As a national and regional officer of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, I was dismayed to learn upon moving here from Florida in 2001 that Michigan lacked a law making hazing a criminal act.

I frequently have spoken to fraternity gatherings locally and nationally about hazing from a legal perspective, drawing upon my training as an attorney to illustrate that while hazing is abhorrent for its own sake, the resulting litigation from hazing activity easily could bankrupt an organization, particularly a relatively small one such as Sinfonia.

Beyond the civil penalties, though, it is incumbent upon all states, particularly one as large and with as many universities as Michigan, to criminalize hazing behavior. Only then can there be any reasonable progress toward eliminating hazing from our campuses.

I strongly urge the Michigan Legislature to act quickly to pass an anti-hazing law, thereby joining the other 43 states that have taken this positive step toward bolstering the reputation of fraternities and sororities as organizations that uplift their members and help them grow into mature, responsible citizens, not as groups that seek to belittle their younger members for fun or sport.

Jeffrey Spoeri
College of Education director of development