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Cornell UniversityTravis Apgar

Associate Dean of Students

Tim Marchell Director of Mental Health Initiatives

Laura SantacroseHealth Initiatives Coordinator

Hazing Prevention Consortium SummitJune 11-12, 2015

University of Maine

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Strategies Pre-2011• Hazing added to Code of Conduct (2001)• Greek system “Sunshine Policy”• Anti-hazing website (2005)• Greek leadership summits/committees• Group-building strategies (Outdoor Education)

• Educational strategies–Greek new members & new student-athletes

• Staff training (RHDs, coaches, health service)

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Strategies 2011-2015 (post tragedy)•President’s NYTimes/USA Today op-eds•RARE Committee

• Recruitment, Acceptance, Retention, Education

• Transformation of new member process

• Joined HPC•Established Council on Hazing Prevention•Employed Social-Ecological framework

–Individual, group, institution, community

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Hazing Prevention Core Strategies

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Media Campaign

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Campus Hazing Assessment Findings

• Documented hazing cases• HPC Site Visit report• PULSE Survey (social norms case study)

– Spring 2013– Spring 2015

• MASCOT Survey – Spring 2013– Spring 2015

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Social Norms Case Study2013 2015

Percent that believe that most students think it is never okay to humiliate or intimidate a new member

41

Actual percent that belief it is never okay to humiliate or intimidate a new member

82

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Social Norms Case Study2013 2015

Percent that believe that most students think it is never okay to humiliate or intimidate a new member

41 45

Actual percent that belief it is never okay to humiliate or intimidate a new member

82 87

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Students who believe it is sometimes okay to humiliate or

intimidate (13%)– 22% of males vs 7% of females– 21% of Greeks vs. 10% of non-Greeks– 22% of athletes vs. 12% of non-athletes

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Political views of students who believe it is never okay to humiliate or intimidate

PercentVery liberal 88Liberal 88Moderate 85Conservative 80Very conservative 75

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All students

Social fraternity or sorority

Varsity athletics

Other student groups*

2013 39 48 47 31

2015 31 35 30 25

Percent of Cornell undergraduates reporting experiences of hazing

*Ex. Performing arts groups, academic clubs, service organizations

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Hazing Prevention Lessons Learned

• Commitment from senior administration is key to generating institutional will

• Prevention focusing on Greek life and athletics is necessary but not sufficient—must address other groups

• Maintaining momentum on hazing is challenging when same campus partners are also devoting energy to other health issues (e.g., sexual violence, alcohol, mental health), and hazing prevention is not their “day job”

• Next steps: – Engage new senior university leadership– Adapt/test solidarity scales, develop interventions– Conduct small groups social norms challenges

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Hazing Prevention Consortium Think Tank

• Social norms – What additional statements can we test/use in media?– How do we move forward (resource-wise) with small group norms

interventions? Who can do this work?

• Group solidarity – How do we measure group solidary and commitment?– What activities can achieve these?– Will increases in solidarity via non-hazing reduce the risk of hazing?– What is the role of and threshold for emotionally/physically

challenging group-building experiences?

• Moral foundations theory– How do we develop strategies that speak to the moral foundations

(loyalty, obedience, sanctity) that correlate with conservatism?

• Institutional will – How do we sustain momentum as visible problems decrease?