It has been 13 days since the death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion, and the nation is still in shock.
Four students have been dismissed, band director Julian White has been fired, and while the head of Florida's university system is calling for an investigation of the school, Gov. Rick Scott has called for a re-evaluation of Florida universities' hazing policies.
UF has a strict no-hazing policy that defines hazing as any action or situation that "endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization."
In Florida, hazing in high school or college is a crime. If the hazing causes serious injury or death, it is a third-degree felony.
Chris Loschiavo, director of UF's Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, said he receives about two to three hazing complaints a semester. Complaints are often anonymous, he said, and he has yet to deal with anything as serious as a student's death.
Once the Dean of Students Office hears a complaint, it begins an investigation of the claims. If a complaint is serious or criminal in nature, University Police would be involved, he said.
According to a study conducted by the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention, about 55 percent of U.S. college students experience some sort of hazing.
Ninety percent of those students do not consider themselves to have been hazed, the report said.
Loschiavo said hazing can be as simple as asking freshmen to carry pebbles in their pockets or as serious as physical violence.
The FAMU marching band has a known history of hazing. This year alone, 30 students have been suspended from the band for hazing, and the university has three open investigations for hazing allegations.
On Nov. 19, Champion, 26, was found unresponsive on a bus after performing. The marching band had performed at the annual Florida Classic game against Bethune-Cookman.
The Atlanta native had been vomiting and was having trouble breathing before he collapsed. He was taken to Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando, where he later died.
Although the Orange County Sheriff's Office has not determined the cause of death, it said hazing likely was involved.
White told The New York Times on Thursday that Champion had been repeatedly punched by band members as part of a hazing ritual. He was one of six drum majors in the Marching 100.
David Waybright, director of bands at UF, wrote in an email that in his 25 years at the university, he hasn't seen any instances of hazing within the Fightin' Gator Marching Band.
The band's code of conduct strictly forbids any type of hazing, and directors work to ensure students are educated about this policy, he wrote.
Eric Ascher, coordinator of competitive sports for UF RecSports, said he also has yet to hear any complaints of hazing in his 10 years as coordinator at the university.
He said hazing is often pervasive at the high school and professional level of competitive sports, but it seems to be absent in the "less cutthroat" atmosphere of recreational sports.
Sports club officers are required to sign a code of conduct that includes RecSports' anti-hazing policy.
Hazing is usually a sort of initiation ritual, he said. On sports teams, it might be, "Freshmen, carry the equipment." In Greek organizations, hazing is often directed at pledges.
In 2008, Tau Epsilon Phi was suspended for a year after new members were found shirtless and kneeling on the basement floor.
Pledges told police they were told to do pushups and wall-sits. Water was poured on them, food was thrown at them, and they were told to wear diapers on their heads, the report said. The report also stated that a bowl of chocolates was passed around to the pledges, who were told it was full of laxatives.
The pledges all told police that they participated in these activities voluntarily, and the criminal hazing charge against the fraternity was dropped.
Loschiavo said these allegations were among the worst he'd ever heard.
Also in 2008, Pi Kappa Phi was suspended for four years after members told UF they were forced to do wall-sits and consume large amounts of alcohol.
In 2009, UF's Interfraternity Council created an anti-hazing pact that all the chapter presidents signed.
Rajiv Asnani, president of IFC, said educating fraternities about hazing is something that continues to be important to the council.
"Hazing may have been a big part of the community years ago," he said, "but we really want to change that, and the key to that is constant education."
Loschiavo said though his office is not involved in anti-hazing education on campus, it is something that all organizations should continue to emphasize.
What saddens him most about the FAMU incident, he said, is that students knew it was going on, but no one stood up to stop it.
"That could easily be anywhere," he said. "Students need to realize they have a responsibility to their fellow Gators. If you see someone who's struggling, step up, let someone know."
