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Is Hazing A 'Normal' Part Of College Life?
ResumeSome of you might remember a conversation we had earlier this month about a Dartmouth student who'd gone public about extreme hazing he'd experienced at his fraternity. That drew a surge of listener reaction, from derision ("no one forced him to join a fraternity", wrote one listener on our website), to boredom ("lighten up, old news" wrote one another), to alarm ("this should not be swept under the rug," wrote still another).
Then last week, Boston police sought criminal charges against 14 members of Alpha Epsilon Pi, an unaffiliated, off-campus fraternity where five Boston University students were found beaten, bound with duct-tape, nearly naked and covered with food.
And again, a surge in the media, everything from derision to alarm. Boston University officials say students involved in the alleged hazing incident would likely be removed from the school. But others are saying, "Get over it. It's part of campus culture. No big deal."
Is hazing a normal part of college life on any campus? We take a look at that question.
Guests:
- Mary Madden, associate research professor at the University of Maine, and co-leader of the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention
- Aldo Cimino, hazing expert at the University of California Santa Barbara's anthropology department
This segment aired on April 17, 2012.