Fifty-five percent of college students who join clubs, sports teams and Greek organizations experience hazing in some form. This can include physical activity, physical abuse, public humiliation, and forced alcohol consumption. Statistics are difficult to collate as the perpetrators are often affiliated with secret societies and there is immense pressure on the victims to protect the fraternities and sororities.

There have been 16 hazing deaths in the US since 2010. This includes Timothy Piazza, a Penn State sophomore who fell down a flight of stairs after binge drinking as part of the Beta Theta Pi's fraternity pledge program. Piazza was left unattended in the fraternity's house for 12 hours, he later died in the hospital. Eighteen members of the Beta Theta Pi house are facing criminal charges as a result; eight of those are facing involuntary manslaughter.

This case shines a light on initiation practices - not only in Greek organizations, but on sports teams, bands - even in the military. Smart Talk will discuss the reasons young people tend to hurt their peers as some adolescent test of loyalty and efforts to curb this behavior. Emily Pualwan, Executive Director of HazingPrevention.org will help define hazing and outline the scope of the problem. Lianne Kowiak is a board member of HazingPrevention.org and will share the story of her son, who lost his life in a hazing tragedy.

Smart Talk will also explore the psychology of "group-think" - that part of the human brain that allows a person to abandon their values to adhere to the continuity of a crowd. Dr. Timothy Marchell, a clinical psychologist and Director of Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell University, will join us to parse out the reason college students are especially susceptible to the dangers of "group-think" behaviors.

hazingcollegecornell universityemily pualwanfraternityGreenharrison kowiaklianne kowiakpenn statetim piazzatimothy marchell