Is Hazing Ever Acceptable?

Initiation, tradition ... or just torture, hazing is something our society is finally being forced to confront.

The latest case to come to light could end with five Liberty High School students facing criminal charges from an incident at a football camp at Sacramento State University in June.

Officials at the Brentwood high school aren't saying much about the incident, except that the school "won't accept hazing," according to Principal Pat Walsh. The five students have been suspended for the entire football season.

Of course, hazing isn't limited to the athletic fields. We've all heard of cases of hazing in the military, fraternities and sororities, and it likely happens in other organizations, but isn't as high-profile.

Initiations might serve a purpose in some groups, to create a sense of belonging. But there has to be a line drawn somewhere and hazing seems to leap way over that line into physical and psychological torture.

So, congratulations to Principal Walsh at Liberty High for sending a clear message. If these students are found innocent, however, I expect they will be reinstated.

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