Niles North suspending its football season for possible hazing
- Thread starter Quags57
- Start date
From the Niles North Student Handbook;
"Hazing: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act directed against a student for the purpose of being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization, club, athletic team, secret society, or other group (whether sponsored or approved by the District or not) whose members are or include other students (e.g., verbal abuse, physical abuse or any act of intimidation or humiliation). PENALTY: A/B/C/D"
Level D penalties is as follow
The handbook also describes in detail the students due process rights.
"Hazing: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act directed against a student for the purpose of being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization, club, athletic team, secret society, or other group (whether sponsored or approved by the District or not) whose members are or include other students (e.g., verbal abuse, physical abuse or any act of intimidation or humiliation). PENALTY: A/B/C/D"
Level D penalties is as follow
- Out-of-school suspension for 4-10 days
- Police referral
- Recommendation for expulsion
The handbook also describes in detail the students due process rights.
This is nuts that this is type of behavior is still being conducted today. The days of hazing and bullying being tolerated are over, whether an " eyebrow being shaved" or the sexual assault that happened in Lake Zurich. This transcends football. Remember the soccer hazing at Maine West. The athletes need to be taught not to act like meatheads because it's wrong and will not be tolerated. Athletes today are held to a higher standard. They are expected to maintain excellent grades, be well rounded and again, don't act like meatheads. We
( and I mean society ) do not condone it and we think that you are feckless rubes if acting in that fashion. Hurting other people is wrong in general, but to a teammate? Come on.
( and I mean society ) do not condone it and we think that you are feckless rubes if acting in that fashion. Hurting other people is wrong in general, but to a teammate? Come on.
What legislation are you referring to? Or do you mean that you hate that people debate what good hazing is and what it isn't?
Hate the debate all you want, but it seems to me like you would like to legislate an end to all hazing because there is no good hazing in your opinion. You and I went back and forth on this during the LZ hazing news cycle.
Hazing that causes physical harm and mental anguish is not bad because it is hazing. It is bad because of the physical harm and mental anguish. It is wrong and there should be no room for that under any circumstances.
Sing the school fight song, fill the water bottles, create a skit to perform in front of the team, whatever. I think there should be room for that kind of harmless activity if high school teams want to do it. You might not think it is helpful or useful, but I think you need to lighten up and respect the rights and traditions of others to do what they want as long as it is harmless.
Ignazio is right to focus in on the definition. If you want to define hazing as harmful activity, that's fine with me as long as you agree to find another word to describe harmless activity done in the name of building unity and camaraderie.
sounds like someone has an inside track! King- such a sad story...hope everyone deals with it the best they can
Innocence until proven guilty applies to criminal charges. I applaud schools that set a higher standard of behavior and expectations for their students. Also, nobody has a clue as to what actually happened at Niles, so I'd caution that we wait until more info (read, facts) come out.
WM4,
That's fine, and again if the issues are egregious I have no issue with what's being done, but let's have complete transparency and actually put out what has happened. No names should be used but the criminal complaint should be put forth in an effort to be as transparent as possible, else we still have a secret investigation.
That's fine, and again if the issues are egregious I have no issue with what's being done, but let's have complete transparency and actually put out what has happened. No names should be used but the criminal complaint should be put forth in an effort to be as transparent as possible, else we still have a secret investigation.
After watching Lake Zurich and Wheaton College put their heads in the sand, it is a breath of fresh air to see an administration take this seriously
Those two wrongs does not make this right if the innocent are punished by overzealous administrators.
Right now, I am siding with these administrators. The track record of the ones I have seen is not very good at all.
Those are more than basic pranks.
It's battery, period.
Prank phone calling someone is a prank. TP'ing a house is a prank. Still chargeable, but a prank. Shaving their head? Plucking their eyebrows, which if severe enough can have permanency?... Not a prank.
Jesus, we need to stop normalizing this crap.
So shaving someone's head has now raised to the level of battery? Lord help us the Friar Tuck cut of olde NV will have past suits leveled upon us.
I do understand that Battery is a very broad legal definition but come on man when is the over pursuit and over reach of this going to stop? If you say no to a military cut in the military and its forced it's now a conscripted Battery charge.
I do understand that Battery is a very broad legal definition but come on man when is the over pursuit and over reach of this going to stop? If you say no to a military cut in the military and its forced it's now a conscripted Battery charge.
But commenting on a possible criminal investigation is hardly a prudent thing here. When all is said and done the findings will likely become fully public (save for any protection of minors). Until that time, the public doesn't deserve any additional info into the matter. Just doing what they've done seems to be far and away more than LZ did.
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"Back in the Day". When I played. Sophomores that made the varsity squad "were heavily encouraged" to have their heads shaved. However Quite a few juniors and seniors did as well but it was more "optional" and mainly starters (got their senior pics done before the headshaving event after the last two a day).
Since it was "optional" for juniors and seniors ( but most did shave their heads as it was an event where many non football playing student came out "to help" and take pictures etc.). But more "semi required" for the sophs via peer pressure/team unity that made varsity - is this hazing/assault of the younger soph players?
I was ok with getting my head shaved - (my mom was not...and was hopping mad). What if she went off her rocker and called the school? Does the program get shut down? The "victim" chose to have their head shaved but there is still obvious peer pressure involved. Legal status? If Law and Order were still on - does it deserve an episode?
I'm sure a few on here do know some details, but by and large, we really don't know. However, that certainly doesn't stop the speculating. Probably best we all just let the facts come out, to the extent they can even be disclosed. Worth remembering these are minors and school administrators and police have a certain set of laws that must be followed in disclosing info.
WM4,
Everyone seems to want complete transparency. There are no laws about disclosing the chargers being made, just protection of the minors being charged. So let's not speculate, if the charges are serious enough to shut down the season and this spreads outside the football team as has been eluded let's get it all shut down to make certain a safe haven can be provided for everyone. I believe that everyone should have protection from fears of being assaulted but let's not lose sight of scope. If the charges are there state what they are and don't hide behind an excuse. Let's be as transparent as everyone claims they want to be.
Everyone seems to want complete transparency. There are no laws about disclosing the chargers being made, just protection of the minors being charged. So let's not speculate, if the charges are serious enough to shut down the season and this spreads outside the football team as has been eluded let's get it all shut down to make certain a safe haven can be provided for everyone. I believe that everyone should have protection from fears of being assaulted but let's not lose sight of scope. If the charges are there state what they are and don't hide behind an excuse. Let's be as transparent as everyone claims they want to be.
I have no horse in this race, but I'll add that in the Trib story this morning, there was a quote that it's limited to just the varsity football team.
This story just came to light yesterday. Ideally, I'd like full transparency as well, but I'm not sure that can reasonably be expected at this stage. The cops said they're still conducting interviews.
I am not sure which side to take. Everyone is making good points. I have no idea what happened so I will wait and see. But what if the administrators were wrong? What then?
Never know, really dumb decisions get made sometimes, so don't know for sure. But would have to say that this is a very drastic step and in a community such as the one that NN is in, that the Admin would have to be competent, so whatever info they have was sufficiently alarming enough to take this action. Would be very surprising if it was knee jerk. Like others have posted, won't know until the info/facts come out. Until that time have to speculate that they erred on the side of caution. Again, the basis of that thought is based upon the drastic action taken, that even a troglodyte would know it was cause a big reaction to suspend a season and they went ahead and did it anyway.
so, have we determined what is good haz vs bad hazing yet?
I drove down devon this morning on my way to work. and I saw a house tp'd, awesome. very very nice job done to the trees. looked great.
I think this is good hazing(prank) no physical harm. unless dad falls from tree while cleaning up.
I drove down devon this morning on my way to work. and I saw a house tp'd, awesome. very very nice job done to the trees. looked great.
I think this is good hazing(prank) no physical harm. unless dad falls from tree while cleaning up.
Way too much focus is put on the activities. No doubt you can find a lot of lists of hazing lists that are so full of activities you're left to wonder what group activity can be done. These are all "CYA" lists meant to limit liability.
We have to consider the intent and structure behind any activity. We have to teach young peoole how to respect each other, but importantly themselves... and they'll know hazing when they see it, and hopefully have the courage to stand up for themselves or others.
