In partnership with Sigma Nu Fraternity, HazingPrevention.Org is pleased to announce the 7th annual #40Answers Campaign. For each of the 40 days leading up to National Hazing Prevention Week (September 19 – 23, 2016), one commonly heard excuse for hazing will be posted via the Twitter accounts for HazingPrevention.Org (@PreventHazing) and Sigma Nu Fraternity (@SigmaNuHQ).
Participating in the campaign is easy! First, follow @PreventHazing and @SigmaNuHQ to see the hazing excuse for each day. Second, post your answer to that excuse using your personal or organization’s Twitter account. Note all Twitter posts should include the #40Answers hashtag so the conversation can be easily followed. Lastly, follow the conversation by searching Twitter for posts tagged with “#40Answers”.
The list below outlines the 40 commonly heard excuses for hazing that will be used for this year’s #40Answers Campaign. The first excuse will be posted via the HazingPrevention.Org (@PreventHazing) and Sigma Nu Fraternity (@SigmaNuHQ) Twitter accounts on August 10, 2016.
(1) August 10: We can’t just allow anyone into our group/team/organization. We can’t make it too easy.
(2) August 11: These kids have to earn their way into this team/organization. They have to learn to appreciate it.
(3) August 12: They have it easy compared to what I went through. It used to be much worse.
(4) August 13: Other teams/organizations/chapters won’t respect us if we don’t haze.
(5) August 14: This is college. This is when we’re supposed to do stupid stuff/get in trouble.
(6) August 15: Professional sports teams do the same thing. It’s on ESPN, and they never get in trouble.
(7) August 16: Hazing builds better members. It breaks them down so we can make them stronger.
(8) August 17: No one ever goes to jail for hazing. It’s just a scare tactic.
(9) August 18: We’ve always done it this way. It’s a tradition.
(10) August 19: Hazing unites organizations/teams. It brings us together.
(11) August 20: It was just a funny prank and went viral so it’s obviously okay.
(12) August 21: We won’t get caught. We know how to keep it secret.
(13) August 22: Hazing teaches freshmen/rookies to respect the upperclassmen.
(14) August 23: The school only has a hazing policy because they have to for liability reasons. They don’t enforce it.
(15) August 24: Hazing made me a better person.
(16) August 25: This is just part of becoming a member of a sports team/organization/fraternity/sorority.
(17) August 26: I don’t think _______ is hazing. People are too sensitive these days.
(18) August 27: Another group/team asked us to haze their members. We wouldn’t do that to our own members/teammates.
(19) August 28: My organization/team does lots of great things. Why is hazing such a big deal?
(20) August 29: Only fraternities/sororities haze so I don’t have to talk to our members/team/students about it.
(21) August 30: No one is going to die from _______. We would stop before anyone gets hurt.
(22) August 31: You hazed in your organization/team, why should I listen to you?
(23) September 1: I’m not the captain/president/new member educator; I can’t change anything.
(24) September 2: My team/organization doesn’t haze. Who cares what other groups/teams do?
(25) September 3: Our coach/advisor/parent knows about it and has never said anything about it.
(26) September 4: Hazing helps us weed out members who don’t want or have what it takes to be here.
(27) September 5: The activity has a stated educational purpose, so it’s not hazing.
(28) September 6: We can’t do anything fun anymore. Everything is hazing.
(29) September 7: They wanted to be hazed.
(30) September 8: Our new members/rookies are going to drink anyway. We’re not having them do anything they wouldn’t do on their own.
(31) September 9: Everyone on campus hazes. The members of ____ ____haze worse than we do.
(32) September 10: I had to go through it so the new members/rookies need to do it too.
(33) September 11: Even if we do get in trouble, the school can’t get rid of us; the alumni will stop their donations.
(34) September 12: We [administrators] aren’t responsible for student hazing. We told them not to do it and had them sign a waiver.
(35) September 13: The military hazes. Why can’t we?
(36) September 14: We only haze a little bit.
(37) September 15: We didn’t make the kids do anything physical. We’re not hurting anyone.
(38) September 16: We’re waiting for the seniors to graduate, then we’ll change.
(39) September 17: If I ask staff for help, our organization will be closed or our team will lose its season.
(40) September 18: We gave them the option to not participate. They wanted to do it.