All seats in the room were packed from members of each house at our annual risk management workshop. Greeks from the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. at the University of Washington were also in attendance for this collaborative joint seminar — at University of Washington.

Hazing is a plague in our society. Incidents are on the rise—particularly among younger and younger kids committing increasingly more violent acts. Take a look at some statistics:

• 1.5 million high school students are hazed each year; 47% of students came to college already having experienced hazing.
• 55% of college students involved in clubs, teams and organizations experience hazing.
• Alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep-deprivation, and sexual acts are hazing practices common across all types of student groups.
• 40% of athletes who reported being involved in hazing behaviors report that a coach or advisor was aware of the activity; 22% report that the coach was involved.
• 2 in 5 students say they are aware of hazing taking place on their campus. More than 1 in 5 report that they witnessed hazing personally.

Additional online resources: http://www.hazingprevention.org/

Workshop hosted by Brenda Vasser, alumnae member from Alpha Kappa Alpha National Sorority, Inc.