A hazing study found that 90% of hazing victims didn't realize or admit that they had been hazed. That's why the hazing prevention movement's most challenging task is helping students understand how dangerous hazing is—and helping students identify the red flags of hazing behavior.
In a newly released informational pamphlet, Tom and Sandra Coffey share their story, along with the stories of other hazing victims, to illustrate the severe consequences of hazing. Included among those stories are Andrew Coffey and Antonio Tsialas, whose families we have ahd the privilege to represent.. The stories of Andrew Coffey and Antonio Tsialas offer heartbreaking insight into the real impact of hazing.
Information to Protect Students from Hazing
The pamphlet also equips students with information about three hazing types (subtle hazing, harassment, and violent hazing) and how each stage leads to the next. Information like this is crucial. 'Harmless' forms of hazing often condition students to accept escalating forms of abuse, leading to trauma, injury or death.
Additionally, the pamphlet presents an honest look at the legal consequences for students who commit hazing offenses. Our firm's work on the legislative front is featured in the pamphlet: David Bianchi and Michael Levine are named as the architects of Andrew's Law, which made organizers of hazing events criminally liable for any person who is injured by alcohol abuse or common forms of violent hazing. The pamphlet also lists the legal consequences of hazing in Louisiana and Pennsylvania, two other states that recently passed progressive anti-hazing laws. As in Florida, those laws were passed in response to the senseless deaths of young men from hazing.
Our firm is proud to be part of the nationwide reckoning against this outdated, unnecessary, and dangerous practice. It is our sincere hope that other states will pass tough and effective anti-hazing laws without any more families experiencing the death of another son, daughter, brother, or sister.
To see the Coffeys' pamphlet in full, click here .