This investigation explored the concept and practice of organizational commitment to hazing prevention in higher education. Using Bolman and Deal's four frames we analyzed qualitative data from written materials and interviews with 16 campus professionals at eight U.S. universities. Findings revealed structural, human resource, political, and…

At Kingsman University (KU), fraternity and sorority life is as central to campus culture as its athletic teams. Included in that culture are alcohol abuse, mistrust of the institution, and failure to act when a situation turns dire. Furthermore, some people suspect that fraternities and sororities perpetuate racism. Following a near-fatal…

The purpose of this study was to discover the types of conduct processes that are being utilized when fraternities and sororities violate alcohol, hazing, and other policies at four-year universities. Many negative issues have been tied to Greek letter organizations and have become a national concern, such as hazing, alcohol consumption, and other…

A Texas court's recent ruling that allowed a negligence lawsuit to proceed against 12 former administrators at Texas A&M University has some higher-education legal experts concerned about campus officials' liability in a variety of situations, including fraternity initiations, housing accidents, and student suicides. The decision was in favor…

"Catalyst" is a publication of the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention. This issue contains the following articles: (1) The National Study of Student Hazing Initial Findings; (2) The Social Norms Marketing Research Project--An Update; (3) Message From William…

Initiation traditions and rites of passage are important for group and team membership, but the violent behavior and alcohol abuse involved in hazing constitute serious campus crime. This article helps campus administrators to develop new strategies for attacking the hidden crime of hazing. (Contains 32 references.) (Author)

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) are often regarded as sanctuaries, protected environments where young people explore great ideas in a collegial atmosphere and make lifelong friendships. Consequently, incidents of violence on campus are particularly shocking for the extended campus community, evoking questions about whether there is any…

This book serves as a sourcebook to enhance and evaluate safety programs, generate new solutions and interventions, comply with new legislation, and present practical steps and guidelines to establish best practices. It pays particular attention to the factors that may give rise to crime, considering high-risk drinking and examining the…

College administrators say, although sorority hazing is more likely to involve emotional/psychological abuse than physical violence, it is a growing problem. On some campuses, because traditionally black sororities pledge members at different times of year than traditionally white ones, their rush periods are not necessarily monitored as closely.…

While college and university officials tend to say they have fraternity hazing under control due to school policies and state criminal laws, critics find the laws have been ineffective, in part because of a tendency to blame the victims. Punishment of some student perpetrators has been minimal. Liability of schools can be substantial, with…

A study of over 2,000 college athletes and 1,600 coaches and administrators reveals that abuse is common in team initiations. Nearly two-thirds of athletes admitted participating in "questionable" behavior, and over one-quarter had participated in dangerous or criminal behavior. Female athletes are almost as likely as males to participate. Only…

The guide is designed to inform college and university administration and governing boards about facts and issues concerning crime on campus so that they may develop policies and procedures for addressing it. After an introductory section that defines the trustees' role in managing institutional response to campus crime, Chapter 2 outlines…