Hazing Prevention

MGA-Sponsored Webinar on Greek Mental Health Attracts Large Audience

The Mizzou Greek Alliance sponsored a groundbreaking webinar on April 20, 2024 featuring a panel of mental health and substance abuse experts that addressed a variety of topics involving college mental health issues in the specific context of Greek organizations. The program was attended by 62 representatives from the Mizzou Greek community, the University of Missouri, national Greek executives, volunteers and news media.

The panelists gave advice on how to spot students who are in crisis and provided tips for engaging with those students and getting them professional help. Their presentations featured data on trends on college campuses including the types of mental health problems that are being seen as well as the interrelated problems of substance abuse. The panel also did a deep dive regarding the resources available to help such students, both on the Mizzou campus and on a national level.

Moderator: Scott Fussell, an expert on connecting resources, programming, and conversations that shift the way we think, talk, act, and care about mental health and wellness.

Panelists:
– Dr. Christine Even, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Director of the University of Missouri Counseling Center
– Dr. Ashely Helle, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and research faculty, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri and an expert on substance abuse in the college age population.
– Ms. Joan Masters, Senior Director, Missouri Partners in Prevention (Missouri’s higher education substance misuse consortium dedicated to creating healthy and safe college campuses).
The following resources and links to helpful information were referenced by the presenters and are available for anyone to use.

Student Health & Well-Being // University of Missouri
MU Counseling Center 573-882-6601

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

10 Signs of Healthy & Unhealthy Groups™ – Toolkit & Training | StopHazing

CollegeAIM NIAAA’s Alcohol Intervention Matrix | College Drinking Prevention

Mizzou Greek Alliance Debuts Video Series to Change Hazing Behavior

The Mizzou Greek Alliance (MGA) has added a training video on College Hazing to its training and education program that directly confronts the harshest aspects of hazing and the consequences for anyone involved in it. Told from the perspective of a parent, the 26-minute video explores the circumstances under which hazing arises and the worst-case consequences for both those who are harmed by hazing and those who initiate it.  

We have distributed the video among our 16 member fraternities for presentation to incoming pledge classes as well as to officers, actives and alumni volunteers. Although aspects of the video are emotionally charged, the aim of the production is to effect a change in behavior among the groups to which it is aimed. The video will also be posted on YouTube and is being promoted nationally by a number of hazing activists and various national fraternities. 

MGA urges the broader Mizzou Greek community, as well as varsity sports teams, to make use of this resource.

New Hazing Prevention Guide for Chapter Advisors

Chapter advisors can play a key role in the prevention of hazing activities at fraternities and sororities when properly prepared. The Mizzou Greek Alliance has teamed up with researchers at the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State University Student Affairs to produce a new guide with advice for chapter advisors and research informed strategies to help prevent hazing in group contexts. The guide can be found at this link:

Hazing Prevention Matix

 

Additional Resources on Hazing Prevention

The Mizzou Greek Alliance works with several other nationally recognized organizations to bring effective hazing prevention educational programs to students on the Mizzou campus. These organizations include:

  • StopHazing: The mission of StopHazing is to promote safe and inclusive school, campus, and organizational environments through research, resource sharing, and the development of data-driven strategies for hazing prevention and the promotion of positive and inclusive group climates.  stophazing.org
  • Clery Center: This national nonprofit organization is dedicated to helping college and university officials create safer campuses. CleryCenter.org
  • CollegeAIM: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has developed CollegeAIM, a resource for higher education officials, particularly alcohol and other drug program and student life staff, who seek to address harmful and underage drinking among their students. CollegeAIM is intended to inform and guide officials as they choose interventions for their campus communities. The CollegeAIM guide and website are updated periodically to reflect information from recent articles in peer-reviewed journals and to ensure that ratings are revised accordingly. This version of CollegeAIM is based on updates completed in 2019. Click here to see this useful guide: Planning Alcohol Interventions Using NIAAA’s College AIM   collegedrinkingprevention.gov

Hazing Prevention Training Makes An Impact

Safety is a top priority at Mizzou, and a hazing prevention training program called Prevent Zone being offered online by the Office of Student Affairs is making a positive impact on students.

  • 91% strongly agree or agree they are more likely to report hazing if they see it as a direct result of the course
  • 90% of participants report their awareness and knowledge of hazing prevention has increased significantly or somewhat as a direct result of the course
  • 90% strongly agree or agree they feel more empowered to prevent hazing on campus as a direct result of the course
  • 85% report they feel less inclined to take part in hazing as a direct result of the course