Many young people, when they end up going to college, join groups like sororities and fraternities. These groups are designed to promote friendship, togetherness, and community.
Lots of groups in college can also help students network and get to know others in the fields they’re studying for. This, too, has a tendency to come in handy, especially once these young people are seeking jobs post-graduation.
Unfortunately, a dark side also exists when it comes to fraternities. Sometimes, this materializes in the form of initiation rituals, such as hazing.
In the case of University of New Hampshire students, dozens of fraternity members are now looking at serious charges in connection to hazing, per Washington Examiner.
What to Know About the Hazing Charges
Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, in addition to 46 different members within the group, faces legal issues and arrest warrants issued by the Durham Police Department.
The hazing incident in question is reported to have occurred on Wednesday, April 13. Thus far, law enforcement officers are remaining tight-lipped about the specific nature of the hazing, along with how police caught onto it.
However, University of New Hampshire reached out to the Durham Police Department five days after the alleged occurrence, of which new members of the fraternity were said to have been the targets.
"46 University of New Hampshire fraternity members issued arrest warrants over alleged hazing"
It's about time these spoiled Brats in frat houses pay the price for what they do. 😎…👍
— JerryG2021 🇨🇦 🇺🇲 (@JerryG2021) June 12, 2022
Thus far, only ten members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon have been arrested for their involvement in the hazing. They are subsequently faced with having to appear in court on Wednesday, July 13.
At the national level, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization weighed in on the hazing scandal.
According to Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s national branch, the organization rejects any “acts of hazing,” along with other behavior that’s not in keeping with the fraternity’s cited “The True Gentleman” creed.
The Durham Police Department classifies hazing as a class B misdemeanor. Organizations caught doing it can face a fine not exceeding $20,000. Meanwhile, individuals guilty of hazing can be hit with fines not exceeding $1,200.
The Deadly Nature of Hazing
In some of the worst-case scenarios involving hazing, people have either died or sustained permanent, life-altering injuries.
Hazing is not a joke. It can have serious, adverse mental health impacts on its targets. Meanwhile, perpetrators of hazing may very well feel emboldened to go forward with other crimes that cause direct harm to human beings.
All hazing should be illegal
— John Douglas – Ultra MAGA 🇺🇸 (@JohnDun86663439) June 10, 2022
Over the years, stomach-turning and revolting videos of hazing have drawn more attention to just how insidious this practice truly is. Hazing, in a nutshell, is a form of abuse that’s gradually losing its prior branding as just a harmless initiation ritual.
What do you think about the arrest warrants in New Hampshire for college students who were caught hazing? Let us know in the comments area below how you believe this situation will play out.
