Hazing Incident Hearing

Serrano, Ken. "Sorority Hazing Charges Reduced". Asbury Park Press. 13 April 2010: A10. Print.

Six female students in the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority at Rutgers University were charged in January with aggravated hazing. The six women were charged with aggravated hazing after sorority pledges reported abusive paddling. The six women (all between the ages of 20 and 22) were scheduled to appear in New Brunswick Municipal Court on May 10th 2010. At the May 10th hearing, the charges for all the students were reduced from aggravated hazing to hazing. If the charges had not been reduced the girl could have faced up to eighteen months in prison if convicted of aggravated hazing. The Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor stated that serious bodily injury would have to occur in order to prove a charge of aggravated hazing. The paddling caused the girls simple bodily injuries which was not severe enough to charge the girls with aggravated hazing. One victim was brought to the hospital for treatment; however, she only suffered from minor injuries. The May 10th hearing only reduced the charges. All of the women are still awaiting sentencing. Although the girls are facing criminal charges, Rutgers University is not taking any disciplinary action.

I think that hazing is becoming a serious problem that need to be addressed and taken more seriously by everyone. Hazing is common in sororities and fraternities; however, kids today are being hazed in high school and even middle school. High school hazing has increased (especially in clubs and sports teams), and many kids are being bullied by other peers in middle and elementary schools. Hazing is commonly used as a way of initiation, but kids today are taking things way too far and are targeting individuals for no reason. I have seen several hazing articles in the newspaper over the last year and it is unbelievable what these kids are doing to each other. Children are inflicting pain on each other and saying degrading things for no reason. Victims of hazing and bullying can be seriously affected by the abuse of others. School officials need to have harsher punishments for individuals that participate in hazing and bullying. With this case, I think that Rutgers should take disciplinary action in order to avoid something else happening in the future. Children have a lot to deal with already; being made fun of or hurt for no reason is only going to cause unnecessary problems.