Lecture Explores Hazing Prevention on College Campuses

When it comes to hazing prevention, Travis Apgar believes too little progress has been made in the effort to eradicate hazing. By sharing his own personal experiences with current college students across the country, he is on a mission to inspire others to help end hazing and protect students from the harm it causes.

As a first-generation college student, student-athlete and prospective fraternity member,  Apgar enrolled in college with hopes of fitting in, belonging to a community of learners, and feeling included. His experience at a pre-season football camp was anything but welcoming, as the culture of hazing was apparent from the start. The only thing worse was the hazing he experienced previously as a fraternity pledge.

During a keynote address hosted by Fisher’s Health and Wellness Center, Apgar will discuss the important factors that distinguish between healthy and supportive student organizations which promote personal growth, leadership development, inclusion, and belonging, from those which fail to live up to their self-proclaimed value.

The free lecture will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Cleary Family Auditorium in Kearney Hall.

The lecture aligns with the goals of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, a federal law that requires colleges and universities to report hazing incidents and develop educational programming to prevent hazing on campus.

Attendees of the program will learn how to adopt healthy practices that foster a welcoming environment where people feel they belong, are included, and are valued. They will learn the definition of hazing and recognize hazing activities; explore how an unhealthy power dynamic and hazing can lead to physical and mental abuse including objectification, humiliation, degradation, and even assault; and better understand the various liabilities of hazing, which can have a life changing impact.

Apgar, who serves as the vice president of student affairs at Case Western Reserve University, holds advanced degrees in psychology and education administration and has received national recognition as an outstanding student affairs professional. Considered an authority on hazing prevention, he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Hazing Prevention Network. He has also contributed to the NCAA Building New Traditions: Hazing Prevention in Athletics handbook, Hank Nuwer’s book Hazing: Destroying Young Lives, and the Hazing Prevention Week Resource Guide. In addition, he has appeared in “Haze,” a documentary made available by the Gordie Center, an anti-hazing educational center at the University of Virginia, and as a guest on PBS “NewsHour” and HuffPost Live.