Hazing in sports is something that often receives the most attention when initiations turn dangerous or criminal. This fall at Carleton, the entire women’s soccer team was suspended following an incident where one player was hospitalized after consuming too much alcohol. In 2005, the McGill football team made headlines after a rookie was anally assaulted with a broomstick—after which the team was suspended for the duration of the season. The risk is enough that UBC has adopted a hard-line stance against hazing. However, the secret nature of hazing means that, by definition, it is difficult for any school to keep its athletes completely under control.

While Hollywood writers often use initiations as devices to provide humorous sight-gags in their scripts, in reality these so-called pranks can become highly abusive. ESPN published a list of the most serious events of the 1980s and 1990s in university and high school sports in 2002; the recurring themes are excessive alcohol consumption, violence, humiliation, and in a great many cases, sexual assault.

According to Theresa Hanson, associate director of Intercollegiate and High Performance Sport, UBC offers zero tolerance towards initiations or hazing of any kind. She said both coaches and team captains are expected to help lead by example and educate the other athletes about possible dangers.

UBC’s policy defines hazing as “any activity expected of someone joining a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate.” The inclusion of willingness is an important point. A study conducted by the University of Maine found that 90 per cent of students that had experienced hazing did not consider themselves to have been hazed. The same study also found that 55 per cent of students—including those involved in clubs and organizations—had experienced hazing. However, it’s not clear that the idea that the concept of initiation permeates every team.

Lauren Whitehead, president of the Thunderbird Athletics Council and a fourth-year volleyball vet, said that initiation rituals “build divides between the age groups and therefore between the players” and “defeat the meaning of ‘team.’” She credits alternative bonding activities, such as movie nights and potluck dinners, as contributing to her team’s success in winning two CIS national banners. She said she has not heard of any UBC athletes ever being involved in hazing incidents.

Varsity athletes contacted for this article, perhaps unsurprisingly, refused to directly comment on the presence of hazing on campus. However, one anonymous UBC athlete admitted there is a difference between the university’s official policy, and what actually happens after practice.

“They can’t stop [rookie parties] and it’s a hard thing to monitor and regulate,” he said. As a result, in spite of the zero-tolerance line, athletes are encouraged to keep things as safe and low-profile as possible. This includes keeping parties away from public areas, and a ban on wearing anything that displays a UBC logo. Coaches and administrators stress to athletes that the high profile of both the university and the Thunderbirds means that rookie activities need to be kept to a minimum.

The incident at McGill in 2005 caused UBC to strengthen its rhetoric that year. Coaches torpedoed the idea of having any “rookie parties” at all. For this particular athlete’s team, a party was still held, albeit a much “tamer” one.

What happens at these parties is not reflective of the few incidents that make national headlines. “I think a lot of people have the perception that rookie parties consist only of forced drinking and embarrassing nakedness. I’ve seen, heard of, and had to do with a lot of other things. Rookies have had to perform skits, dances, impressions of coaches and players, freestyle rap, etc,” he said. The goal is to draw out a new recruit’s personality by including them in a comedic activity. Players don’t treat parties as an opportunity to humiliate or abuse, but instead just a time to hang out together.

So far, the diligence of both administration and athletes has worked; UBC Athletics has kept its nose clean and its teams have behaved responsibly. This is important, for as the Carleton example demonstrates, it only takes the actions of a few isolated individuals to bring a school into disrepute.