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Center Activities
Research and evaluation efforts related to hazing
will be the centerpiece of the NCHRP. The
Center will work with leading experts nationally
and internationally to develop and evaluate
policy and programmatic hazing intervention
and prevention strategies. Other related
activities of the Center will include: serving
as an information clearinghouse and databank
related to hazing, sponsoring conferences and
think-tanks, disseminating information, and
providing training and consultation for campuses
and education, health, legal, and military
professionals.
Center Need
While policies and education to inform students
about the dangers of hazing have been in place
for several decades now, the continued presence
of hazing on college campuses is a real threat
to the health and safety of many students and prompts
questions about the viability of current approaches
to hazing prevention. In the national study
of student hazing we learned that leaders and staff/practitioners
in colleges and universities throughout the U.S.
are struggling to deepen their understanding of
hazing in order to more effectively intervene and
prevent harmful hazing on their campuses. Our
research indicates that as many as 1 of every 2
students who are involved in a campus club, organization,
or team have experienced behaviors that meet the
definition of hazing. Moreover, these behaviors
are often illegal and often place students in danger
of harm and/or result in emotional and physical
harm.
At present, the lack of awareness and understanding about hazing and its causes
is pervasive and is a major impediment to the development of effective intervention
and prevention strategies. The national study provides the first-ever baseline
data needed to track trends related to hazing nationally across different kinds
of student groups and within diverse types of higher educational institutions.
Further, the study will also provide the foundational data needed for more in-depth
examination of the complexities of hazing. Being able to continue analyzing
the data in this way will be essential to eradicating hazing and the problems
it creates for individuals and institutions.
Goals and Objectives
The mission of the center guides its key goal of promoting healthy student development
and positive campus climates through research, information sharing, and the development
and dissemination of evidence-based hazing prevention and intervention strategies.
As an outcome of the national study of student hazing led by University of Maine
researchers, the NCHRP provides a focal point and infrastructure to maximize
further research collaboration among scholars, practitioners, and students both
nationally and internationally. The Center will lead national and international
efforts to develop and evaluate risk-reduction strategies, offer an information
clearinghouse, host conferences, think-tanks, and provide training and consultation
with education, health, legal, and military professionals.
The Center builds on the current study that examines the nature and extent of
hazing among students in the U.S. To date, 53 colleges and universities
and more than 11,000 individuals have participated in the study that includes
survey data, 18 campus visits and 300 interviews. In both breadth
and depth, the national study is the most extensive examination of hazing undertaken
to date. On-going assessment/evaluation of prevention efforts is crucial to transforming
hazing cultures and helping campuses cultivate more positive campus climates. |
