What others say: Dimond incident reminds that hazing is always harmful

On a trip to Fairbanks for a game against Lathrop last weekend, members of the Dimond High School football team are alleged to have committed an egregious hazing incident that, according to some reports, constituted sexual assault. Anchorage police are investigating; the team’s game this week was canceled, and Superintendent Deena Bishop underscored the seriousness of what is said to have happened. The allegations of what happened shock the conscience. If they are substantiated, serious consequences for the team and those responsible will be warranted. But even without an objective account yet established of what happened, one thing should be recognized as true: Hazing, in all its forms and at all its levels of severity, is harmful and unacceptable. We should all stand against it.

There has been backlash against the use of the term ‘hazing’ to describe what is alleged in the Dimond incident. Many feel it minimizes the severity of what happened. Although we should certainly guard against the use of euphemism to distance ourselves from the truth of an incident, the fact of the matter is that regardless of what happened at Lathrop last weekend, it was hazing. Like assault, hazing encompasses a spectrum of behavior that ranges in seriousness from putting people in fear of harm to causing them grave injury. And, also like assault, there is no point along that spectrum that is acceptable.

One doesn’t have to go far to find how dangerous hazing can be: On Friday, a Pennsylvania court heard arguments in the case of a college freshman who died of injuries he sustained in 2017 while being hazed before entry to a fraternity. Closer to home, two hazing incidents in 1999 put a cloud over the season of Service High School’s football team, and a 2005 paddling incident at West High led to the suspension of nine upperclassmen.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Fortunately, hazing incidents that approach the level of severity of what is alleged to have happened during the Dimond incident are relatively rare. But hazing that takes the form of shaming others or bullying them is commonplace, and it too can have serious negative impacts on students. The legacy of harassment, abuse and humiliation stretches far beyond the incident itself, for years and even decades afterward. And although some claim zero-tolerance policies for hazing are evidence that young people today are somehow weaker or less resilient than those of previous generations, that’s just not accurate.

Make no mistake, team bonding is vitally important. But there are ways to promote unity and cohesion among athletes and group members that don’t involve coercion or compulsion to embarrass one another. It’s the responsibility of our adults, coaches, group leaders, parents — all of us — to teach our children proper limits, good judgment and respectful behavior. Hazing is a clear signal that we have failed in that mission.

Ultimately, there’s no way to ensure that what one person feels is an acceptable way to establish a bond or bring others into a group is acceptable to another except by their free, uncoerced consent. And in a state that regularly ranks at the top for the worst rates of sexual assault, every Alaskan must be crystal clear on the importance of consent and the right of every person to feel safe. Teaching those lessons and being consistent about them means we cannot accept hazing as acceptable in any form, under any circumstances. If we see it, we must speak against it, and stop it if we can. We owe that to each other.

—Anchorage Daily News, Aug. 26, 2018

More in Opinion

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in