The Founder and CEO of Greek University, an organization of Campus Safety Experts, according to its website, Michael Ayalon, claimed at a lecture that hazing is about “control, authority, domination[it] is not brotherhood, it is not sisterhood, it is bullying.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, Ayalon spoke to members of the Dickinson College community about his own experience as a victim of hazing and his mission to start a “revolution” that allows college students to commit to their values when they join their organization.

The talk also shed light on problems such as sexual assault, alcohol and drug abuse, and other hazing rituals. Ayalon expressed the importance of identifying how one defines “hazing” and what it means someone if they were to start a positive “revolution”.

Ayalon said that even though these acts of humiliation within the initiation process of college organizations is a tradition, it does not have to continue today, especially on Dickinson’s campus. “[Hazing] is not brotherhood, it is not sisterhood, it is bullying,” he said. “This is not something we will tolerate.”

“Hazing is practiced and supported by people who lack courage and who try to justify their place in a group,” he said, “whether it be an athletic team, a fraternity, sorority, honors society, etc.” Ayalon further explained that hazing is about “control, authority, domination and most importantly, bullying.”

Ayalon explained that these problems are not new on college campuses. Hazing was discovered at Harvard University in 1657, but in this initial case, there were no consequences. Almost 30 years later, in 1684, Joseph Webb became the first Harvard student to be punished for a hazing ritual. Webb was expelled for “hitting freshmen students and having them perform acts of servitude.”

As the audience grew silent, Ayalon introduced methods to end this hazing tradition, such as “not letting others justify hazing as a ‘tradition,’ breaking the silence and voicing your opinion, choosing not to participate, and/or talking to an administrator, volunteer, [or] alumnus for support.”

After the presentation, Julia Snyder ’20 provided feedback, saying, “I thought the hazing presentation was insightful, as a new member of Kappa Alpha Theta going through New Member Education. I also appreciate the speaker acknowledging that hazing can be done by any organization or group on a college campus. I’m proud of Dickinson and thankful for this presentation being available to us.”

The presentation was held on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Allison Great Hall.