October 20, 2004

Purdue hosts national hazing symposium

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will host a think-tank seminar to come up with solutions to the problem of hazing on Nov. 7, concurrent with the Indiana Greek Leadership Conference meeting on campus.

"Hazing is a national problem that threatens the well-being of students by demeaning or disgracing them with the promise of letting them join an organization," said Andrew Robison, assistant dean of students. "We're going to try to come up with a more comprehensive and unified approach to set an agenda for a coalition to address this complex societal issue."

The first National Hazing Symposium is designed to incorporate diverse perspectives, from high school to college administrators as well as student-life professionals in student activities, bands and athletics, Robison said.

The discussion will revolve around the state of hazing and include an overview of how hazing issues affect areas such as athletics, fraternities and sororities and judicial affairs, Robison said. The seminar is open to anyone interested in ending hazing in this country, he said.

Symposium participants will also have the opportunity to contribute to the agenda for next year's first National Hazing Prevention Week in September 2005, sponsored by Campuspeak, an agency that represents college campus speakers.

Registration fee is $75, which includes program materials, a Saturday night reception, Sunday continental breakfast and lunch. Registration and program information is available online. Participants will include educators and administrators from a variety of organizations, including the Association of Fraternity Advisors, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Association of Student Judicial Affairs.

The Indiana Greek Leadership Conference (IGLC), being held the same day, is a nationally recognized leadership seminar targeted to undergraduate fraternity and sorority student leaders. Registration for this event is $45 for Purdue students and $60 for non-Purdue students, which covers five educational sessions and lunch.

IGLC is sponsored by the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association, which has been held at Purdue for 20 years. It will attract nearly 1,000 undergraduate student leaders from across the Midwest.

The keynote address, "Making Greek Great Again," will be presented by Lori Ebert from Campuspeak. Other topics to be discussed include advanced leadership skills, risk management and legal issues, hazing and mastering time management. The one-day event begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, news.writer@purdue.edu

Source: Andrew Robison, (765) 494-1231, robison@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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