...punish the victims twice?

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In canceling the 2012 women’s volleyball season, SUNY Geneseo officials sought to send a clear message: hazing will not be tolerated.

As the fallout from a drunken “initiationâ€￾ party continued Friday, some wondered whether the consequences were too severe. But others said they feared the ramifications of the incident, in which 11 students were arrested and another was hospitalized, might follow the student athletes far beyond the volleyball court.
“Some of the things that happen (now) can have far-reaching impact,â€￾ said Mike Mooney, athletic director at the State University College at Geneseo. “We’re talking about volleyball, but I’m more concerned with how it impacts their life. If you’re arrested, that could be problematic in terms of when you want to get a job later.â€￾
Six freshman volleyball players said they were handcuffed, blindfolded and fed large quantities of vodka during a Sept. 2 off-campus “initiation partyâ€￾ that involved all but one member of the team.
Eleven current or former members of the team have been charged with first-degree hazing and first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child for allegedly providing alcohol to underage students at the party. The team is not allowed to participate in any practices or games this season.
Mooney said the university’s disciplinary action has been supported by some of the team members’ parents, but there has also been criticism.
“Some would like to think the police and the media made a bigger deal out of it,â€￾ he said. “Our concern is for the students and any time their health and safety is compromised, then we’re concerned.â€￾
Hazing is common in college athletics but is rarely reported, said Hank Nuwer, an author who has written four books about hazing.
“You see one or two teams have a canceled seasons every semester,â€￾ he said. “Hazings by women are usually revealed in YouTube videos or social network photo sites. It is very rare for an athlete to say she was abandoned by her teammates, injured, and filed a report because she was hurt.â€￾

One of the first-year volleyball players involved in the hazing incident, an 18-year-old from Rochester, said she chipped her tooth when she fell at the party and was left by her teammates to collapse outside from intoxication. She later had to have her stomach pumped after her blood alcohol level reached .26.

Mooney said he has personally counseled the first-year volleyball players and tasked them with preventing future hazing incidents.
“They need to be the change-agents,â€￾ he said. “They need to be the people who change the culture from what is presently going on.â€￾
Those involved could also face school suspensions. That course of action would be determined through conduct hearings, which will be confidential and in accordance with school policy and federal law, said Robert Bonfiglio, the vice president for student and campus life.
“It’s very premature to speak about what will happen from that perspective,â€￾ Bonfiglio said. “We’re still in the fact-finding stage, trying to gather as much information as we can.â€￾
Bonfiglio said the cancellation of the season was based on police reports that indicated athletic codes of conduct had been broken. The status of next season has not been determined.
Nuwer, who maintains an anti-hazing website and has been following the Geneseo case, offered advice to prevent injuries and deaths caused by hazing in the future: “Have the coach set down very stringent rules: no initiations, period.â€￾