Anna Baynham
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
Anti-Hazing Week, held from Sept. 24-28, was a week designated to enlighten students on the consequences of hazing and also served as an opportunity for Jackson State University to promote the prevention of hazing.
Another key component of the week was to inform students, faculty and staff of how to identify hazing, along with the actions that should follow once it occurs.
Marcus A. Chanay, Vice President for Student Life at JSU and member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., was the speaker at a campus-wide discussion with students and faculty on the difference between hazing and tradition. He spoke about personal experiences and talked about examples of hazing incidents locally and throughout the country.
He reminded those in attendance that not only is hazing wrong, it is also a crime.
Chanay, who recently attended a national forum on hazing, talked about new legislation that is being proposed in response to the death of Robert Champion, a band member at Florida A&M University.
In response to Champion hazing incident, Florida Congresswoman Fredericka Wilson is trying to pass a bill that would deny federal financial aid to students who are punished by colleges or convicted by states for hazing others. The law would put hazing in the same category as assault and murder.
Chanay added that hazing is not just common to Greek-letter organizations, but is found in other student clubs, organizations and groups, even at the high school level.
William Jenkins, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and junior mass communications major from Mobile, Ala., said, “It is very important for students to not only be enlightened (on hazing prevention) but also to be shown how to implement hazing prevention.”
“I am glad that Dr. Chanay informed the students the importance of knowing that you do not have to be a part of a Greek organization in order to be hazed,” said Shakira Wright, a senior criminal justice major from Chicago, Ill. “It’s important for the campus to be enlightened on how to prevent hazing.”
Chanay encouraged all students, faculty and staff to take a stance on hazing and be bold enough to simply say, “No.”
There are three options for reporting hazing incidents at Jackson State:
1. Submit a report to the Division of Student Life or Campus Police
2. Speak directly to Gary Crosby, Director of the Center for Student Engagement and Inclusion, Dean of Students Phillip Cockrell or Chanay.
3. Utilize the Red Flag Alert. The Red Flag Alert system can be accessed at via the home page of the JSU website at 10.14.12.245 and the Student Life website
10.14.12.245/studentlife.
Red Flag is completely anonymous.
The Jackson State Anti-Hazing Policy as found in Appendix G of the Student Handbook, defines hazing as any action taken or situation or intimidation created, intentionally whether on or off-campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, ridicule, or the breaking of the school’s rules.
Aside from university sanctions for this offense, Section 97-3-105 of the Mississippi Code Annotated details the punishment for those found guilty of the crime of hazing. Some of the penalties include, but are not limited to:
• Any person violating the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six (6) months, or both.
