High School Hazing

Homecoming week has hit Mandan High School this week, and the age-old problem of hazing Freshman is in full swing. For some reason, the upper classmen choose this week to step up their efforts at putting Freshman in their place.

Hazing has long been seen as a right of passage. The Seniors use this time to assert their dominance and control of the school. In past years, Juniors also believe it is their right to participate in this ritual. Watching for, and trying to stop hazing, puts a tremendous burden on administration and the teaching staff which often take away the joy of the Homecoming festivities. It also ruins Homecoming Week for those students who get paddled or other abusive treatment.

Years ago, hazing was tolerated as long as it didn't get out of control. When I was a high school Freshman at Havre (Montana) High School, there was an unwritten rule that Seniors chose a Freshman. As a member of the Freshman football team, we were each chosen by a Senior member of the varsity football team. Our hazing consisted of polishing the helmets and cleats of our Senior before each game. Also, every Freshman and Senior was excused from school for one afternoon to paint the H on a local hillside. When a Freshman was hazed by a Senior, it was understood that no one else was supposed to touch that Freshman. When the rules for the painting ritual got out of hand, the administration called in the Senior leadership and told them if they didn't get things under control, hazing would be outlawed. The Seniors got things back in control, and patrolled themselves.

Times have changed, however. Many of the upper classmen let things get out of control, and the other members of the class don't work to get things back under control. I remember an instance after the Homecoming game that appalled me when I found out about it. Some Seniors drove by a group of Freshman and pelted them so hard with eggs that it actually knocked them down. There have also been reports of students being physically injured by over zealous paddling. Society has also become much less tolerant to any form of physical or emotional abuse.

Earlier this week, an announcement was made by the principal that any form of hazing would not be tolerated and would be dealt with severely. I had a Senior in class say, "What's the big deal?" I responded by telling him that the big deal is that it is against the law. He responded by saying it wasn't. I told him that paddling is assault and battery. His response was, "I got paddled when I was a Freshman, so I should be able to paddle Freshmen now that I am a Senior." I replied again that it is a big deal because it is against the law. He wasn't convinced.

Homecoming Week is now coming to an end, and I know that we have to be more aware and observant tomorrow until the ordeal is over. After Homecoming is over, the instances of hazing usually slow down and reports become much less. Unfortunately, until we get over this climate that hazing is just a rite of passage, hazing will continue. We need to find a way to help our youth understand that treating anyone with less respect because they are younger, more immature, or don't have the same physical characteristics as others is unacceptable. Until everyone understands that it is wrong to abuse another in any way, hazing will continue to be a tradition.