Promote Respect and Prevent Hazing!

About Kappa Kappa Gamma: Kappa Kappa Gamma has 137 collegiate chapters in North America and more than 300 alumnae associations. Since its founding in 1870, more than 235,000 women have been initiated. Kappa Kappa Gamma promotes leadership and seeks for every member throughout her life, bonds of friendship, mutual support, opportunities for self-growth, respect for intellectual development and an understanding of and allegiance to positive ethical principles.
Kappa Kappa Gamma Women’s Fraternity is a proud sponsor of National Hazing Prevention Week, September 20-24, 2010. Our goal is to prevent hazing by promoting respect and sisterhood. Hazing comes in many forms, but the most basic definition is any activity or action taken with or without consent that produces mental, emotional or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule.
Members of Kappa Kappa Gamma and all Greek-letter organizations have pledged to uphold the values associated with leadership, scholarship and friendship. Yet, we continue to hear about the devastating effects of hazing on campuses. National Hazing Prevention Week is one of several ways we can combat this serious problem.
This week, members of Kappa Kappa Gamma will be engaged in a number of hazing-prevention activities, including viewing our hazing-prevention public service announcement, participating in campus or community anti-hazing events, conducting our hazing-prevention “quick programs,” and taking online hazing-prevention courses at the Kappa Learning Institute. We are also asking our chapters to promote NHPW via Facebook and Twitter by submitting photos and posting messages of respect.
As the mother of a college student, I feel strongly about breaking the cycle of hazing and teaching all students to stand up for what is right, for the values upon which their fraternities and sororities were founded.
Studies have shown that many high school students enter college with experience hazing others and being hazed as members of various clubs and sports. Alcohol abuse is an underlying cause of hazing, so we must also educate our young people about how and why underage drinking and binge drinking are so dangerous and irresponsible. There are many great hazing-prevention resources available including StopHazing.org, HazingPrevention.org and HazeTheMovie.com. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher or administrator, please do your part to educate students in your life about how to prevent and end hazing forever.
Treating others with dignity and respect raises the level of self-worth and excellence in any group. Consider how much more successful high school and college organizations could be if we eliminated hazing once and for all. Please join us in Promoting Respect and Preventing Hazing!