This school year, Southern Lehigh School District is enforcing a new policy on hazing. The law comes directly from the Pennsylvania state government, and it strictly prohibits any incidences of hazing affiliated with a Southern Lehigh sport, club, or activity.

“Every year in the state of Pennsylvania there are several students who are pushed to the brink from interactions with peers,” assistant principal Mr. Thomas Ruhf said. “When we say students are pushed to the brink, we mean students are pushed to a point where they have no out and often engage in self-harm. Because hazing is in some cases an institutional practice, students don’t feel like they have an ability to stop it. By making it a state law, the state is essentially saying that no matter what, it is considered a violation of the law.”

According to the Pennsylvania law, the definition of hazing is, “Any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a person or which willfully destroys, damages or removes public or private property for the purpose(s) of initiation, admission or affiliation with, or as a condition of continued membership in, any organization, club, sport or activity approved by the District Board of School Directors.”

In simpler terms, any action that makes a student feel singled out, punished, or uncomfortable in order to gain or maintain membership in a group is strictly forbidden. The punishment for violating this policy at Southern Lehigh is a Level 4 offense, which is a three-day suspension. Days of suspension increase with instances of hazing.

“I think it’s a pretty solid policy and it makes sense,” junior Maxim Vezenov said. “They cover more topics than just, ‘Oh they’re harassing a lowerclassmen,’ because now they say that it can cover forced consumption of food or forced deprivation of sleep. I think [the policy is] pretty fair, and the consequences are fair. You hear those stories in the news where it can get pretty serious.”

As the new policy specifically targets traditions and initiation ceremonies, several groups at Southern Lehigh are feeling its consequences. One group in particular affected by the new policy is the band, which ended a long-standing tradition to follow the letter of the law.

“If you know the drink Moxie, it is this really nasty soda,” junior and band vice president Jillian Werbisky said. “On one of the nights after the football game we would all go outside and say, ‘All new members need to drink the Moxie,’ but everyone [in the band] would get a can and participate, and we would see who could chug it fastest. If you didn’t want to you didn’t have to — I always spit it out because it was so gross — but it was really just a fun tradition.”

The administration believes that the new policy will make students feel more secure and comfortable among their peers and in school.

“[Because it is a law, the policy] is also related to our relationship with Officer McLaughlin,” Mr. Ruhf said. “If something violates it, then it becomes an issue with the police. The history with hazing in the state of Pennsylvania works to protect students and make sure that students are protected and have a voice. We have to say, ‘Enough!’ for everyone.”