National Hazing Prevention Week, September 20–24, 2010
Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.
June 18, 2010
National Hazing Prevention Week is observed on campuses and within organizations each year during the last week of September (or another time, if more convenient). Activities range from brown bag lunch discussions among faculty to movie or book discussions with students to training for organizational and team leaders to the signing of anti-hazing pledges. Some plan an entire week of activities and programs and some simply plan one or two meaningful programs.
Utilizing a national awareness week is a great way to bring attention to the problem of hazing locally; to educate parents, faculty, staff, students, community members, local and campus police, and others so they can more easily recognize hazing—and more importantly—have the skills to intervene when hazing occurs.
The ultimate goal of these efforts, however, is to prevent hazing from happening in the first place. That goal will only be accomplished through strong educational efforts, diligent policy enforcement, and comprehensive and ongoing efforts on each campus and within all organizations.
More information, and planning materials, can be viewed on the National Hazing Prevention Week Web page.