Lexington, VA - As part of the ongoing attempt to end hazing on college campuses and particularly within Greek organizations, 20 international fraternities and sororities have joined together to establish a Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline. The toll-free number is 1-888-NOT-HAZE (1-888-668-4293). The line is available to those who think they, or students they know, have been or may become victims of hazing. Callers may remain anonymous or they can provide personal information so that their concerns can be responded to directly.
Statement of Kappa Alpha Order Executive Director Larry S. Wiese:
"In our continuing effort to educate regarding and to eliminate hazing, I am pleased to announce that Kappa Alpha Order is one of the twenty founding sponsors of the Greek anti-hazing hotline. As a group, we set up this caller-identity-protected hotline and it is tested and running now.
Careful planning of this project from legal and technological considerations led us to establish the hotline through the offices of Manley Burke LLC, the publisher of Fraternal Law, of Cincinnati, Ohio. In this way, all calls will be properly and legally logged, recorded and reported.
We will publicize this new anti-hazing hotline in local and national press, to our chapters and members and to our alumni and parents of members. During recruitment, we will announce our policy and this hotline to all prospective members."
The Hotline connects to a dedicated Voice Mailbox at the Cincinnati law firm of Manley Burke, the publisher of Fraternal Law. Manley Burke will monitor the Hotline on a daily basis and will forward all messages to the appropriate fraternal organization, along with the hazing laws from the relevant jurisdictions. In states in which the law requires notification of other authorities, this will be done. A hazing alert for an organization not a sponsor will be handled as though that organization were a sponsor. A voluntary invoice will be sent to cover costs.
“Fraternities and sororities take hazing very seriously and have worked hard to see that hazing is eliminated,” said Tim Burke, the President of Manley Burke. “They recognize that too many people have been hurt or died as a result of hazing incidents and that today more than 45 states make hazing a crime.
The Hotline is a crucial new tool for Greek organizations to use to fight hazing. The 20 founding sponsors, which represent in excess of 35% of all fraternity and sorority members, invite other fraternities and sororities to join as official sponsors of the Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline. For more information, please contact Dan McCarthy at Manley Burke at (513) 721-5525
