The following is a guest post from Leadership Consultant Drew Logsdon. Drew travels the Southeast Region visiting our 35 chapters in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.
We’ll never get caught. This is often the foolish assumption of many people. Ask Tiger Woods, Bernie Madoff, Mark McGuire, The Enron Executives, and most recently Mr. Van der Sloot. Admittedly these are probably extreme comparisons to those trying to hide hazing but if these individuals never got away with their misdeeds what makes any 18-22 year old collegiate think they are ultimately far superior and smarter.
We live in a day and age where social media and the internet have opened the Pandora’s Box of knowledge. WikiLeaks is currently the hot topic as they have leaked secret documents from none other than our Armed Forces. If the US Government can’t keep a secret, what makes anyone think their chapter can do better when it comes to hazing? Oh I know, chapters are smaller and can fly below the radar better. Can they?
In a recent webinar sponsored by HazingPrevention.Org about National Hazing Prevention Week, I was taken aback by the following statistics from a study by Allen & Madden.
- In more than 50% of incidents, the offender posts pictures on the web.
- 25% of coaches or advisors are aware of hazing.
- 25% of incidents had alumni present (can you imagine inviting your founders to your late-night “constructive criticism” event?)
- 48% of students talk to their peers about hazing incidents, and 26% talk to their families about them.
Sure you may be the exception to these statistics. You may keep your hazing activities under lock and key. My only question is this.
If your excuse is that you’ll never get caught, then isn’t that an admission of guilty practice and wrong doing in the first place?
Serve in the Light of Truth 