National Hazing Prevention Week
National Hazing Prevention Week (NHPW) is a time when communities, institutions, organizations, and individuals make a concerted effort to raise awareness and increase education about hazing. NHPW is officially held the last full week of September each year; however, anyone is welcome to organize a hazing prevention week at any point of the year. The fundamental objective is to have a specific time in which the entire community is focused on engaging in intentional discussions about the problem of hazing.
NHPW is organized by the Hazing Prevention Network (HPN). Review our HPN webpage to learn about Sigma Nu’s longstanding partnership and support of HPN’s mission “to empower people to prevent hazing.”
How to Get Involved
Nationally, Sigma Nu regularly participates in NHPW through the development of resources for chapters to organize and participate in local efforts supporting NHPW and publishing hazing prevention articles and insights on each day of NHPW.
Locally, chapters throughout the country organize and participate in a variety of activities in support of NHPW. If your campus or chapter does not currently participate in NHPW, below are numerous resources to help in starting a NHPW initiative in your community:
If you need any other ideas or want some advice on how to get NHPW started on your campus, feel free to contact the General Fraternity office at (540) 463-1869. Also, please let the General Fraternity know when and how your chapter participates in NHPW by emailing news@sigmanu.org.
Articles
The following articles address topics and concepts related to hazing. These articles can be helpful resources to spark important discussion and reflection on the importance of creating a values-based new member experience devoid of hazing.
- NHPW Message from Regent Maury Gaston (Auburn) - "To try bravely to do unto our fellow men as would they do unto us"
- NHPW Message from Executive Director Brad Beacham (Texas Christian) - Understanding our past to ensure our future.
- 2022 NHPW Message from Past Regent Tim Huffmyer (Michigan State) - The Fraternity's journey is our actual destination.
- A Brotherhood We Choose - Brotherhood does not tolerate the harm of people you care about.
- A Call to Action - Living a life dedicated to honor means not only holding yourself to a high standard but also refusing to accept anything less from your brothers.
- A Tale of Two Chapters - Which story will your chapter tell?
- Being A Big Brother Is... - Set the right tone, set the right expectations, and set up for success.
- Doing the Hard Right Thing - learn from the fascinating perspective of one of higher education's most significant leaders, Dr. Matthew Caires (Washington State).
- Friendship as the Key to Fraternity Life - Good fraternity life, whatever it is, begins and flourishes on friendship.
- Forgiveness and Expectation - Do not let your chapter's past dictate what our future holds.
- Hazing Consent Form - What would a hazing consent form look like? Who would be dumb enough to sign it?
- Initiation Week - Providing a true capstone experience at the end of the candidate program.
- Interview Program Considerations - How to ensure the member interview is a value-add experience to the candidate program.
- Kid Stuff - Applying lessons from Past Regent Dick Vaughan to today's candidate program experience.
- Killing the Sacred Cows - Traditions in the unique college environment only take four years to die, and you could plan the funeral.
- Lessons from Jonestown - What can the largest mass suicide in modern history teach us about the dangers of groupthink when combined with a denial of reality?
- Life of Love - Why love is the key to a strong brotherhood.
- Lessons from the NFL - “We don’t do that around here because we don’t treat the guys like rookies. We expect those guys to play this year and play well.”
- LHT and Hazing: An Incompatible Pair - Hazing contradicts Love. Hazing violates Honor. Hazing undermines Truth.
- Living the Way of Honor - Importance of keeping hazing prevention at the forefront and its alignment with Sigma Nu's founding principles.
- Men of Character - Our Founders' character is what drives the Fraternity's values daily.
- Oil Field Trash - The inspiring story of Brother Jerry Fields' (Texas State) journey to Sigma Nu.
- Preventing Hazing by Creating a Loving, Honorable, and Truthful Environment - Using our principles to influence the environment we create within our chapters.
- Setting Standards - What Love is there in asking Candidates to run errands? What Honor is there in games that belittle a group of men? What Truth exists when hazing persists in the Legion of Honor?
- Six Things I Wish I Knew as Marshal - A recently "retired" Marshal has some wisdom to share with his successor.
- The Fight Against the Greek Life Stigma - Using our principles as the cornerstone of our efforts to eliminate hazing from all institutions.
- The Impact of "Light Hazing" and the Snowball Effect - Our task is to help new members realize the best version of themselves.
- The "Why" of Candidate Education - Everything else is easy. Answering the "why" is hard.
- Time and Effort - There is time and effort that goes into creating opportunities for new members to create lasting connections.
- What Are We Trying To Do Here? - Are you serving the needs of our newest members or the needs of our most selfish members?
- What Culture Are You Creating? - We owe it to those who have gone before us, to assimilate new members in a manner that is congruent with our beloved ideals.
- Why Do Good People Make Bad Decisions? - "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke
- Values-Based Recruitment as an Anti-Hazing Strategy - How the Fraternity's core value and lessons can stand up against hazing.
- Values in Action - Our principles of Love, Honor, and Truth laid down by our founders are simple and direct.
- You Are What You Repeatedly Do - Love. Honor. Truth. Nothing Less.
- Your Obligation to Excellence Cannot Tolerate Abuses of Power - Our chapters excel (or fail) on the ability of current members to mentor, lead, and develop candidates and younger members.