaning name
   3. Imposing periods of silence on members
   4. Imposing demerits of any kind on members
   5. Writing progress reports on new members
   6. Requiring members to call senior team members Mr., Ms., etc.
   7. Scavenger hunts for meaningless objects
   8. Assigned duties for new members only
   9. Scaring new members with an initiation
   10. Deprivation of team privileges
2. Harassment Hazing

   Anything that causes mental anguish or physical discomfort to the member.  Any activity, or activity directed toward a member, or activity which confuses, frustrates, or causes undue stress.  Examples:

   1. Verbal abuse
   2. Any form of questioning under pressure or in an uncomfortable position
   3. Requiring members to wear ridiculous costumes or perform ridiculous activities
   4. Requiring only members to wait until the end or be served last
   5. Stunt or skit nights/events with demeaning and/or crude skits and/or poems
   6. Requiring members to perform personal services such as carrying books, running errands, performing maid duties, etc.
   7. Requiring members to drink alcohol, perhaps to excess, causing illness or other physical problems
   8. Requiring members to be exposed to weather or to foods that would adversely affect physical health

C .  Physical Hazing

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, through the Athletics and Recreation Department, the Office of Student Activities, or any other designated personnel, shall issue to every group or organization under its authority, or operating on, in conjunction with its campus or school, a copy of this policy. An officer of each such group or organization, and each individual receiving a copy of this policy, shall sign an acknowledgement stating that such group, organization, or individual has received a copy of the hazing policy.

In the state of Maryland, a person who hazes a student so as to cause serious bodily injury to the student at any school, college, or university is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is subject to a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. Consent of the student being hazed is not a defense. Students found responsible for hazing on or off the campus at St. Mary’s College of Maryland may face expulsion from the institution.