Day 1 of admissions in DU passes by smoothly

Day 1 of admissions in DU passes by smoothly
June 28, 2007
New Delhi: Daring the hot and humid weather of the capital, admission seekers of Delhi University (DU) gathered at different colleges on Wednesday to check if they had qualified for admission.
The first day of admissions for this academic year starting July 16th saw a huge rush in almost all colleges. Seats for popular courses like Economics, B.Com (H) and BA Programme have already been filled in a majority of the colleges. However, the turnout for science courses was below the average.
Most of the students reached the colleges much before the scheduled time to submit their forms. Only after filling the forms and subsequent verification by the officials, students and their parents breathed a sigh of relief.
In some colleges, candidates had to sign an anti-ragging declaration form to ensure that they do not indulge in any type of ragging activities. Officials at different colleges verified the documents of students at least twice before sending them to the cash counter.
The chances of a second cut-off list for popular courses like Economics, B.Com and BA in the top colleges of the varsity appear slim as most of the seats for these subjects were filled on the first day of the admission. However, the second list for Science courses will see a dip of 1-3%.

Link to report : http://www.indiaedunews.net/Delhi/Day%5F1%5Fof%5Fadmissions%5Fin%5FDU%5Fpasses%5Fby%5Fsmoothly%5F1463/

3 medicos held for ragging in AP

3 medicos held for ragging in AP

Police arrested three medicos for ragging dental college students.Police sources told UNI today that N Venkatachalapathi, M Suresh and C Ram Prakash were staying at the college hostel at Mogalrajapuram along with dental students Satish Kumar, Vamsi and Pual.At the hostel, the trio ragged the dental students by asking them to read out foul language written on a piece of paper, among other things.Following this, one of the victims lodged a complaint with police. Cases were registered under non-bailable sections against the three MBBS students. They would be produced before a city magistrate court later in the day for remand.(UNI)

Link to report : http://www.indlawnews.com/79104E6BF68FEC9EE76E876FC930041D

Local schools on guard to curb hazing

Local schools on guard to curb hazing
Sunday, June 24, 2007
By Jane Bos
The Grand Rapids Press

Some of it seems pretty tame.
Freshmen carrying bats. Sophomores lugging water buckets. Underclassmen washing uniforms and cars of seniors.
But high school hazing has a more serious side.

Reports tell of student-athletes being mummified with Saran wrap. Tabasco sauce and Duct tape have been splashed into and stuck on eyes and mouths.
In Nevada, high school students reportedly were forced to run naked down a hill, shot with BB guns and whipped with fishing rods and belt buckles.
In Illinois, an off-campus "powder puff" football hazing ritual for juniors turned violent. Two girls reported being strangled and choked and kicked repeatedly in the head.
That's the kind of behavior that spawned laws and punishment to stop it.
Recently, it hit closer to home. This month, four members of the Coopersville High School junior varsity baseball team were expelled from school for hazing.
Allegedly, team members were violated by one or more of the four expelled students in at least 13 incidents during a 4- to 6-week period, culminating on May 18.
The four expelled students have been charged with gross indecency and are scheduled to appear for pretrial hearings in Ottawa County Juvenile Court in July.

Link to report

Hearing on SME ragging case postponed to July 12

Hearing on SME ragging case postponed to July 12

Kottayam: The special court here today postponed the first phase of hearing of the SME ragging case to July 12. The case was that a junior student of the School of Medical Education (SME) coming under the MG University was physically assaulted by seniors. The case has been postponed following the defendants' demand seeking more time for hearing.

Link to report

New anti-ragging rule in IIT Kanpur

New anti-ragging rule in IIT Kanpur

Kanpur, June 22 (PTI): Come July and the students of IIT Kanpur will have to sign a declaration that they would not be involved in any kind of ragging activities or else face severe punishment.
Under the declaration, if any student was found in any type of ragging activity, he/ she would be bound for any punishment - from registration of police case to rustication - as suggested by the authorities, IIT Kanpur assistant registrar K B Satyamurthy told PTI.
Besides the students, their parents or guardians would also have to make declaration saying if their wards were found to be involved in ragging, they would accept the punishment as prescribed by the institute.
The new rule will be applicable to both freshers and senior students of the institute.
Satyamurthy said that IIT Kanpur director Sanjay Govind Dhande was also a member of the Raghvan Committee, constituted by the Supreme Court to recommend measures to check ragging in educational institutions.
The new rule, which will come into effect from the new academic session, is part of the suggestions given by the Raghvan Committee.
Satyamurthy said that the freshers will have to sign the declaration form during the admission, which is underway, while the seniors would be given admission in the next semester only when they sign the form and also get signatures of their parents.
If any student was found involved in ragging activity, even after signing the declaration form, the anti-ragging committee of the institute would study the case and action would be taken according to rules, he said.
There will be three committees under the anti-ragging committee of the institute. They are campus squad, vigilance squad and hostel squad which would work in close tandem.

Link to report

New anti-ragging rule in IIT Kanpur

New anti-ragging rule in IIT Kanpur
PTI [ FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2007 06:15:37 PM]

KANPUR: Come July and the students of IIT Kanpur will have to sign a declaration that they would not be involved in any kind of ragging activities or else face severe punishment. Under the declaration, if any student was found in any type of ragging activity, he/ she would be bound for any punishment - from registration of police case to rustication - as suggested by the authorities, IIT Kanpur assistant registrar K B Satyamurthy told the media. Besides the students, their parents or guardians would also have to make declaration saying if their wards were found to be involved in ragging, they would accept the punishment as prescribed by the institute. The new rule will be applicable to both freshers and senior students of the institute. Satyamurthy said that IIT Kanpur director Sanjay Govind Dhande was also a member of the Raghvan Committee, constituted by the Supreme Court to recommend measures to check ragging in educational institutions. The new rule, which will come into effect from the new academic session, is part of the suggestions given by the Raghvan Committee.

Link to report : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/New_anti-ragging_rule_in_IIT_Kanpur/articleshow/2141765.cms

IITK Students to sign 'Declaration' to stop ragging

IITK Students to sign 'Declaration' to stop ragging
June 23, 2007

Kanpur:
Students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Kanpur will have to sign a 'Declaration' which will prevent them from indulging in any type of ragging activities.
The Declaration would mean serious punishment - from registration of a police case to rustication if a student is found indulging in any type of ragging activity at the institute or even outside the premises.
Furthermore, the institute has also asked all parents to sign an undertaking saying that if their wards are found to be involved in such activities, they would accept the punishment as prescribed by the institute.
The new rule will be applicable to both freshers and senior students of the institute.

Link to report : http://www.indiaedunews.net/IIT/IITK%5FStudents%5Fto%5Fsign%5F%27Declaration%27%5Fto%5Fstop%5Fragging%5F1420/

New anti-ragging rule on its way in IIT Kanpur

New anti-ragging rule on its way in IIT Kanpur
22 Jun, 2007 1752 hrs IST
PTI KANPUR:

Come July and the students of IIT Kanpur will have to sign a declaration that they would not be involved in any kind of ragging activities or else face severe punishment. Under the declaration, if any student was found in any type of ragging activity, he/ she would be bound for any punishment - from registration of police case to rustication - as suggested by the authorities, IIT Kanpur assistant registrar K B Satyamurthy said. Besides the students, their parents or guardians would also have to make declaration saying if their wards were found to be involved in ragging, they would accept the punishment as prescribed by the institute. The new rule will be applicable to both freshers and senior students of the institute. Satyamurthy said that IIT Kanpur director Sanjay Govind Dhande was also a member of the Raghvan Committee, constituted by the Supreme Court to recommend measures to check ragging in educational institutions. The new rule, which will come into effect from the new academic session, is part of the suggestions given by the Raghvan Committee.

Link to report : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/New_anti-ragging_rule_on_its_way_in_IIT_Kanpur/articleshow/2141658.cms

College hazing case lingers in limbo

College hazing case lingers in limbo
Published: June 21, 2007
By ALISHA WYMAN
The Union Democrat

Five months after a party where several Columbia College Fire Department firefighters allegedly hazed another firefighter, the Tuolumne County District Attorney hasn't given word on whether he will file charges.
The office is still working with county sheriff's investigators in wrapping up their work, District Attorney Donald Segerstrom said.
"There are a whole bunch of factors that go into a decision on whether or not you should charge someone with a crime," Segerstrom said.
A 19-year-old Stockton student told deputies in January that other firefighters forced him to drink large quantities of beer, then kicked and punched him during a Jan. 15 off-campus party.
He also alleged he and other firefighters on probationary status — or those relatively new to the department — have been previously harassed.
Hazing is a crime, as noted in the California Penal Code. It can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the extent of physical injuries to a victim.
Meanwhile, as time passes, interest in the college's Fire Department program has waned and concerns about firefighter response are growing, area fire officials said.
"It is a disappointment that this process has taken as long as it has," college spokesman Doug Lau said. "I think everyone's waiting for a final decision, and we have no indication what it is now."

Investigations ongoing
The Sheriff's Office has completed its investigation but it is still working with the District Attorney's Office, said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Dan Bressler.
It's not unusual to have a "case of this magnitude" take weeks or months before the district attorney makes a decision, he said. Bressler would not specify exactly how many firefighters are being investigated.
"It takes time to review this many reports and this many interviews and this much evidence," he said. "I can't speak for them, but I'm sure they're trying to be thorough."
Segerstrom added that his staff members are "still digging" through information before they come to a conclusion.
Elsewhere, Cal Fire's own investigation into the incidents is in its final stages, said Dennis Townsend, Cal Fire Law Enforcement/Fire Prevention Bureau chief.
Cal Fire/Tuolumne County Fire Department oversees the college fire program in cooperation with Columbia College.
Rather than the criminal aspect of the case, Townsend said his concern is whether firefighters violated government code and department policy that prohibits any action that discredits the department or the profession.
Townsend said he hopes to present his findings to Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit Chief Mike Noonan and Cal Fire Battalion Chief Julie Henriques by Friday.
Noonan and Henriques will review Townsend's report and decide if the allegations are warranted. If so, the students could face penalties ranging from warning letters to being kicked out of the program.
The department will also look at what will become of the college's fire house program, he said.
Townsend was confident that it will continue in some form, due to its success in training firefighters.
"We know that supervision is a key element that has to be addressed," he said.
It's taken Townsend some time to complete the investigation both because of his other responsibilities and the complicated college case.
He had to conduct 21 interviews and cross reference them.
"It's a very lengthy process," he said. "I have to go statement by statement in each of the hour-to-two-hour interviews and compare them to previous interviews."
It's important to make sure his findings are accurate, Townsend said.
"People's careers are determined by things like this, and we want to protect them to the greatest extent possible," he said.

On hold
The program remains on restriction until the investigations conclude, Tuolumne County Fire Marshal Kary Hubbard said.
"(It's) just kind of in a holding pattern because you don't want to do anything to interfere with the investigation," she said.
It does hurt the county's efforts in responding to fires or medical calls to not have those firefighters available, Hubbard conceded.
"Not having staff always affects everyone," she said, adding that the Air Base in Columbia can alleviate some of that concern.
The county as a whole is short on volunteers.
"Every fire I go to there are less and less volunteers, and they haven't upped any of the paid staff for so many years," she said. "You're starting to worry about safety."
Townsend, too, agreed that not having the college's firefighters available has an impact on fire services.
"I don't think anyone likes it, but that's how it is," he said.
Caron Cavalero is among those frustrated over the college department's inability to respond to calls.
At midnight Tuesday, a fire broke out on an empty lot above her property on the 22400 block of Gunsight Road, about a mile from the college.
She called 911 and went outside to spray with a hose, but the fire was growing closer.
"I felt like I was under an umbrella of embers," she said, adding that she was growing increasingly upset that no one had arrived.
Cavalero made four calls to 911 and about 20 minutes passed before firefighters arrived, she said.
By this time, she and her 17-year-old son were evacuating.
"I really thought: ‘I'm going to have to get my kid out of here, and I'm going to come back to nothing but ashes,' " she said.
Cavalero drove to the Columbia College firehouse and knocked on the door to ask why firefighters never came.
The firefighter who answered explained the restriction.
Cavalero is angry that firefighters trained to respond to emergencies like hers weren't allowed to, regardless of the alleged hazing.
"My understanding is that the situation had nothing to do with them as firefighters and everything to do with them being idiot college boys," she said.
Firefighter numbers fall
In the wake of the investigation, enrollment in the program is down.
There were 18 volunteers in the program around the time of the allegations. The program now has three, college officials said.
The college is currently recruiting and has had some interest, college spokesman Lau said.
Some of the decline is because school is out of session and some student firefighters have graduated, Townsend said. But students who might have applied for the program to replace them are likely seeking employment elsewhere due to the restriction, he said.
"They're looking for that practical experience they go straight into" he said.
The declining membership worries college officials, Lau said.
"It's an issue that really is shedding not a very good light on the whole program, and this is a program that has been around for 30 years," he said. "And it's done so much good for the community."

Link to Report : http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=23744

Hayden teens face charges for hazing

Hayden teens face charges for hazing
Diversion program may replace criminal proceedings
Brandon Gee
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Law enforcement officials are again investigating a hazing incident involving Hayden High School students.
The most recent incident is suspected of taking place June 6, when police said four Hayden seniors hit seven freshmen with an object that has been described both as a paddle and a club. The apparatus reportedly was made in a high school wood shop class.
On Monday, Hayden police turned over the criminal investigation to District Attorney Bonnie Roesink in Craig.
The four seniors face potential charges of third degree assault and criminal harassment, but the use of a diversion program is likely to replace criminal proceedings, Roesink said. Police withheld the students' names because they are all younger than 18. At least one of the victims was reported to have welts from the beating, but Roesink said there were no serious injuries as a result of the hazing.
Hayden police Chief Ray Birch said the hazing took place at about 3 p.m. at Hayden Town Park. At that time, the four seniors are said to have approached the seven freshmen and encouraged them to participate in the hazing ritual, warning them that if they told anyone about it, they would be punished "10 to 20 times worse."
Birch said the freshmen were then struck on the buttocks with the paddle, which is 23 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. The paddle is in the shape of an arm and hand, with the arm serving as the handle and the hand -- which has holes drilled into it -- used as the point of contact. One side of the paddle reads "Class of '08."
Someone who saw the incident while passing the park alerted police, Birch said.
The suspected incident follows a March 2006 hazing in which Hayden High School students branded younger students with a heated wire coat hanger at a party. Four Hayden teens were sentenced to five days in jail in that case.
The accused in this case, however, may enter a diversion program instead of facing criminal proceedings, Roesink said. The 14th Judicial District Attorney's Office has a diversion program for first-time juvenile offenders. The program requires juveniles admit guilt, sign a contract, perform community service and be monitored by a diversion officer, among other things.
This case would require the implementation of a new diversion program, but Roesink said it would be similar to the current one and may be more appropriate than criminal proceedings.
"If these were very serious bodily injuries, we wouldn't be considering this," she said Tuesday.
The hope is that a diversion program may have a better educational and long-term effect on hazing in Hayden, which both Roesink and Birch said is an ongoing and deep-rooted problem in the community.
"I think it's a systemic problem that's been around for years," Roesink said.
Birch said hazing of this nature exists because parents, teachers and students permit it to, and that the community needs to start treating it with zero tolerance rather than as a harmless prank.
"The community needs to stand up," Birch said.
Birch said hazing has been going on in Hayden for so long that some of the parents of the students he interviewed throughout the investigation were victims of it as well.
"Me, as the chief of police and a member of this community, would obviously like to see this behavior stop immediately," Birch said. "It became pretty obvious over the course of the investigation that something has to be done to stop it."
Birch said older students haze to earn "respect" through violent intimidation and that the younger students submit to it because they see it as a requirement to be accepted socially and as members of athletic teams, particularly football.
Hayden School District Superintendent Mike Luppes said there are currently numerous programs in place to discourage hazing. Whether those programs need to be supplemented or revamped is something the district will consider, Luppes said.
"We'll be looking at any moves we can make to make sure this isn't happening," Luppes said. "Anything having to do with hazing, the district is solidly against."
Luppes said paddling is not a problem he has been aware of before this case.
The high school's wood shop teacher, Jeff Steinsberger, said he would not allow a paddle to be made in class and did not think something as elaborate as the paddle allegedly used in the hazing could be made in his class without his noticing it.
"I'm not saying 100 percent that it didn't come from the wood shop, but I can tell you 100 percent I didn't know about it," Steinsberger said.


Link to Report : http://www.craigdailypress.com/section/frontpage_lead/story/27070

Lawsuit Filed In Gustine Hazing Incident

Lawsuit Filed In Gustine Hazing Incident
POSTED: 5:36 pm PDT June 20, 2007
UPDATED: 6:01 pm PDT June 20, 2007

GUSTINE, Calif. -- The Gustine and Golden Valley Unified School Districts are facing a lawsuit amid claims of hazing among football players on the Gustine High School football team.
A former student and his mother filed the suit after he allegedly suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse from older teammates.
The student, then 14 years old, was allegedly assaulted with a battery-operated air pump, slapped with used condoms, and hit on the head with pillowcases filled with heavy objects.
The charges are directed at coaches and school officials from the Gustine and Golden Valley Unified School Districts, four former players, and the players' parents and guardians.
Gustine police filed a report with the Madera County Sheriff's Department detailing allegations of hazing at a football camp at Liberty High School in Brentwood on July 13-15, 2006.
One coach named in the lawsuit has been placed on administrative leave.

Link to report : http://www.my58.com/news/13541030/detail.html

Chico State fraternity banned

Chico State fraternity banned
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2

CHICO -- California State University, Chico, has kicked out the Beta Theta Pi fraternity following an investigation into hazing, school officials confirmed Tuesday.
"We got a tip earlier in the spring that some initiation-type stuff was going on at the fraternity that could qualify as hazing," said campus spokesman Joe Wills. "It felt like it was under duress by some people."
Administrators revoked the fraternity's charter earlier this month. The school turned the matter over to police and prosecutors, but no further action has been taken against members of the 60-student fraternity.
No one was injured, Wills said.

Link to Report : http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/231983.html

Ragging takes on a cruder hue - DH News Service, BANGALORE

Ragging takes on a cruder hue
DH News Service, BANGALORE

From what was simply “time pass” and “getting to know juniors”, ragging across colleges in Karnataka is slowly becoming a more crude and dangerous form of sexual and physical harassment. The absence of effective mechanism to check ragging has only helped spread the menace to hitherto unviolated non-professional colleges.
A survey on ragging in a cross-section of colleges in Karnataka, commissioned by Deccan Herald and conducted by Research International, has revealed that sexual and physical harassment in the name of ragging is rampant in colleges and more so in non-professional colleges.
Also, shattering the common notion that ragging is confined only to professional colleges, the survey has revealed that ragging in non-professional colleges is as prevalent as in medical and engineering colleges throughout the state.
The survey was conducted with a base of 300 students and to get a fair representation of the state, five centres were selected - Bangalore, Gulbarga, Hubli, Mangalore and Mysore. Juniors (freshers) as well as seniors from different educational streams of engineering, medical, BSc, BA and BCom were interviewed for their feedback on ragging.
As many as 17 per cent of the freshers interviewed admitted that they were either sexually or physically harassed by their seniors on the college campus. The coursewise break up reveals that a cruder form of ragging is more prevalent in non-professional colleges (26 per cent), followed by medical colleges (16 per cent).
In case of males, the incidence of physical and sexual harassment is much more (28 per cent) than in case of females (7 per cent).
It is of no surprise then that freshers are not all that forgiving after being traumatised by abusive situations. Asked what happens post-ragging, 20 per cent students in non-professional colleges said they were physically and mentally affected, while 30 pc felt ragging resulted in strained relations with seniors.
Basically, absence of any measures to check the menace has resulted in ragging raising its ugly head in hitherto uncharted areas. Lack of any deterrent measures has also resulted in ragging continuing for more than three months in non-professional colleges as compared to an average of two weeks in engineering and one month in medical colleges, the survey revealed.
Meanwhile, in engineering colleges, considered the hotbed of ragging, students said they only underwent the milder form of ragging like seniors having fun at their expense such as making them sing a song (80 pc). Their post-ragging response too is different from students studying in non-professional courses, with as many as 86 pc of engineering and medical students saying seniors became friendly and helpful post-ragging. This indicates that juniors do accept a milder form of ragging to get to know the seniors, but when ragging takes an ugly dimension as in the case of students in non-professional colleges, they tend to develop fear psychosis. However, not all juniors are happy with anti-ragging mechanism in place in their colleges, a mandatory requirement as per a recent Supreme Court order. Only 25 pc of the students felt that the anti-ragging committees were actually functional.
Is there a way to root out the menace ? The overwhelming response from juniors (58 pc) was that colleges need to encourage more interaction with freshers. As many as 38 per cent felt that separate hostel facilities for freshers and seniors would go a long way in checking ragging. When the same students were asked whether they would rag their juniors next year, 70 pc of engineering and medical students replied in the negative. However, their under-graduate counterparts in BSc, BCom and BA courses were only too eager to subject their juniors to the same treatment that they had received, sending a clear enough warning to the government and universities to weed out this dangerous reality.

Link to Report : http://www.stopragging.org/2005/11/29/ragging-takes-on-a-cruder-hue/

Sorority sisters get probation for hazing charges - Heartland News

Sorority sisters get probation for hazing charges
By: Heartland News

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Three members of Southeast Missouri State's Zeta Phi Beta sorority will get two years probation on misdemeanor hazing and assault charges.
All the suspects are women.
Prosecutors allege one of them, Darleta McKinnis-Weems ordered a new member to eat food taken from a garbage can. Another suspect, Ashley Moore is accused of punching the same sorority member in the chest.
A third suspect, Jessica Reynolds reportedly sprayed the member in the face with some sort of liquid.

CBC News - Youth group takes stand against hazing

Youth group takes stand against hazing
Principals urge young students to step forwardLast

Updated: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 9:57 AM NT
CBC News

A hazing incident involving Mount Pearl students — in which junior high school graduates were struck on the behind with a hockey stick — cannot be tolerated, a youth advocacy group says.
A group of high school students cornered some Grade 9 students against a fence in a wooded area in the Admiralty Wood subdivision on Friday night. The older students used the broad end of a goalie stick to "paddle" the younger students, in a hazing ritual that marked their graduation to high school.
One of the students involved in the incident would not give an interview for broadcast, but said many of the students who were struck have not told their parents or authorities for fear of being beaten again. The student informed his mother on Monday that he had been beaten.He said the older students, who were in Grade 10, warned younger students that more hazing will follow on Thursday, the last day of classes.

"We need to recognize it as a crime," said Andrew Harvey, an organizer with Mount Pearl Youth Action Team, a community group that works with the city council on youth issues."It's a crime against our young people, and we can't accept it," said Harvey, adding that "the proper law enforcement officials are on it right now."

Meghan Drodge, another member of the Youth Action Team, said hazing has been a recurring problem through the years."I'm annoyed at the disrespect that some students would give to other students," said Drodge, who would like to see a school program set up to ensure it doesn't happen again next year.

The two high schools in Mount Pearl both have strict policies against bullying and violent behaviour.The principals of Mount Pearl and O'Donel senior high schools said they are taking the hazing incident very seriously, and said they will pursue disciplinary action if the older students are caught.They said, however, that students who had been assaulted should come forward to aid Royal Newfoundland Constabulary investigators.Drodge said in past years high school students have used ping-pong paddles and canoe paddles to hit younger students on their behinds.Girls use a less violent — but still offensive — means of hazing, said Drodge.
"They get them with coloured bingo dabbers — on their forehead, on their nose, their cheeks," said Drodge, a high school student, who hopes she can help bring future classes of Grade 9 and Grade 10 students together."It really comes down to the attitude that exists between junior high and high school students, and we're here to change that," she said.

Numerous hazing incidents in recent yearsHazing incidents have become common in Newfoundland and Labrador schools in recent years.Last year, for instance, a student in Gander was injured so severely in a paddling incident that he had trouble walking.In 2004, several students in the Goulds neighbourhood of St. John's were suspended from St. Kevin's school after a boy was assaulted.In 2003, 18 students at Regina High School in Corner Brook were suspended after younger students were rounded up, forced to strip to their underwear and then thrown into a pond.In 2002, six Clarenville teenagers were charged with assault with a weapon after some Grade 8 students were hit with sticks and branches.

Link to Report : http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/06/19/hazing-students.html#skip300x250

Orissa : setting up of anti-ragging squad in each college

Orissa to make Computer education madatory for college students

Bhubaneswar, Jun 18: The Orissa government is contemplating to make computer education mandatory for the students in Plus Two and Plus Three level in all colleges in the state.As a part of the Global Skill upgradation Programme, at least 300 college lecturers drawn from over 50 colleges in the state would be trained in English communication and analytical skill by the experts in the Infosys here.These teachers would be called as Pilot trainers who would provide training to other teachers in the colleges in phases so that they would impart necessary training to the students to excel in knowledge process outsourcing, Commercial process outsourcing and Business process outsourcing.Meanwhile, a meeting of the Vice-Chancellors and Principals of all Autonomous colleges in Orissa, presided over by State Higher Education Minister Samir Dey, today suggested minimum 180 days classes in a year in the colleges, setting up of anti-ragging squad in each college, yearly budget for college, common entrance test for admission into Post Graduate Classes and introduction of gradation system in the college level.Mr Dey said all these suggestion would be included in the policy vision document for the development of higher education in the state.

Link to Report : http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=40175

Lucknow Newsline news - Lucknow University formulates strategy to counter ragging

LU extends date for submitting admission forms
Express News Service

Lucknow, June 18: IN wake of the huge rush of students who have to submit their application forms, the Lucknow University on Monday extended the date for submission of under-graduate admission forms till June 23.
“We are witnessing a mad rush of students, who are interested in enrolling themselves in different programmes offered by the varsity,” said LU official spokesperson Dr Manoj Dixit.
Earlier, the date for submission of LU’s under-graduate application forms was June 20. “After the date has been extended, students will now get ample time to submit their forms,” added Dixit.
It may be mentioned that several LU aspirants had approached the varsity administration, demanding extension of the date for submitting their applications. “As we had already assured the students of considering the matter, we acted accordingly,” said a senior LU official.
Meanwhile, LU administration has directed the varsity officials to ensure that students coming to LU for admission do not face any kind of problems. “We have instructed the officials to make sure that students do not face any problems in submitting their forms. For this purpose, we have constituted several teams that are keeping an eye on the submission of the application forms,” said LU proctor Dr A N Singh.
Singh also directed the officials to formulate an efficient strategy to counter ragging on the campus. “As the new academic session is about to begin, LU administration is getting geared up for protecting the new comers. On day one itself, our officials would be providing telephone and mobile numbers to the new comers for filing their complaint related to ragging,” said the Proctor.

Link to Report : http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=241739

Severna Park teen charged in hazing- Capital online News

Severna Park teen charged in hazing

Boy suffered cuts, bruises in paddling
By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Staff Writer

Stealing a scene Thursday from "Dazed and Confused" where high school seniors torment the freshmen with homemade paddles, a 16-year-old Severna Park High School student is charged with hazing a rising freshman.
In an effort to curb the annual paddling of eighth-graders, Severna Park Middle School Principal Sharon Morell asked parents to ride school buses yesterday, the last day of school. Similar hazing incidents have occurred for at least the past nine years.
"I think it is going to take four years to break the tradition," Ms. Morell said, believing that last year's hazing victims will have to graduate from high school before the paddlings stop for good.
"I will keep every kid safe," she said.
Rising freshmen give almost a shot-by-shot description of the 1993 stoner comedy's hazing ritual when telling of their run-ins with the Severna Park High School upperclassmen. They say the juniors and seniors - armed with lacrosse sticks and pieces of wood - follow them home from school and ambush them at the bus stop or on the side of the road.
"They didn't really do it hard or anything. It was just for fun," said Tom Miller, who just graduated from the middle school. He said he was paddled last year when he got off the bus in Stewarts Landing. "It's tradition."
But police and school officials say any hazing is too much hazing.
Cpl. Mark Shawkey, county police spokesman, said a 16-year-old boy attacked a 14-year-old boy Thursday afternoon as he rode his bike on Riggs Avenue near Lenox Avenue. The victim told police a white car pulled up about 1:30 p.m. and an older teen got out and pushed him to the ground. The attacker then started beating him with a wooden baton - leaving minor cuts and bruises on his legs.
Cpl. Shawkey said the boy remembered part of the car's license plate and the police officer assigned to Severna Park High School found it on the campus yesterday. He then identified the car's owner and determined the attacker was actually just getting a ride in the vehicle at the time of the hazing.
Police said the 16-year-old suspect eventually admitted to assaulting the boy and was charged with hazing and with assault.
Cpl. Shawkey said hazings are rare in Anne Arundel County.
"In 11 years with the department this is the first incident of this nature I have ever heard of," he said.
That said, four Severna Park High School students were charged with assault in 1998 after paddling at least two younger boys at a bus stop in Shipley's Choice.
Middle school students also tell tales of upperclassmen throwing eggs and water balloons at them other years and even chasing them down in a pickup last year.
Eager to stop the hazing, Ms. Morell arranged for parents to ride on buses after school yesterday and to meet their children at their bus stops. She also asked the presidents of area home owners associations to mobilize their members and keep an eye out for mischief.
At Severna Park High School end-of-year announcements told students to leave the middle schoolers alone, Ms. Morell said.
"That took all of the fun out of it," said one sixth grader as he got off the bus yesterday in Stewarts Landing - actually disappointed he didn't get a chance to try out his running shoes. "It's fun."
Despite all of the warnings and precautions, some high school students still decided to test the water.
"They were following us," said 14-year-old Ben Pershall, noting how some upperclassmen were miming a spanking motion as they sat in their car behind his school.
Ben's mother, Anne Pershall, said she got the e-mail about the paddlings and decided to meet him and his brother at the bus stop.
"I don't have a problem with the hazing really," she said. "Tradition is tradition."
Still, she said she wanted to be there just to make sure nothing got out of hand.

Ragging is never fun - The Hindu Magazine

Ragging is never fun

The Supreme Court orders on ragging should not only curb the practice but also generate awareness.
AKHILA SIVADAS

COME June and all of us get into the annual ritual of celebrating exam results, checking out new courses, rating universities, getting involved as a family and community in the “rites of passage” from school to college and debating endles sly the many ethical and material concerns that this process throws up. This year would have been no different but for the slew of directives that the apex court has issued to check ragging on campuses across the country.
On May 16, the Supreme Court declared that ragging and any form of abetment to ragging, causing injury or subjecting anyone to forceful confinement, physical and sexual assault, would now be treated as a criminal offence. And as in the case of Section 498 A, dealing with cruelty towards women, since the burden of proof would be on the accused rather than the victims of ragging, the court has empowered victims and their families to get the FIR registered.
Issue and its ramifications
The question that needs to be asked is whether all the stakeholders — students, parents and guardians, faculty and administrators — understand the full implications of the law and are ready to confront the issue with all its ramifications.
Dr. Kavita Sharma, Principal of a leading college in Delhi University, stated that while they have been consistently addressing the ragging issue over the last few years and even evolved a graded response to the problem — from fining students to taking extreme steps of easing them out of the hostel to even rusticating some — the challenge today is to go beyond managing and arbitrating on the issue and get on with the business of legally enforcing the ban on ragging. With the Supreme Court determined to crack down on it, she was clear that “it is not the form of ragging” but how the fresher perceives the ordeal that would determine the issue.
“We have been telling students that there is no distinction between harmless or normal ragging where you get the juniors to sing and dance versus ragging that takes on more a virulent form. At the end of the day, even mild forms of ragging could prove to be hard on some young people and could lead to a demand for legal redress,” she added.
Therefore, the major challenge before the academic community, she emphasised, is not only to make sure that the “law acts as a deterrent and prevents all excesses but also motivates the students to search for alternatives, discover other ways of welcoming the new entrants, bring freshers into the college mainstream and establish a more healthy equation with them.”
In fact, for a majority of students who are day scholars, much of the ragging was “harmless interaction where juniors get introduced to the seniors and the latter in turn discovered the talents of the juniors,” said Samil Ahmed from Jamia Millia University, New Delhi.
In some instances, students agree that the seniors even “pulled their leg” and sent them scurrying to a classroom in the opposite direction. But even while defending the practice of “healthy ragging”, Nida (a first-year student from Jamia Millia) felt that there is a thin line of distinction between such healthy ragging and the not-so-healthy forms. For students the first few days are “days of terror” and the court order will come as a relief to many. “At least this year the freshers will feel relaxed and know what to do if faced with an unbearable situation,” she added.
Clearly, the crux of the problem lies in the selective engagement with the issue. One such convenient spin is that the court is not in any way questioning the convention or tradition of ragging. What it is seeking to do is to prevent the excesses and distortions that have over the years crept into the body politic of the campus and is particularly vicious in the professional colleges and more so in the many new-found campuses, where money and muscle power have combined to create an altogether new culture of acquiring knowledge.
Undoubtedly, there has been some clinching as well as disturbing evidence on how vicious the whole problem has become. Those who have been through the most harrowing experiences have not only spoken up but also decided to take on the menace headlong and not rest till the heinous practice is appropriately dealt with and weeded out altogether.
Yet, anti-ragging advocates like Shivam Vij, editor of the website stopragging, have consistently maintained that there is nothing like “mild ragging” and that criminalisation is inherent in the whole process and that what we are witnessing today is nothing short of gross human rights violation. People like him have no patience with those who take a “politically correct” position on ragging and “despite all the horror stories… lecture on how good ragging can be,” or about how one needs to distinguish between the many ice-breakers that seniors use to draw the freshers out of their shell and make them “bold and get exposed to the world” and the exceptional instances when they “cross the limit and inflict the worst kind of brutalities”.
Many such independent groups have collaborated with the Raghavan Committee, set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, to find ways to curb the practice of ragging in schools and colleges.
Anguish and trauma
It does not take too much to understand where this anguish and the “enough-is-enough” position stem from. Sharing her experience, one parent observed that three years ago, when she found her son traumatised by the ragging, she decided to shift him to another college and get him to move on with his life, she realised that she was fortunate in being able to “act decisively and nip the issue in its bud.” At that point of time, when she considered the possibility of seeking redress, she was discouraged by the fear of reprisal.
So while welcoming the court directives on the grounds that it will definitely discourage ragging, she wonders whether, if the option to register an FIR had been available to her three years ago, she would have exercised it or not. One gets the feeling that not everyone feels confident of seeking police intervention. With most campuses anxious to maintain their autonomy and prevent undue intrusion by the police, this may discourage victims of ragging and their families to seek legal redress.
Most stakeholders agree that a strong legal response was inevitable and the recent developments warranted it. Even while many constructive methods were devised to check the practice, there is a feeling that these measures only succeeded in driving the practice underground, or more precisely behind closed doors. Many victims have reported how a façade of self-regulation has been maintained to keep administrators happy and reassure them that the situation was under control. In fact, one fall-out has been hardening of such malpractices and the court, by empowering the victim, is trying to nail this persistent offender and perpetrator.
So the unanimous opinion is that the pendulum has swung in favour of the much-needed legal deterrents and the university authorities are wasting no time in swinging into action. The University Grants Commission has issued instructions to all universities to implement the court orders in the strictest possible manner. The Secretary of the UGC, T.R. Kenn, has been quoted in the media as calling on all universities “to implement the directives of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit.”
Gearing up
Meanwhile, the authorities across colleges, universities and professional institutions such as IITs, are gearing up to implement the court’s orders. According to Rajendra Singh, Registrar, IIT, Delhi, they “are taking every possible step to implement the court’s directives in toto.” This involves setting up a common mechanism across the IITs to enforce the law and monitor the situation, provide students with mobile numbers of all faculty members associated with the anti-ragging panel and strengthen students’ access to services such as helplines.
Speaking about the measures taken by the colleges affiliated to Delhi University, Dr. Kavita Sharma said that “apart from incorporating the court’s orders in the prospectus and ensuring that they are prominently displayed in different parts of the colleges, we are also orienting the students on the issue and their responsibilities and obligations and strengthening the self-regulation processes that the college has developed over the years.”
Clearly the challenge is twofold: First to deal with the many horrific incidents of the past; to collectively introspect, reflect and face the issue squarely and address the bitterness and sense of estrangement that it has generated among people who have experienced it at close quarters. Second, to ensure that under the fear of the law the authorities do not respond in a knee-jerk fashion and quite unintentionally contribute to the miscarriage of justice.
Some unsuspecting young people should not get caught in the crossfire, used to either to settle scores or get victimised by peremptory legal processes. Enough checks have to be created to ensure that we make a new beginning and use the law to not only curb the practice but to generate public awareness on the issue and have an informed engagement with it.

Ragging is never fun [The Hindu]

The Supreme Court orders on ragging should not only curb the practice but also generate awareness. AKHILA SIVADAS

Photo: R.V. Moorthy

HEALTHY EQUATIONS: Motivate students to discover other ways of welcoming new entrants.

COME June and all of us get into the annual ritual of celebrating exam results, checking out new courses, rating universities, getting involved as a family and community in the “rites of passage” from school to college and debating endles sly the many ethical and material concerns that this process throws up. This year would have been no different but for the slew of directives that the apex court has issued to check ragging on campuses across the country.

On May 16, the Supreme Court declared that ragging and any form of abetment to ragging, causing injury or subjecting anyone to forceful confinement, physical and sexual assault, would now be treated as a criminal offence. And as in the case of Section 498 A, dealing with cruelty towards women, since the burden of proof would be on the accused rather than the victims of ragging, the court has empowered victims and their families to get the FIR registered.

Issue and its ramifications

The question that needs to be asked is whether all the stakeholders — students, parents and guardians, faculty and administrators — understand the full implications of the law and are ready to confront the issue with all its ramifications.

Dr. Kavita Sharma, Principal of a leading college in Delhi University, stated that while they have been consistently addressing the ragging issue over the last few years and even evolved a graded response to the problem — from fining students to taking extreme steps of easing them out of the hostel to even rusticating some — the challenge today is to go beyond managing and arbitrating on the issue and get on with the business of legally enforcing the ban on ragging. With the Supreme Court determined to crack down on it, she was clear that “it is not the form of ragging” but how the fresher perceives the ordeal that would determine the issue.

“We have been telling students that there is no distinction between harmless or normal ragging where you get the juniors to sing and dance versus ragging that takes on more a virulent form. At the end of the day, even mild forms of ragging could prove to be hard on some young people and could lead to a demand for legal redress,” she added.

Therefore, the major challenge before the academic community, she emphasised, is not only to make sure that the “law acts as a deterrent and prevents all excesses but also motivates the students to search for alternatives, discover other ways of welcoming the new entrants, bring freshers into the college mainstream and establish a more healthy equation with them.”
In fact, for a majority of students who are day scholars, much of the ragging was “harmless interaction where juniors get introduced to the seniors and the latter in turn discovered the talents of the juniors,” said Samil Ahmed from Jamia Millia University, New Delhi.

Photo: K.R. Deepak

Law as deterrent: Create an awareness about the penalties.

In some instances, students agree that the seniors even “pulled their leg” and sent them scurrying to a classroom in the opposite direction. But even while defending the practice of “healthy ragging”, Nida (a first-year student from Jamia Millia) felt that there is a thin line of distinction between such healthy ragging and the not-so-healthy forms. For students the first few days are “days of terror” and the court order will come as a relief to many. “At least this year the freshers will feel relaxed and know what to do if faced with an unbearable situation,” she added.

Clearly, the crux of the problem lies in the selective engagement with the issue. One such convenient spin is that the court is not in any way questioning the convention or tradition of ragging. What it is seeking to do is to prevent the excesses and distortions that have over the years crept into the body politic of the campus and is particularly vicious in the professional colleges and more so in the many new-found campuses, where money and muscle power have combined to create an altogether new culture of acquiring knowledge.

Undoubtedly, there has been some clinching as well as disturbing evidence on how vicious the whole problem has become. Those who have been through the most harrowing experiences have not only spoken up but also decided to take on the menace headlong and not rest till the heinous practice is appropriately dealt with and weeded out altogether.

Yet, anti-ragging advocates like Shivam Vij, editor of the website stopragging, have consistently maintained that there is nothing like “mild ragging” and that criminalisation is inherent in the whole process and that what we are witnessing today is nothing short of gross human rights violation. People like him have no patience with those who take a “politically correct” position on ragging and “despite all the horror stories… lecture on how good ragging can be,” or about how one needs to distinguish between the many ice-breakers that seniors use to draw the freshers out of their shell and make them “bold and get exposed to the world” and the exceptional instances when they “cross the limit and inflict the worst kind of brutalities”.

Many such independent groups have collaborated with the Raghavan Committee, set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, to find ways to curb the practice of ragging in schools and colleges.

Anguish and trauma

It does not take too much to understand where this anguish and the “enough-is-enough” position stem from. Sharing her experience, one parent observed that three years ago, when she found her son traumatised by the ragging, she decided to shift him to another college and get him to move on with his life, she realised that she was fortunate in being able to “act decisively and nip the issue in its bud.” At that point of time, when she considered the possibility of seeking redress, she was discouraged by the fear of reprisal.

So while welcoming the court directives on the grounds that it will definitely discourage ragging, she wonders whether, if the option to register an FIR had been available to her three years ago, she would have exercised it or not. One gets the feeling that not everyone feels confident of seeking police intervention. With most campuses anxious to maintain their autonomy and prevent undue intrusion by the police, this may discourage victims of ragging and their families to seek legal redress.

Most stakeholders agree that a strong legal response was inevitable and the recent developments warranted it. Even while many constructive methods were devised to check the practice, there is a feeling that these measures only succeeded in driving the practice underground, or more precisely behind closed doors. Many victims have reported how a façade of self-regulation has been maintained to keep administrators happy and reassure them that the situation was under control. In fact, one fall-out has been hardening of such malpractices and the court, by empowering the victim, is trying to nail this persistent offender and perpetrator.

So the unanimous opinion is that the pendulum has swung in favour of the much-needed legal deterrents and the university authorities are wasting no time in swinging into action. The University Grants Commission has issued instructions to all universities to implement the court orders in the strictest possible manner. The Secretary of the UGC, T.R. Kenn, has been quoted in the media as calling on all universities “to implement the directives of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit.”

Gearing up

Meanwhile, the authorities across colleges, universities and professional institutions such as IITs, are gearing up to implement the court’s orders. According to Rajendra Singh, Registrar, IIT, Delhi, they “are taking every possible step to implement the court’s directives in toto.” This involves setting up a common mechanism across the IITs to enforce the law and monitor the situation, provide students with mobile numbers of all faculty members associated with the anti-ragging panel and strengthen students’ access to services such as helplines.

Speaking about the measures taken by the colleges affiliated to Delhi University, Dr. Kavita Sharma said that “apart from incorporating the court’s orders in the prospectus and ensuring that they are prominently displayed in different parts of the colleges, we are also orienting the students on the issue and their responsibilities and obligations and strengthening the self-regulation processes that the college has developed over the years.”

Clearly the challenge is twofold: First to deal with the many horrific incidents of the past; to collectively introspect, reflect and face the issue squarely and address the bitterness and sense of estrangement that it has generated among people who have experienced it at close quarters. Second, to ensure that under the fear of the law the authorities do not respond in a knee-jerk fashion and quite unintentionally contribute to the miscarriage of justice.

Some unsuspecting young people should not get caught in the crossfire, used to either to settle scores or get victimised by peremptory legal processes. Enough checks have to be created to ensure that we make a new beginning and use the law to not only curb the practice but to generate public awareness on the issue and have an informed engagement with it.

Link to report

ChicoEr News -- Investigation leads to frat losing charter

Investigation leads to frat losing charter
By KAREN McINTYRE - Staff Intern
Article Launched: 06/15/2007 12:32:21 AM PDT

After six weeks of investigating alleged hazing within Beta Theta Pi, Chico State University severed all ties with the nationally recognized fraternity last week.
Complaints to the University Police Department sparked an ongoing investigation that led to the discovery of possible hazing during the spring semester's pledging activities. The Student Activities Office moved "swiftly and sternly" to revoke the charter of Beta Theta Pi, associate director Rick Rees said.

Beta Theta Pi is among the largest fraternities, with about 125 chapters throughout the Unites States and Canada.

The local chapter, which has been in Chico for 20 years, no longer exists at Chico State University.

University Police conducted several extensive interviews with members of Beta Theta Pi, Rees said.

"We are very, very convinced that these guys stepped over the line," he said.
There was not one incident, but weeks of suspicious activities during the semester. But no injuries have been reported and no one has stepped forward as a victim, Rees said.

"Thank God no one was killed, this time," said Debbie Smith in an e-mail to the Enterprise-Record.

Smith is the mother of Matthew Carrington, a 21-year-old Chico State student who was pledging

the unrecognized Chi Tau fraternity when he died of water intoxication in the fraternity's basement Feb. 2, 2005.

Smith said she hopes the offenders of the present case are prosecuted under Matt's Law, which bars hazing and was named after her son.

The case has been handed over to the District Attorney's Office, and Student Judicial Affairs is handling individual student discipline, Rees said.

Student Activities is responsible for deciding what happens to organizations who do not adhere to the rules, and it made the decision to revoke the fraternity.

Beta Theta Pi can appeal the decision if it chooses. The university will accept proposals from the national organization to re-form the group starting the spring semester of 2010.

Student Activities will entertain the idea of restarting the group to dissuade members from creating a rogue fraternity, Rees said.

"If five students want to call themselves a frat and rent a house, we can't do anything about it," he said.

But until 2010, Beta Theta Pi members cannot be part of any local fraternity recognized by the university.

Staff intern Karen McIntyre can be reached at 896-7761 or kmcintyre@chicoer.com.

BACKGROUND: Hazing in fraternities and sororities at Chico State University has long been a problem and has taken the lives of some students.
WHAT'S NEW: The local chapter of Beta Theta Pi is no longer recognized by the university after an ongoing investigation found evidence that the fraternity engaged in hazing activities during its spring semester pledging activities.
WHAT'S NEXT: The investigation is continuing. Beta Theta Pi can appeal the decision if it chooses. The university will accept proposals from the national organization to re-form the group starting the spring semester of 2010.

Cops get cracking on ragging, 65 held (Delhi Newsline news)

Cops get cracking on ragging, 65 held
Neeraj Chauhan

New Delhi, June 15: As the admission process is on in full swing at Delhi University, it’s not just the students who are sweating it out. Delhi Police, following the Supreme Court’s order on ragging and making girls feel safe, this time has launched its anti-ragging campaign in advance.

Till Friday, the last day for filling admission forms in Delhi University, police detained more than 65 outsiders “who had nothing to do with admissions”. Also, pamphlets were distributed among girls detailing some do’s and don’ts while on campus to avoid harassment.

In the past three weeks, around 15,000 students visited North Campus everyday, accompanied by friends or family members. Apart from seven inspectors from different police stations, North District police have deployed around 150 policemen and two platoons of women officers of CRPF. “We held several meetings with the DU Vice-Chancellor, Proctor, college authorities, student organisations and volunteers who sensitised girls along with our men. Any suspected activity or misbehaviour was checked by our officers and no teasing cases were reported,” said Devesh Srivastav, DCP, North district.

“Sixty-five outsiders were taken custody. Some of them were accompanying students while others came here for fun,” said a senior police officer. The police distributed around 8,000 pamphlets among students and placed signboards mentioning some guidelines for the offenders and students. Policemen were also deployed around hostels.

The pamphlets distributed with the help of student organisations mentioned slogans like “ragging is an evil in educational institutes, it’s against humanity and it hurts the sentiments of new-comers”. Banners warning the offenders were also put up. The police mentioned its helpline numbers, 1091 and 100, in bold letters everywhere.

“I was surprised to see so many policemen in university area, but I felt safe as well,” said Sandhya Sharma, an aspirant. The police say that their campaign would continue in coming days when the students rush for interviews.

The Supreme Court recently ordered educational institutions to constitute special anti-ragging committees and squads at the institutional level to check the menace.

Link to report

No ragging in Delhi University (Headlines India news)

Monday, June 11, 2007 (20:50:55)
Foolproof arrangements in place against ragging

Fearless entry this time!
New Delhi: New comers could breath easy this time after taking admission in Delhi University. Thanks to the Supreme Court's regulation to take necessary measures against ragging of students in any form. Keeping this regulation in mind, all colleges are making special arrangements for the current session, which is about to start. “There were sufficient measures already. But this time, we have taken various steps to check ragging. We have formed monitoring committee which includes teachers, staffs and senior students..... Complaint boxes would be there. We are trying to improve the identity card as only authorised person could make the entry. Even we are planning to place close circuit cameras in the campus,” said Ramesh Sharma, Principal of Moti Lal Nehru college.
According to the Supreme Court's regulation, colleges have to set up squads that will fan out on campus to catch offenders. The Ordinance 15(C) of the University of Delhi also reiterates the views of the Supreme Court. Apart from forming committees and taking administrative steps, colleges are toying with some constructive measures to tackle the problem. “ This time we have started the vigilance from the registration time itself. Our college is going to form a committee who will motivate and inform old students to restrain from any objectionable activities... We follow an orientation programme for new comers to make them familiar with the environment,” said D K Pabby, Principal of Ram Lal Anand college. Colleges are providing necessary telephone numbers on the notice board thus a new student can contact any of the monitoring committee members in case of any emergency. Administration will be concentrating on vulnerable areas like canteen, play grounds and hostels and squads will visit those area even in nights. Women squads also being formed especially for girls which includes women teachers and police who will keep vigil in and around the campus in civil dress. In the wake of apex court order and restructured university ordinance the environment has been changed this time and students are not taking it lightly. “Introduction should not be banned but this time we are planning to keep it relatively in polite manner”, said Mannjeet Singh of Hansraj college. Even some Principals are in favour of having some short of introductory functions in cordial manner. But the question remains that up to what extant one can go while introducing.

SFI workers smash down computers(Newindpress news)

SFI workers smash down computers
Wednesday June 13 2007 13:12 IST

KOZHIKODE: A group of SFI activists on Tuesday attacked the office of Veda Vyasa Trust and its industrial training institute at Chalappuram in the city.According to police the provocation for the attack is suspected to be the suspension of four students from the engineering college run by the trust at Vazhayoor in Malappuram district.Students were suspended in January, but SFI took up the cudgels for them.The student outfit has been demanding that the college management should revoke the suspension of the ragging accused.However, the management did not budge. Assailants have smashed down 25 computers, window panes, furniture at the training institute, Calicut Institute of Engineering and Technology.They stormed into the institute, after breaking police ribbon.Five policemen, students and teachers of the institute sustained minor injuries in heavy stone pelting by SFI activists.Kasaba police have registered a case.

SFI workers smash down computers [NewIndiapress.com]

KERALA
Wednesday June 13 2007 13:12 IST

KOZHIKODE: A group of SFI activists on Tuesday attacked the office of Veda Vyasa Trust and its industrial training institute at Chalappuram in the city.

According to police the provocation for the attack is suspected to be the suspension of four students from the engineering college run by the trust at Vazhayoor in Malappuram district.

Students were suspended in January, but SFI took up the cudgels for them.

The student outfit has been demanding that the college management should revoke the suspension of the ragging accused.

However, the management did not budge. Assailants have smashed down 25 computers, window panes, furniture at the training institute, Calicut Institute of Engineering and Technology.

They stormed into the institute, after breaking police ribbon.

Five policemen, students and teachers of the institute sustained minor injuries in heavy stone pelting by SFI activists.

Kasaba police have registered a case.

Link to report

Don't commercialise education: ABVP [Organizer]

National Executive Council of ABVP in Jabalpur

...However, the ABVP welcomed the Supreme Court order to check ragging in educational institutions. It demanded the state governments and universities to form anti-ragging committees and squads in all educational institutions to monitor the implementation of the recommendations made by Dr R.K. Raghavan Committee. ...

Link to report

Rethink on admission guidelines: Students' future in dark [Central Chronicle Article]

The higher education department of the state government has issued guidelines for admission to colleges for the year 2007-08. Accordingly, now students who fail to clear the examination, leave studies or are unable to appear in the examination, will not be given admission as regular students second time. These rules would be applicable for both government and private colleges. Also, students against whom challans have been presented in the court or against whom the court is hearing criminal cases, students who were involved in beating up the officials during the education session, or those who indulged in ragging, will not be given admissions as regular candidates. The guidelines do not appear complete in many respects. The department should clear the reasons for adopting this procedure. In the case of not being admitted in colleges where will these students go? Many students fail to appear in exams due to ill health or other difficulties. Some students fail to clear the papers due to not being able to buy books. Such students, even if they have a burning desire to study, would not be able to do so now. In such a case, it is feared they may resort to anti-social activities. The admission issue should be considered from social point of view. What is the alternative for such students? Students involved in criminal cases, or ragging, for them where would be chance to reform? One way for such students could be by reserving 5 to 10 pc seats. Hence the guidelines need to be reviewed so that the failed or lost students may be helped.

Link to report

Ragging in Netarhat Public School (The Telegraph news)

Netarhat trashes ragging charge
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Ranchi, June 11: No fresher has ever left Netarhat Public School due to ragging, asserted school authorities on Monday following media reports to this effect.
The student in question, said principal B.K. Karn, left in April complaining of home-sickness and after not being able to adjust with school traditions that require students to clean rooms, toilets, fetch water and wash clothes.
Ever since the residential school was set up over 50 years ago, he said, students in hostels, which are called ashrams at Netarhat, have been trained to become self-sufficient and learn the dignity of labour.
But the son of a college professor from Dumka, said the authorities, found it difficult to follow. His parents, too, objected to the practice and complained that students should not be made to “waste” their time in such chores. Finally, the student left for home in April and never returned.
The charge that he left because of ragging is both unfounded and mischievous, said the principal over the phone. It is once again a tradition at Netarhat that a room is shared by students from different classes and a senior student is designated as the mentor for the freshers. In this case, the mentor, a Class X student, had merely insisted that the fresher must follow the tradition, the principal said.
The boy, claimed other teachers, had never done any work at home. Pampered and fussed, he found it difficult to adjust to the austere and spartan lifestyle encouraged by the school, set up by the Bihar government in the fifties and which is now under the control of the Jharkhand government.
“He hardly lived here for two months during which his parents visited him several times. Once his parents even questioned the tradition as they believed students should come to school only for studies,”said the principal, adding, “but this is a residential school with unique traditions.” Earlier batches, he said, faced greater hardship with water and electricity supplies being erratic.
Confirming the tradition, an IAS officer and the state’s HRD secretary J.B. Tubid, himself a former “Haatian” as Netarhat old-boys are known, said he is proud of being a “Haatian” and that he recalls washing even others’ utensils and clothes when the latter fell ill.

Link to report

The GrandRapids Press news

Rite or wrong
Saturday, June 09, 2007

There is nothing harmless or fun about being humiliated or assaulted. Coopersville Public Schools sent an appropriately strong message this week with stiff penalties for athletes who took part in more than a dozen incidents of hazing or sexually assaultive behavior against fellow students.
Seven junior varsity baseball players were expelled, suspended or otherwise punished for their role in the abusive conduct. They can count themselves lucky if that's the extent of their punishment. The behavior described by school officials went way beyond horseplay or innocent fun. Victims had their rectal and genital areas violated, among other things. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Department is conducting its own investigation to determine if criminal charges will be filed.
No one should argue that such behavior is a harmless rite of passage that ushers new players onto a team. Becoming part of a school team or organization should not mean students have to endure humiliations or physical attacks.

WZZM13 NEWS Coverage

Four Coopersville High students charged in hazing incident
WZZM 13 News

Created: 6/8/2007 1:55:50 PM
Updated: 6/8/2007 2:42:43 PM

The Ottawa County prosecutor's office has filed charges of gross indeceny against four members of the Coopersville High School junior varsity baseball team.

Grand Haven - The Ottawa County prosecutor's office has filed charges of gross indeceny against four members of the Coopersville High School junior varsity baseball team. The charges stem from a locker room hazing incident involving a 15-year-old teammate.Three of the students charged today are 15 years old and the fourth is 16.Authorities haven't publicly said what happened in the locker room after school on May 18.

Hazing - Connecticut news

3 Found Guilty In School Hazing
Students Brutalized At Home For Gifted
June 6, 2007 By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY, Courant Staff Writer

MANCHESTER -- Three teenagers accused of brutalizing underclassmen last fall at a Glastonbury home for gifted minority boys accepted a plea agreement Tuesday that will put them in prison for at least nine months.Jeff Utobor, Silvester Baez and Pedro Reyes each pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree assault before Judge Raymond Norko in Superior Court in Manchester. No contest means they will not fight the charges, although they don't admit guilt.
At the time of the assaults, the three teenagers from outside the state lived at a home in Glastonbury and attended the local high school through a program called A Better Chance. They were among four upperclassmen accused of abusing three freshmen in the home. The victims were ordered to do push-ups and to fight each other, police said. The freshmen were slapped, punched, kicked and hit with pingpong paddles, according to an arrest warrant.On Tuesday, Utobor, Baez and Reyes, neatly dressed with their mothers at their sides, accepted the state's offer of five years in prison, suspended after nine months, followed by five years of probation. Norko may sentence them to up to 24 months active prison time.Utobor's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16. Baez's is scheduled for Aug. 23 and Reyes' for Aug. 28.A fourth teen, Christopher Lewis, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault in March and was given probation. His charges were less serious than those of Utobor, Baez and Reyes. Baez, for example, was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree sexual assault, cruelty to persons and disorderly conduct.The teenagers are 16 or 17 and are from New York City or Massachusetts. They were participants in A Better Chance, a 32-year-old program that accepts out-of-state boys from cities and offers them a Glastonbury education in hopes they will benefit from career opportunities they otherwise would not have had. Graduates have gone on to careers as doctors, lawyers and engineers, among other things. There are other ABC programs in the state and nation.The upperclassmen repeatedly abused the three freshmen, the arrest warrant says.On Sept. 28, one boy was slammed onto a table, ordered to fix it and slammed on it a second time. He yelled for God to help him while being beaten, the warrant says.Earlier that month, on Sept. 13, the same boy was given a choice between a beating or having a pen stuck in his anus. He later told police that he couldn't take another beating, so he chose the pen."Mr. Baez and Mr. Reyes held him down while Mr. Utobor inserted the pen, your Honor," Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Herskowitz told Norko.Jonathan Russell, president of ABC's board of directors, said in a telephone interview: "It caught us totally by surprise that the boys were doing this. So we're much more wary now.ABC residents have always been told not to participate in hazing, drinking and doing drugs, he said.Russell said the program, which has a capacity for eight students, currently has two participants.Gerard Sims, the resident director, is stepping down from that position, although ABC is hoping he'll stay on as a tutor, Russell said. He said the departure doesn't appear to be a result of what happened; it's unusual for people in those positions to stay for more than a few years.Russell said ABC is doing "everything in our power to ensure that it doesn't happen again." He said he couldn't go into details because the three teens aren't sentenced yet, he wants to respect the privacy rights of minors and the organization faces the possibility of being sued."It was a terrible incident," he said. "We're in a rebuilding mode from that. It's going to take a long time."

Orissa (Newindpress Chennai news)- Shiv Shankar case

OHRC takes up Shiv Shankar case
Sunday June 10 2007 12:23 IST

SAMBALPUR: Orissa Human Rights Commission OHRC) has admitted the petition filed by Satyajit Ash.His son Shiv Shankar Ash was thrown off the terrace during ragging by seniors at OUAT, Bhubaneswar resulting in serious spinal and fracture injuries. He is still confined to bed.In its order, the OHRC said it is satisfied with the statements made in the petition and found it a case fit for preliminary inquiry. The Commission has also sought reports from the Principal, OUAT, Bhubaneswar and Khurda SP within four weeks. The order mentions that the case will be taken on receipt of reports from the two authorities or on expiry of four weeks whichever is earlier. Shiv Shankar underwent surgery at Sagar Apollo Hospital, Bangalore.

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Punjab issues directions to check ragging

Punjab issues directions to check ragging
Writing by punjab on Thursday, 7 of June , 2007 at 1:57 am

In Compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the Punjab Government has asked the departments of Education, Technical Education and Medical Education to immediately tackle the problem of ragging in the state educational institutions.

Stating this here today, Mr. R.I. Singh, Chief Secretary Punjab said that the Secretaries of these departments, have already been asked to ensure prompt implementation of the Court orders in both letter and spirit. He also urged the officers concerned to constitute anti-ragging committees and squads and closely monitor the functioning of these committees. The Chief Secretary suggested incorporating the relevant provisions of the court directions regarding ragging in the prospectus to be issued for admission by the educational institutions. Subject relating to ragging may also be included in the educational curriculum, he added.

Hazing, cyber-bullying tageted by Eugene school board [KMTR.com]

Last Update: Jun 7, 2007 9:57 AM

Eugene (KMTR) - The Eugene 4J school district is cracking down on new methods used by school bullies. They have added "hazing" and "cyber bullying" to the list of punishable offenses.

The board added those offenses to their harassment policy after hearing about hazing incidents between seniors and freshman on high school sports teams.
Dennis Biggerstaff, Churchill High School’s principal, says there have actually been fewer incidents over the past few years, but he thinks the anti-bullying message should still be clear to kids now and in the future.

"Whether it's text messaging, email, MySpace, YouTube, there's all kinds of ways for them to communicate. And sometimes we see interactions between kids that are harmful and not really appropriate," says Biggerstaff.

If a bullying incident affects a student's ability to learn while on campus, such exchanges that happen off campus will now be punishable as well.

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Web Conference to Tackle Persistent Hazing on U.S. Campuses [PCToday]

Jun. 7, 2007, 7:07 a.m.

Interested staff members are welcome to attend “Take a Different Approach in Tackling the Problem of Hazing on Your Campus" from 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the PDC, Tiadaghton Room. The Web conference is presented by Magna Publications and sponsored by the Student Activities Office.
Hazing long has troubled college campuses, and higher-education professionals have spent countless hours creating educational programs to combat it. But the time has come to step away from “programming to the problem” and to apply the tools of social science in designing prevention strategies.
This seminar will challenge and empower attendees to think about hazing reduction in a new and innovative way. Participants will receive information to help them use an environmental management approach to risk/harm reduction associated with hazing activities:
New hazing data and concepts
How to apply a social science model to designing prevention and response strategies
How to conduct a four-step evaluation of their current hazing education and mitigation efforts
The presenter, Kimberly Novak, is the director for student and campus community development at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus. She heads a team that will lead judicial affairs, student affairs risk management and crisis intervention at the new campus.

Registrations are being taken through the Workforce Development & Continuing Education offices at ext. 4775, or from the Professional Development Web site. Employees are reminded to include their college ID when registering

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RIT boots men’s rugby team [StarGazette.com]

June 7, 2007

Gannett News Service
HENRIETTA — Rochester Institute of Technology has banned its men’s rugby team for at least five years following an off-campus party last month that sent six students to the hospital with alcohol poisoning.
The women’s rugby club faces its own campus hearing soon and also could face punishment.
“We’re not going to tolerate this type of hazing,” said RIT spokesman Robert Finnerty. “The punishment fits what happened.”

The six members of the men’s and women’s rugby teams were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital after a party that was allegedly part of a rugby club initiation called “Rookie Day.” The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said a party-goer called 911 when one of the players passed out and “turned blue.” All six recovered but some spent time in intensive care.

“Frankly we’re lucky in this case someone called 911,” said Nassau County psychologist Susan Lipkins, author of Preventing Hazing. “Kids die. (Hazing) is so much more common than people believe.”Eight other players on the two teams have been charged with hazing and unlawfully dealing with a child, both misdemeanors.

Those eight have been suspended. Finnerty declined to give any more details, citing federal privacy laws governing schools.
How many students on the two teams are affected is not known.
Hank Nuwer, an assistant professor of journalism at Indiana’s Franklin College and a national expert on collegiate hazing, said RIT’s response was particularly heavy in light of instances around the nation where schools have ignored hazing problems or tragedies. With a 5-year ban, “it gets all the current members out,” he said.
The men’s rugby team can apply for reinstatement in fall 2012, Finnerty said.The rugby teams are club sports and fall under the same rules as RIT’s 163 other clubs. Unlike clubs, members of RIT’s 24 varsity teams face alcohol and drug testing, Finnerty said.

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Mother warns others after suspected camp hazing incident [17KGET.com]

Last Update: Jun 6, 2007 2:17 PM
Posted By: brynn galindo

Posted 6/6/07BAKERSFIELD - The mother of a 10-year-old boy, whom detectives said was the victim of a camp hazing, said parents need to take precautions to make sure their kids don’t become victims, too.

A local teenager already faces sexual battery charges in connection with last year’s incident at a Kern County camp.

Michelle Brown said her son is devastated, and so is she.

“Besides one of my kids dying, that is like the worst news that a parent could ever get,” Brown said.

She said her son was harassed and humiliated by a 16- and 17-year-old camp counselor during a week-long summer program at Camp Condor near Pine Mountain.

It started with wrestling.

“The boys, the older boys, the counselors, put their crotches in their face, and made like humping motions,” Brown said. “They said their clothes weren't taken off or anything.”

Brown said it left her son emotionally scarred, and her angry.

She said camp administrators didn’t notify her of what happened, so she sent her son back to camp for a second week.

“It infuriated me because my son was up there around the two boys, because they didn't send them home,” said Brown. “They just put them on maintenance, so my son had to go back up there and see them.”

The camp’s treasurer said she immediately filled out a report and contacted the Sheriff’s Department.

Detectives investigated and eventually the teenage counselor was charged.
“The counselor and counselor-in-training were asked to leave the mountain immediately,” said Camp Condor Treasurer Maryanne Hawkins.

The camp, Hawkins said, does not condone the accused teens' type of behavior.
“In fact, all counselors went through training prior to kids arriving at camp,” Hawkins said.

Brown said she’s pressing for criminal charges for her son’s attackers, or at least counseling.

“Obviously they need help,” she said. “That's not normal to do to a little kid.”
The mother of one of the counselors charged in the case said he’s a good kid who has never been in trouble with the law.

She declined to be interviewed on camera, but said she will fight her son’s charges because the camp knew about and accepted the hazing practices.
That is an allegation the camp adamantly denies.

Video

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Teen Faces Hazing Related Charges [kttc]

AUSTIN, MN --

Police in Austin say a teen hockey player is facing charges for his part in a hazing incident last October.

Authorities say the player and a teammate held down the 16-year old victim and tried to make non-consensual sexual contact with him.

The victim told police he was lured into the situation, after some of his teammates lied and told him a meeting was taking place.

The 17 year-old is charged with 5Th degree criminal sexual conduct and with felony aiding and abetting indecent exposure.

Updated: June 5, 2007, 9:25 pm

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UCF Fraternity Suspended Until 2011 [13 Central Florida News]

Monday, June 04, 2007 4:23:39 PM

A fraternity at the University of Central Florida faces a longer suspension after the university says it violated the terms of it's original suspension.

Pi Kappa Phi was suspended for a year in 2006 after hazing allegations. However, the national director of the Pi Kappa Phi said some students took part in a fraternity event while on suspension.

The UCF Office of Student Conduct extended Pi Kappa Phi's suspension from the university until 2011.

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Sorority sisters face judge for hazing charges

Link

3 Found Guilty In School Hazing [courant.com]

Students Brutalized At Home For Gifted
June 6, 2007
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY, Courant Staff Writer

MANCHESTER -- Three teenagers accused of brutalizing underclassmen last fall at a Glastonbury home for gifted minority boys accepted a plea agreement Tuesday that will put them in prison for at least nine months.

Jeff Utobor, Silvester Baez and Pedro Reyes each pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree assault before Judge Raymond Norko in Superior Court in Manchester. No contest means they will not fight the charges, although they don't admit guilt.

At the time of the assaults, the three teenagers from outside the state lived at a home in Glastonbury and attended the local high school through a program called A Better Chance. They were among four upperclassmen accused of abusing three freshmen in the home.

The victims were ordered to do push-ups and to fight each other, police said. The freshmen were slapped, punched, kicked and hit with pingpong paddles, according to an arrest warrant.

On Tuesday, Utobor, Baez and Reyes, neatly dressed with their mothers at their sides, accepted the state's offer of five years in prison, suspended after nine months, followed by five years of probation. Norko may sentence them to up to 24 months active prison time.

Utobor's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16. Baez's is scheduled for Aug. 23 and Reyes' for Aug. 28.

A fourth teen, Christopher Lewis, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault in March and was given probation. His charges were less serious than those of Utobor, Baez and Reyes. Baez, for example, was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree sexual assault, cruelty to persons and disorderly conduct.

The teenagers are 16 or 17 and are from New York City or Massachusetts. They were participants in A Better Chance, a 32-year-old program that accepts out-of-state boys from cities and offers them a Glastonbury education in hopes they will benefit from career opportunities they otherwise would not have had. Graduates have gone on to careers as doctors, lawyers and engineers, among other things. There are other ABC programs in the state and nation.

The upperclassmen repeatedly abused the three freshmen, the arrest warrant says.

On Sept. 28, one boy was slammed onto a table, ordered to fix it and slammed on it a second time. He yelled for God to help him while being beaten, the warrant says.

Earlier that month, on Sept. 13, the same boy was given a choice between a beating or having a pen stuck in his anus. He later told police that he couldn't take another beating, so he chose the pen.

"Mr. Baez and Mr. Reyes held him down while Mr. Utobor inserted the pen, your Honor," Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Herskowitz told Norko.

Jonathan Russell, president of ABC's board of directors, said in a telephone interview: "It caught us totally by surprise that the boys were doing this. So we're much more wary now.

ABC residents have always been told not to participate in hazing, drinking and doing drugs, he said.Russell said the program, which has a capacity for eight students, currently has two participants.

Gerard Sims, the resident director, is stepping down from that position, although ABC is hoping he'll stay on as a tutor, Russell said. He said the departure doesn't appear to be a result of what happened; it's unusual for people in those positions to stay for more than a few years.

Russell said ABC is doing "everything in our power to ensure that it doesn't happen again." He said he couldn't go into details because the three teens aren't sentenced yet, he wants to respect the privacy rights of minors and the organization faces the possibility of being sued.

"It was a terrible incident," he said. "We're in a rebuilding mode from that. It's going to take a long time."

Link to News