hazing
hazing, n. The practice of physically or emotionally abusing newcomers to an organization as a means of initiation. • In the early 19th century, hazing referred to beating. Hazing was a well-established custom in fraternities at Ivy League universities by the mid-19th century. (One college magazine referred to “the absurd and barbarous custom of hazing, which has long prevailed in the college.” 1 Harvard Mag. 413 (1860).) The first death from hazing was reported at Yale in 1892 (N.Y. Daily News, June 28, 1892). In the late 20th century, many colleges and universities banned hazing and many states passed antihazing statutes establishing criminal penalties. See ANTIHAZING STATUTE.
