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Helping a Fellow Friend

At WSSU, we believe in the Ramily and that it is a community that values respect, safety, and well-being. Hazing has no place here. If you believe a fellow students is being hazed, your support and intervention are crucial in helping them. Below are steps you can take to support, offer help, and ensure a safe environment for everyone.

Recognize the Signs of Hazing

Hazing can take many forms, and it’s important to be able to recognize the signs. Hazing may involve:

  • Physical harm: Activities that cause injury or distress.
  • Psychological abuse: Humiliation, embarrassment, or coercion.
  • Forced participation: Pressuring someone into doing something they don’t want to do.
  • Isolation: Excluding someone from their peers or support systems.
  • Substance abuse: Encouraging or requiring drinking or drug use.

Warning signs may include:

  • Sudden change in behavior or attitude after joining the organization or team
  • Wanting to leave the organization or team with no real explanation
  • Sudden decrease in communication with friends and family
  • Physical or psychological exhaustion
  • Unexplained weight loss, injuries, or illness
  • Change in sleeping or eating habits
  • Withdrawal from normal activities
  • Expressed feeling of sadness or feeling of worthlessness
  • Increase in secrecy and unwillingness to share details

If you notice any of these behaviors happening to a fellow Niner, it’s time to take action.

Approach with Compassion

If you suspect someone you know is being hazed, consider reaching out to them directly—but approach them with care. Here’s how you can offer support:

  • Be non-judgmental: Make it clear that you are concerned for their well-being, not judging their situation.
  • Listen to them: Let them express what they’re going through and listen without interrupting.
  • Offer reassurance: Remind them that hazing is never acceptable, and they deserve respect and safety.

Encourage Them to Seek Help

Your role is to support and encourage, not to force someone to take action. Here’s what you can do:

  • Encourage reporting: Suggest they report the hazing to the university, but let them make the choice to do so. You can let them know that reports can be made anonymously.
  • Offer to go with them: Sometimes, the support of a friend can make all the difference. Offer to go with them to speak to someone in the Office of the Dean of Students, University Student Activities and Engagement (USAE) CAPS, or WSSU Police and Public Safety.