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Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
- Thread starter AldenPartridge1819
- Start date
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
On May 28 Bowdoin College held their Two Hundred and Sixth Commencement Exercises. By all accounts it was a wonderful event, full of great pomp and ceremony and richly deserved by the graduating class. There were a plethora of individual Academic Awards and Honors as well as a number of Athletic Awards which were detailed in the Commencement publication. Most of the teams were represented including Women’s Ice Hockey, Football, Men and Women’s Basketball and Lacrosse to name a few. Conspicuous by its absence was the Men’s Ice Hockey team. Historically, there had been four or five Men’s Hockey awards in this section of the booklet. They were excluded and completely ignored in the 2011 edition. One of the members of the hockey team was to receive the award for Outstanding Male Athlete on campus, this was apparently revoked and that category was left empty.
The revocation of the NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship by the administration was not enough punishment for these seniors. Apparently that was insufficient, there needed to be more indignities piled on these wayward miscreants. Honestly, when will it end? Perhaps they can arrange to have the entire season expunged from the record books.
“At Bowdoin we understand that leadership requires empathy—at its best it requires a person who understands in their heart and head the issues and problems they seek to solve, and the situations they aim to improve.”This was a quote from the President of the College at Commencement Exercises. I’ll leave it up to the readers to find the irony in these words.
And you’re right NUprof, it does suck to be them. I’ve been told that the hockey team-- including the freshman--felt this was the mildest of hazing. I repeat, these punishments were way too severe for the indiscretions. Unfortunately a group of young men leave the college feeling marginalized, unappreciated and a little empty as the result of a hasty decision and lack of creative and appropriate consequences by the leaders of the College.
On May 28 Bowdoin College held their Two Hundred and Sixth Commencement Exercises. By all accounts it was a wonderful event, full of great pomp and ceremony and richly deserved by the graduating class. There were a plethora of individual Academic Awards and Honors as well as a number of Athletic Awards which were detailed in the Commencement publication. Most of the teams were represented including Women’s Ice Hockey, Football, Men and Women’s Basketball and Lacrosse to name a few. Conspicuous by its absence was the Men’s Ice Hockey team. Historically, there had been four or five Men’s Hockey awards in this section of the booklet. They were excluded and completely ignored in the 2011 edition. One of the members of the hockey team was to receive the award for Outstanding Male Athlete on campus, this was apparently revoked and that category was left empty.
The revocation of the NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship by the administration was not enough punishment for these seniors. Apparently that was insufficient, there needed to be more indignities piled on these wayward miscreants. Honestly, when will it end? Perhaps they can arrange to have the entire season expunged from the record books.
“At Bowdoin we understand that leadership requires empathy—at its best it requires a person who understands in their heart and head the issues and problems they seek to solve, and the situations they aim to improve.”This was a quote from the President of the College at Commencement Exercises. I’ll leave it up to the readers to find the irony in these words.
And you’re right NUprof, it does suck to be them. I’ve been told that the hockey team-- including the freshman--felt this was the mildest of hazing. I repeat, these punishments were way too severe for the indiscretions. Unfortunately a group of young men leave the college feeling marginalized, unappreciated and a little empty as the result of a hasty decision and lack of creative and appropriate consequences by the leaders of the College.
PSUChamps2001
Member of the REAL Zoo Crew
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
As someone from the outside looking in, I would really like to know the details before putting judgment on the case. Hazing, to the extent that it becomes dangerous to the individual, is wrong and I am hoping (but not at the same time) that this was the case. But if the upper classmen simply made the boys drink a little or run around town in their girlfriends thongs, then shame on the school for doing this to these players. If anyone watched ESPN today they were doing the special on USC's National Title being taken away, and one of the commentators said it best. You can take away the title, but you can't take away the fact that they were one of the best teams in college football and the memories they will always have. You will always have the two different sides. The elders who will always say "we never did stuff like this when we were their age" and the younger crowd who say "its just harmless fun". And just like that you will have the school saying it a complete and utter negligence and the students will say it was the "mildest of hazing". The truth probably is found somewhere right in the middle.
I can certainly see the frustration in "some" of the Bowdoin fans, if the world only knew half of what happens in the "hockey houses" I think a lot of other people would be in shock. Underage drinking
Pranks Dares If I had to guess I would put money down that a party got busted and the school didn't want to get caught, so what do they do? Put a severe punishment to please their alumni funds that nothing like that happens at their college 
right......because every freshman that enters college has never tasted a lick of. I’m not sure how old the Bowdoin freshman are/were because they don’t list their age, but I wish the school would put out a press release on what did happen because we all know the suit and ties of the world would NEVER over react to anything…..
As someone from the outside looking in, I would really like to know the details before putting judgment on the case. Hazing, to the extent that it becomes dangerous to the individual, is wrong and I am hoping (but not at the same time) that this was the case. But if the upper classmen simply made the boys drink a little or run around town in their girlfriends thongs, then shame on the school for doing this to these players. If anyone watched ESPN today they were doing the special on USC's National Title being taken away, and one of the commentators said it best. You can take away the title, but you can't take away the fact that they were one of the best teams in college football and the memories they will always have. You will always have the two different sides. The elders who will always say "we never did stuff like this when we were their age" and the younger crowd who say "its just harmless fun". And just like that you will have the school saying it a complete and utter negligence and the students will say it was the "mildest of hazing". The truth probably is found somewhere right in the middle.
I can certainly see the frustration in "some" of the Bowdoin fans, if the world only knew half of what happens in the "hockey houses" I think a lot of other people would be in shock. Underage drinking
Pranks Dares If I had to guess I would put money down that a party got busted and the school didn't want to get caught, so what do they do? Put a severe punishment to please their alumni funds that nothing like that happens at their college right......because every freshman that enters college has never tasted a lick of. I’m not sure how old the Bowdoin freshman are/were because they don’t list their age, but I wish the school would put out a press release on what did happen because we all know the suit and ties of the world would NEVER over react to anything…..d3follower
Registered User
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Yikes -- the Bowdoin administration is distinguishing itself with unusual levels of mean-spiritedness and pettiness. I wonder how much of this is in response to the fact that members of the Bowdoin team were not "forthcoming" (in the words of the Bowdoin president) as to exactly what happened . .
Yikes -- the Bowdoin administration is distinguishing itself with unusual levels of mean-spiritedness and pettiness. I wonder how much of this is in response to the fact that members of the Bowdoin team were not "forthcoming" (in the words of the Bowdoin president) as to exactly what happened . .
SB in the 'Seo
How 'bout a Fresca?
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Why on Earth would these guys have been hazing anyway? Shouldn't the leaders on these team have been looking back on the 9-1 defeat they received to end their 09-10 season and said to themselves "We may be able to win the NESCAC, but we'll get smacked around by a SUNYAC or ECAC WEST school in the NCAA's unless we get bigger, faster, and stronger. We should be spending our time worrying about that and improving our games in the gym/rink not worrying about hazing."
What punishments would people recommend if you don't like the one that was handed out by the administration. Given that some people involved had completed their playing career the only way to punish them is to take away a past accomplishment. Also the administration wanted to send a message so a lot of possible punishments wouldn't be strong enough anyway.
Why on Earth would these guys have been hazing anyway? Shouldn't the leaders on these team have been looking back on the 9-1 defeat they received to end their 09-10 season and said to themselves "We may be able to win the NESCAC, but we'll get smacked around by a SUNYAC or ECAC WEST school in the NCAA's unless we get bigger, faster, and stronger. We should be spending our time worrying about that and improving our games in the gym/rink not worrying about hazing."
What punishments would people recommend if you don't like the one that was handed out by the administration. Given that some people involved had completed their playing career the only way to punish them is to take away a past accomplishment. Also the administration wanted to send a message so a lot of possible punishments wouldn't be strong enough anyway.
d3follower
Registered User
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Interesting that a Geneseo fan would be so righteous about another school's disciplinary problems when the NCAA had to step in and sanction Geneseo for violations of rather basis financial aid rules not that long ago . .
Interesting that a Geneseo fan would be so righteous about another school's disciplinary problems when the NCAA had to step in and sanction Geneseo for violations of rather basis financial aid rules not that long ago . .
PSUChamps2001
Member of the REAL Zoo Crew
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Was the hazing done after they won? Normally hazing is done at the begining of the season. If it happens after the season starts thats just called a good party.....
Was the hazing done after they won? Normally hazing is done at the begining of the season. If it happens after the season starts thats just called a good party.....
d3follower
Registered User
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
It was done after the season was all over with - "post-season" hazing.
Was the hazing done after they won? Normally hazing is done at the begining of the season. If it happens after the season starts thats just called a good party.....
It was done after the season was all over with - "post-season" hazing.
PSUChamps2001
Member of the REAL Zoo Crew
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
That makes it even more of a joke....
That makes it even more of a joke....
norm1909
Larry Normandin
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Hazing – is hazing, there is NO “mild” version of it – interpretation is in the “eye of the beholder”, NO ONE other than the recipient knows the impact and extent of harassment, abuse or humiliation. Real men have pride and self confidence; they do not need to haze anyone to feel important. College students pitch in a token of the cost of their education, taking advantage of the generosity of many, be it tax payers (note that at a minimum, tax exempt status as well as contributions to 501(c)(3) organizations COST all taxpayers), donors, etc. These benefactors deserve to have their expectations meet that their efforts are going to benefit society, not feed the immature fantasies of gangsters. There is NEVER a justification to hazing, yes, military drill sergeants do exhibit what appears to be hazing, but that is one of the rare cases, where the volunteer recipient understood what they were signing up for, and the reasons for the psychological testing. Guilt by association, the seniors that were denied their awards, have instead, either the guilt of their actions or the pride in knowing that their “association” was penalized and that they can have some redemption in having paid the price of their teammates indiscretions. There must be Zero tolerance for hazing, and only through strong action against perpetrators can an institution make a statement and maintain its pride. Bowdoin, IMO has done that.
Hazing – is hazing, there is NO “mild” version of it – interpretation is in the “eye of the beholder”, NO ONE other than the recipient knows the impact and extent of harassment, abuse or humiliation. Real men have pride and self confidence; they do not need to haze anyone to feel important. College students pitch in a token of the cost of their education, taking advantage of the generosity of many, be it tax payers (note that at a minimum, tax exempt status as well as contributions to 501(c)(3) organizations COST all taxpayers), donors, etc. These benefactors deserve to have their expectations meet that their efforts are going to benefit society, not feed the immature fantasies of gangsters. There is NEVER a justification to hazing, yes, military drill sergeants do exhibit what appears to be hazing, but that is one of the rare cases, where the volunteer recipient understood what they were signing up for, and the reasons for the psychological testing. Guilt by association, the seniors that were denied their awards, have instead, either the guilt of their actions or the pride in knowing that their “association” was penalized and that they can have some redemption in having paid the price of their teammates indiscretions. There must be Zero tolerance for hazing, and only through strong action against perpetrators can an institution make a statement and maintain its pride. Bowdoin, IMO has done that.
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Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Norm, get a life, you are technically right, there is no room for hazing and I think the Bowdoin administration had to act once they officially knew about the "hazing'. Let's be clear, from what I understand through good sources is that this was pretty tame and there was no elements of cruelty etc. This was nothing like the hazing that plagued the Vermont program a few years ago. This was more like part of a Fraternity initiation, which doesn't make it right. Hopefully the Bowdoin kids learn and move on, but I think you are a bit sanctamonious.
Norm, get a life, you are technically right, there is no room for hazing and I think the Bowdoin administration had to act once they officially knew about the "hazing'. Let's be clear, from what I understand through good sources is that this was pretty tame and there was no elements of cruelty etc. This was nothing like the hazing that plagued the Vermont program a few years ago. This was more like part of a Fraternity initiation, which doesn't make it right. Hopefully the Bowdoin kids learn and move on, but I think you are a bit sanctamonious.
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Considering we don't know what happened, all we have to go on is the severity of the reaction. That implies fairly serious hazing.
Powers &8^]
Considering we don't know what happened, all we have to go on is the severity of the reaction. That implies fairly serious hazing.
Powers &8^]
norm1909
Larry Normandin
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Pretty tame - obviously NOT to everyone. I have to believe that if any team member would have proactively stepped up and denounced the situation, he would have been exonerated – versus “Compounding the problem was the fact that team members were not forthcoming when confronted about the incident.”
As for being “sanctimonious” I am self confident enough that I don’t care what anyone thinks about me, that said, I have little respect for anyone who can justify attempting to belittle anyone to ANY extent. I am also proud to admit that my self confidence comes primarily from a belief in a superior being, I suppose that qualifies me as sanctimonious to some – to which I turn to Luke 23:34 – but that is MY choice - C'est la vie.
Note they ignored this warning from a women’s team as well.”
Pretty tame - obviously NOT to everyone. I have to believe that if any team member would have proactively stepped up and denounced the situation, he would have been exonerated – versus “Compounding the problem was the fact that team members were not forthcoming when confronted about the incident.”
As for being “sanctimonious” I am self confident enough that I don’t care what anyone thinks about me, that said, I have little respect for anyone who can justify attempting to belittle anyone to ANY extent. I am also proud to admit that my self confidence comes primarily from a belief in a superior being, I suppose that qualifies me as sanctimonious to some – to which I turn to Luke 23:34 – but that is MY choice - C'est la vie.
Note they ignored this warning from a women’s team as well.”
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Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Actually, I think I have a pretty good handle on the incident. No one complained and again there was no cruelty or physical humiliation etc. This is common in almost every Hockey program in the country, it is not needed and it should go away. The point is that the Bowdoin kids made a mistake, but they are not outliers in the world of hockey and they did nothing that will haunt them in future years. They paid the price, hopefully it stops, but it was mild on a relative skill. It would not make an interesting investigative report, if this was over the edge it would be a great story for the media. Time to move on it's a distasteful circumstance for the players and the administration. The administration had to do what they did, and the players crossed a line they shouldn't have, there is nothing salacious here.
norm1909
Larry Normandin
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
Without cruelty there is no hazing, again I stress, no one except the recipient can address the impact and duration of mental distress, often of far stronger impact than physical harm. You play with fire, you risk getting burned. Hopefully everyone gained a lesson as valuable as any learned in the classroom - no one should be sanctimonious enough to claim to know how someone else feels or interprets anything.
Without cruelty there is no hazing, again I stress, no one except the recipient can address the impact and duration of mental distress, often of far stronger impact than physical harm. You play with fire, you risk getting burned. Hopefully everyone gained a lesson as valuable as any learned in the classroom - no one should be sanctimonious enough to claim to know how someone else feels or interprets anything.
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
I'm going to have to agree with norm here. There is no room for hazing of any kind in higher education. Period. It doesn't even matter if the recipients of the treatment were okay with it or not. It is against the law, it is wrong, and it should be punished. If this happens elsewhere (including with programs that I support) I would expect that upon discovery appropriate penalties will be applied. The fact that this took place after the season was over meant that the range of consequences for the seniors was limited. This also sends a message to future senior classes. It's not being sanctimonious, it is a practice which needs to end, regardless of what is acceptable elsewhere. There is no gray area - if it is borderline hazing, it is hazing. Maybe I'm a grumpy old retiree, but that's my view.
I'm going to have to agree with norm here. There is no room for hazing of any kind in higher education. Period. It doesn't even matter if the recipients of the treatment were okay with it or not. It is against the law, it is wrong, and it should be punished. If this happens elsewhere (including with programs that I support) I would expect that upon discovery appropriate penalties will be applied. The fact that this took place after the season was over meant that the range of consequences for the seniors was limited. This also sends a message to future senior classes. It's not being sanctimonious, it is a practice which needs to end, regardless of what is acceptable elsewhere. There is no gray area - if it is borderline hazing, it is hazing. Maybe I'm a grumpy old retiree, but that's my view.
SB in the 'Seo
How 'bout a Fresca?
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
I fail to see how I was being righteous the two items of my post were:
1) Why Bowdoin (or anyone for that matter) would focus even a milli second of their time on anything other than improving their hockey skills?
2) What punishment would people who don't agree with the current punishment recommend?
I feel very bad for the student-athetes involved that just lost their title. I think one of our responsibilites as a community of fans, friends, media, etc. involved with these teams is to discuss all angles of it and hopefully learn from it so the mistakes aren't repeated. I don't literally mean that the team you're a fan it is your responsibility to break into their locker room and scold them about hazing. My thinking is that we can apply discussions like this to situations that are a little closer to home. Who knows, maybe someone reading has a friend, son, daugther, niece, nephew, cousin, etc. that will be playing a sport or another sort of organization that is often associated with hazing (soroties, fraternities, etc.) and they could learn something from this.
Hopefully based on my previous paragraph you can see I just was trying to get a little more discussion going via those two questions nothing "holier than thou" or "righteous" about it.
I fail to see how I was being righteous the two items of my post were:
1) Why Bowdoin (or anyone for that matter) would focus even a milli second of their time on anything other than improving their hockey skills?
2) What punishment would people who don't agree with the current punishment recommend?
I feel very bad for the student-athetes involved that just lost their title. I think one of our responsibilites as a community of fans, friends, media, etc. involved with these teams is to discuss all angles of it and hopefully learn from it so the mistakes aren't repeated. I don't literally mean that the team you're a fan it is your responsibility to break into their locker room and scold them about hazing. My thinking is that we can apply discussions like this to situations that are a little closer to home. Who knows, maybe someone reading has a friend, son, daugther, niece, nephew, cousin, etc. that will be playing a sport or another sort of organization that is often associated with hazing (soroties, fraternities, etc.) and they could learn something from this.
Hopefully based on my previous paragraph you can see I just was trying to get a little more discussion going via those two questions nothing "holier than thou" or "righteous" about it.
norm1909
Larry Normandin
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
I feel very bad for any student-athletes too intimated to step forward.
I feel very bad for any student-athletes too intimated to step forward.
d3follower
Registered User
Re: Bowdoin Forfeits NESCAC Championship due to Hazing
You don't see the hypocrisy of carrying on about violations at another school of a rather ambiguous nature (no physical harm done and the perpetrators are all "good people") when your school is a black-and-white violator of a rule designed to ensure fair competition in D3????
You don't see the hypocrisy of carrying on about violations at another school of a rather ambiguous nature (no physical harm done and the perpetrators are all "good people") when your school is a black-and-white violator of a rule designed to ensure fair competition in D3????