JAMAAL WAIREGI, Special to The Denisonian—
When one thinks of college culture, procrastination, parties and instant ramen noodles likely come to mind.
But hazing, once tolerated in college culture, has been under fire in the United States in recent years due to an increase in deaths following extreme hazing. This outrage has led both federal and state legislatures to act through anti-hazing laws. Ohio’s response is Collin’s Law.
Collin’s Law is an anti- hazing law recently passed by the Senate and signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine.
As described by DeWine’s website, Collin’s Law is intent on “enacting a number of changes intended to end hazing and any cultural issues that allow hazing to persist.”
The law is named after Collin Wiant, an Ohio University freshman who died participating in hazing activities. In short, the law expands the definition of hazing to regulate activities which could be harmful to members of Greek life organizations that intend to jeopardize a member’s affiliation status; the law also increases the criminal punishment for any parties involved in the execution or permission of such acts.
Wiant’s mother, Kathleen Wiant, spoke on campus in Swasey Chapel on Sunday, October 3. All members of all four of Denison’s Greek Councils were required to attend unless they had an excused absence. She spoke about her sons death, as well as what the new law entails and how members of the Greek community can help prevent hazing.
Successful anti-hazing laws in the past, such as the REACH Act and END ALL Hazing Act, have had bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress and have spawned multiple state egislatures to create anti-hazing acts of their own, including Ohio, the eleventh state to make hazing a recognized felony.
This unanimous sentiment against hazing is present in Denison’s administrative regulations too. From allocating freshman entry into Greek Life to their
second semester to maintaining training and rules around hazing and harassment, Denison takes strides in protecting the integrity of these operations.
Students on campus seem to agree. When asked of the good aspects of implementing these changes, senior and Phi Iota Alpha member Jack Silverman stated that he “thinks it’s a really positive change because it takes a lot of the stigma away from fraternities… [for] people interested in Greek life, it helps relieve some of the nervousness and tension because now they know for a fact that none of that will occur.” Silverman also took the stance that these regulations may lead to protecting the message of Greek life organizations by “making [members] have responsibilities for their actions” and “upholding them to a higher standard”.
Even students not associated with Greek life organizations can agree to the “ridiculous” nature hazing can take on. Lakshmi Murahari, a sophomore, said that “it was just, like, stupid pranks… toilet paper, egging cars, but now it’s… people getting killed.”
Although there may lie unaccounted ramifications in the future, for now, it seems that President Adam Weinberg’s words may ring true: “American society is done with hazing.”