Binghamton U (NY) Halts Recruitment, Rushing and Pledging

[exlurker]

Due to many complaints aboout alleged hazing, SUNY - Binghamton has ordered a halt to recruitment and pledging for the rest of the semester.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.s..._halts_pl.html

The article indicates that the number of complaints has (apparently ) been unusually high.

[SOM]

Story with a few more details to it-not all too much more but some:
Pledging shut down at Binghamton University after hazing incidents
http://www.pressconnects.com/article...text|FRONTPAGE

[SOM]

At Binghamton University, Halt to Pledging Amid Hazing Concerns
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Binghamton University, one of the Northeast’s top public colleges, has halted all fraternity and sorority pledging this spring after what it called an “alarmingly high number of serious hazing complaints.”
Administrators and students said there was no indication their hazing problem was worse than those at other colleges. But the move at Binghamton is emblematic of an increasingly tough stance on hazing and on other forms of student misbehavior on campuses nationwide.
The University of Connecticut is advising students this weekend to go home and avoid an often-out-of-control party called Spring Weekend, during which a student was killed off campus in 2010. The University of Colorado at Boulder has announced it will close the entire campus to all visitors on Friday to try to stop a longtime marijuana smoke-out held annually that day. The moves follow well-publicized hazing scandals at Boston University and Dartmouth College and student deaths at Cornell and Florida A&M Universities last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/ny...1&ref=nyregion

[chi-o_cat]

Originally Posted by SOM

The University of Colorado at Boulder has announced it will close the entire campus to all visitors on Friday to try to stop a longtime marijuana smoke-out held annually that day. The moves follow well-publicized hazing scandals at Boston University and Dartmouth College and student deaths at Cornell and Florida A&M Universities last year.

I'm confused about the connection between the 4/20 Day at UC-Boulder and fraternity hazing.

[SOM]

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat

I'm confused about the connection between the 4/20 Day at UC-Boulder and fraternity hazing.

Perhaps a form of risk or liability management?

As this part of article may show:

“The climate on campuses is such that there’s just much less tolerance for aberrant behavior, particularly anything that can result in violence or injuries to others,” said Kevin Kruger, president of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
“Stopping pledging altogether is not so common, but there’s a huge focus on managing liability and sending a very clear message to students and alumni that this kind of behavior will result in removal of the chapter.”
The concerns are not new, and educators cite three main reasons for the actions: concern for student safety, legal exposure and efforts to avoid embarrassment. Binghamton was widely faulted for its slow response to irregularities and criminal behavior surrounding its basketball team a few years ago.