Update: Florida congresswoman plans hazing law

7:47 P. M.

"It's not a color thing," U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, a first-term Miami Democrat, said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat this evening. "You have hazing in white sororities and fraternities, whether it's making children visit graveyards, or drinking liquor 'til you pass out or smoking drugs."

Wilson, an educator who headed a dropout-prevention program for Miami-Dade schools when she was in the Florida Legislature, was regional director for Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation's first black sorority, from 1986 through 1990. She said she became know as "the haze-buster" for rooting out the ritualized harassment of sorority pledges, band members, new players on sports teams and other organizations.

"I stopped it. I stopped it," Wilson said of her AKA tenure. "They were afraid of me."

She said "you can reach them two ways" -- by getting adult alumni to advise students not to inflict indignities on pledges and by holding students responsible for submitting to violent or abusive initiation rites. Getting young people to talk about hazing is difficult, she acknowledged, but Wilson said her experience has shown that the silence of victims helps the offenders perpetrate the "demeaning, dangerous and, sadly, deadly" tradition of hazing.

"Each one of those fraternities and sororities has graduate members who can mentor," she said. "Also, you can put some onus on the children who are being hazed, and make it their responsibility to report it?.I know they're going up against a wall of tradition and that wall is very deep, especially among people who have already graduated from college."

Wilson said "it's gotten better but it still exists" since the Florida Legislature passed a state statute making hazing a misdemeanor -- or a felony, if severe injury or death results.

Champion, 26, died Nov. 19 in Orlando. A medical examiner's report released last week ruled his death a homicide, caused by a severe beating.

FAMU President James Ammons suspended all appearances by the Marching 100 indefinitely and moved to fire band director Julian White. White is fighting to keep his tenured faculty position, saying he suspended more than two-dozen Rattler band members involved in hazing and had reported incidents to Ammons repeatedly prior to Champion's death.

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the homicide, as well as undescribed "financial irregularities" in band operations.

Separately, three men have been charged with beating a young Atlanta woman who suffered a cracked thigh bone and knee injuries. She subsequently left FAMU.

2:35 P. M.

A Florida Congresswoman with a long history of combating hazing in schools plans to introduce federal legislation next month to outlaw the practice.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, a first-term Democrat from Miami, said today her bill was motivated by the current investigation at Florida A&M University into the Nov. 19 death of Marching 100 drum major Robert Champion.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating his death, which medical examiners determined to be a homicide caused by a severe beating.

?I am having policy discussions now with presidents of historically black colleges and universities, band members and presidents of Greek-letter organizations so that we will be able to craft a strong bill for introduction next month,? said Wilson.

She said hazing ?is demeaning, dangerous and, sadly, deadly.?

Wilson, an educator and administrator for Miami-Dade County schools before her election to Congress, supported anti-bullying and hazing legislation as a member of the Florida Legislature. She also fought hazing as south Atlantic regional director of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

She said Champion?s death and the FAMU investigation prompted her to work on a federal hazing law. The state has already made hazing illegal.

?It?s time that we put an end to this horrible and humiliating ritual once and for all, so that no more students suffer the way that Robert and others have,? Wilson said in announcing her planned legislation.

Source: http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20111227/NEWS/111227008

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