Hazing
Hello, we are two students at Rochester Institute of Technology currently engaged in an independent study project addressing the issue of hazing. The goal of this project is two-pronged - we wish to discover the prevalence of hazing in the state as well as get your opinion on what should be done about it, if anything.
Under the lj-cut is our survey, which asks a variety of questions about your personal experiences with hazing, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute or two from your time to fill it out really quickly. We even have questions at the beginning for those who have never experienced hazing but wish to share their opinion on the subject. Additionally, each question gives you the option to answer in more detail beyond the choices we have already provided. We encourage you to take advantage of this if you have more include in your answer.
Your responses to this survey are anonymous, so please do not put your name (or any information that would identify you) anywhere on this survey. You may quit the survey at any time and for any reason, or you may decline to answer any of the questions, but your responses to every question are important and we ask that you answer as many of the questions as you possibly can. You may post your answers however you like - under your user name, anonymously, or you may e-mail them to us at hazing.survey@gmail.com. All posts will be screened, so no one except you, us, and the community administrator will be able to see your responses.
Please inform us of any questions, concerns, or feedback you might have. Thank you in advance for your time.
We define hazing as: Any situation or action that involves any type of mental, emotional, or physical requirement, request or obligation placed upon any person (i.e., pledge, new member, member, affiliate) which could potentially cause discomfort, pain, fright, embarrassment, harm or personal degradation in addition to possibly violating state, federal, or local organizational policy.
1) Age:
2) Gender:
3) I live in:
a) A city
b) A suburban area
c) A rural area
d) Other (please specify):
4) I am currently:
a) A high school student
b) A college student
c) A graduate student
d) Serving in the military
e) Other (please specify):
5) I am/was: (select all that apply)
a) On an athletic team
b) Part of a club or organization
c) Member of a fraternity/sorority
d) Part of the military
e) I have never been part of any organization
f) Other (please specify):
6) I respect myself.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Somewhat
7) If you are in school, what is your current average GPA? (Skip if you are not in school)
a) Below 1.0
b) Between 1.0 and 2.0
c) Between 2.0 and 3.0
d) Between 3.0 and 4.0
f) Above 4.0
8) Being able to tolerate physical pain is an important quality.
a) Yes
b) No
9) Being able to tolerate psychological stress is an important quality.
a) Yes
b) No
10) Where do you think hazing occurs? (Select all that apply)
a) In sports
b) In clubs/organizations (Church groups, Chess Club, Boy/Girl Scouts, etc.)
c) Fraternities and sororities
d) In the military
e) Hazing doesn’t occur anywhere
f) Other (please specify):
11) What role do you think alcohol plays in hazing?
a) No role
b) A light role
c) A moderate role
d) A heavy role
e) Additional comments:
12) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate spanking a person on their buttock?
13) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate a scavenger hunt?
14) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate being assigned to study the history of a Greek organization?
15) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate being expected to consume large quantities of any kind of substance in one sitting?
16) What role do you feel initiation rites should play in joining a team or an organization of any kind?
a) Initiation rites are unacceptable in any situation
b) Initiation rites are acceptable in any situation
c) Initiation rites are acceptable, but only in certain situations
d) If you chose c, please elaborate:
17) If initiation rites are traditionally performed upon acceptance into any team or organization, do you feel that it is important/necessary to carry on the tradition for future newcomers?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
18) Do you consider initiation rites to be hazing?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Only some initiation rites
d) If you chose c, please elaborate:
19) The primary goal of hazing is to bond with the peers in your organization.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
20) Humiliation is an important and/or necessary aspect of hazing.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
21) I would tell someone (peer, coach, family, etc) if I experienced hazing.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
22) Have you ever witnessed hazing in any form at any time, as described by the definition given at the beginning of this survey?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
23) Have you ever been hazed in any form at any time, as described by the definition given at the beginning of this survey?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
24) Have you ever hazed somebody at any time?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
If you answered no to the above 2 questions, then skip to question 34.
If you answered yes or not sure to the above 2 questions, then please continue and answer the questions that apply to your experience(s).
25) How many times have you been involved in hazing?
a) 1-2 times
b) 2-5 times
c) 5-10 times
d) Over 10 times
26) Where did you experience hazing? (Select all that apply)
a) In an athletic team
b) In a club or organization
c) In a fraternity/sorority
d) In the military
e) Other (please specify):
27) Were you aware that you would have to undergo initiation/hazing before you joined your organization?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
28) If you were hazed, what did you think of the experience?
a) It was a good, positive experience
b) It was a bad, negative experience
c) It was an uncomfortable, uncertain experience
d) Additional comments:
29) After the hazing, how did you feel regarding your organization and its members?
a) I felt closer to the other people in the organization
b) I felt like I was truly a part of the organization
c) Both a and b
d) The hazing did not affect my feelings towards the organization and its members
e) I felt distanced from the organization and its members
f) Additional comments:
30) Would you willingly undergo hazing again in order to enter another team and/or organization?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
31) If you hazed other people, what did you think of the experience?
a) It was a good, positive experience
b) It was a bad, negative experience
c) It was an uncomfortable, uncertain experience
d) Additional comments:
32) Would you do it again?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
33) What was involved in the hazing event(s) that you experienced/participated in?
34) Do you have any comments/opinions regarding hazing?
35) If you support hazing, what steps would you take to ensure that it does not get out of control or become dangerous? (You may select more than one answer)
a) Require all members to sign a contract outlining the hazards and consequences of hazing
b) Make leaders more responsible for the negative results of hazing
c) Encourage other members to interfere if they feel that the hazing is getting out of hand
d) Show an educational movie on the dangers and risks of negative hazing
e) Have a box where people can submit slips of paper with anonymous information about potentially dangerous/risky hazing events
f) All of the above
g) Additional comments:
Thank you for taking this survey! We appreciate your feedback!
(X-posted to other New York communities)
Under the lj-cut is our survey, which asks a variety of questions about your personal experiences with hazing, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute or two from your time to fill it out really quickly. We even have questions at the beginning for those who have never experienced hazing but wish to share their opinion on the subject. Additionally, each question gives you the option to answer in more detail beyond the choices we have already provided. We encourage you to take advantage of this if you have more include in your answer.
Your responses to this survey are anonymous, so please do not put your name (or any information that would identify you) anywhere on this survey. You may quit the survey at any time and for any reason, or you may decline to answer any of the questions, but your responses to every question are important and we ask that you answer as many of the questions as you possibly can. You may post your answers however you like - under your user name, anonymously, or you may e-mail them to us at hazing.survey@gmail.com. All posts will be screened, so no one except you, us, and the community administrator will be able to see your responses.
Please inform us of any questions, concerns, or feedback you might have. Thank you in advance for your time.
We define hazing as: Any situation or action that involves any type of mental, emotional, or physical requirement, request or obligation placed upon any person (i.e., pledge, new member, member, affiliate) which could potentially cause discomfort, pain, fright, embarrassment, harm or personal degradation in addition to possibly violating state, federal, or local organizational policy.
1) Age:
2) Gender:
3) I live in:
a) A city
b) A suburban area
c) A rural area
d) Other (please specify):
4) I am currently:
a) A high school student
b) A college student
c) A graduate student
d) Serving in the military
e) Other (please specify):
5) I am/was: (select all that apply)
a) On an athletic team
b) Part of a club or organization
c) Member of a fraternity/sorority
d) Part of the military
e) I have never been part of any organization
f) Other (please specify):
6) I respect myself.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Somewhat
7) If you are in school, what is your current average GPA? (Skip if you are not in school)
a) Below 1.0
b) Between 1.0 and 2.0
c) Between 2.0 and 3.0
d) Between 3.0 and 4.0
f) Above 4.0
8) Being able to tolerate physical pain is an important quality.
a) Yes
b) No
9) Being able to tolerate psychological stress is an important quality.
a) Yes
b) No
10) Where do you think hazing occurs? (Select all that apply)
a) In sports
b) In clubs/organizations (Church groups, Chess Club, Boy/Girl Scouts, etc.)
c) Fraternities and sororities
d) In the military
e) Hazing doesn’t occur anywhere
f) Other (please specify):
11) What role do you think alcohol plays in hazing?
a) No role
b) A light role
c) A moderate role
d) A heavy role
e) Additional comments:
12) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate spanking a person on their buttock?
13) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate a scavenger hunt?
14) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate being assigned to study the history of a Greek organization?
15) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 = not hazing and 10 = serious hazing), how would you rate being expected to consume large quantities of any kind of substance in one sitting?
16) What role do you feel initiation rites should play in joining a team or an organization of any kind?
a) Initiation rites are unacceptable in any situation
b) Initiation rites are acceptable in any situation
c) Initiation rites are acceptable, but only in certain situations
d) If you chose c, please elaborate:
17) If initiation rites are traditionally performed upon acceptance into any team or organization, do you feel that it is important/necessary to carry on the tradition for future newcomers?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
18) Do you consider initiation rites to be hazing?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Only some initiation rites
d) If you chose c, please elaborate:
19) The primary goal of hazing is to bond with the peers in your organization.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
20) Humiliation is an important and/or necessary aspect of hazing.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
21) I would tell someone (peer, coach, family, etc) if I experienced hazing.
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
22) Have you ever witnessed hazing in any form at any time, as described by the definition given at the beginning of this survey?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
23) Have you ever been hazed in any form at any time, as described by the definition given at the beginning of this survey?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
24) Have you ever hazed somebody at any time?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
If you answered no to the above 2 questions, then skip to question 34.
If you answered yes or not sure to the above 2 questions, then please continue and answer the questions that apply to your experience(s).
25) How many times have you been involved in hazing?
a) 1-2 times
b) 2-5 times
c) 5-10 times
d) Over 10 times
26) Where did you experience hazing? (Select all that apply)
a) In an athletic team
b) In a club or organization
c) In a fraternity/sorority
d) In the military
e) Other (please specify):
27) Were you aware that you would have to undergo initiation/hazing before you joined your organization?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Additional comments:
28) If you were hazed, what did you think of the experience?
a) It was a good, positive experience
b) It was a bad, negative experience
c) It was an uncomfortable, uncertain experience
d) Additional comments:
29) After the hazing, how did you feel regarding your organization and its members?
a) I felt closer to the other people in the organization
b) I felt like I was truly a part of the organization
c) Both a and b
d) The hazing did not affect my feelings towards the organization and its members
e) I felt distanced from the organization and its members
f) Additional comments:
30) Would you willingly undergo hazing again in order to enter another team and/or organization?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
31) If you hazed other people, what did you think of the experience?
a) It was a good, positive experience
b) It was a bad, negative experience
c) It was an uncomfortable, uncertain experience
d) Additional comments:
32) Would you do it again?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
d) Additional comments:
33) What was involved in the hazing event(s) that you experienced/participated in?
34) Do you have any comments/opinions regarding hazing?
35) If you support hazing, what steps would you take to ensure that it does not get out of control or become dangerous? (You may select more than one answer)
a) Require all members to sign a contract outlining the hazards and consequences of hazing
b) Make leaders more responsible for the negative results of hazing
c) Encourage other members to interfere if they feel that the hazing is getting out of hand
d) Show an educational movie on the dangers and risks of negative hazing
e) Have a box where people can submit slips of paper with anonymous information about potentially dangerous/risky hazing events
f) All of the above
g) Additional comments:
Thank you for taking this survey! We appreciate your feedback!
(X-posted to other New York communities)