HAZING SURVEY GENERATES SURPRISES

Almost a third of students at Southeast Missouri State University think hazing can be a "positive force in a student's college experience" according to a survey just completed by two Southeast faculty members.

The survey results come a year after the death of Michael Davis, a Southeast student killed while pledging Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Davis, 25, of St. Louis was beaten during a week-long hazing ritual. He died Feb. 15, 1994, after suffering a head injury during an on-campus hazing session.

The survey, headed by Dr. Tamara Baldwin and Dr. Jim Dufek of the Southeast mass communication department, questioned students views on hazing.

Baldwin and Dufek said they were surprised by some of the results from the 35-question survey of 392 students. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three points.

Baldwin said she was particularly surprised that more than 30 percent of the students finding some merit in hazing.

"I guess I looked at it as an illegal activity," she said, "so it's disturbing to me that so many would think it can be a positive experience."

Also interesting to Baldwin and Dufek was that almost 30 percent of the students surveyed wouldn't report a hazing incident to university officials.

Students were split on whether they thought hazing was a widespread problem at the university. About 24 percent said they were unsure and the rest were divided evenly between those who thought hazing was a widespread problem and those who disagree.

About 34 percent of the students surveyed were members of one of the 22 fraternities and sororities on campus.

Baldwin and Dufek said they plan to re-evaluate the survey data to better gauge responses by fraternity and sorority members.

The survey was taken in December with the help of Baldwin's theory and research class. Students from class randomly telephoned other students and surveyed those who agreed to answer the questions.

The raw data from the December survey was tallied in January and analyzed by the university's computer service.

Baldwin said faculty at Southeast were interested in doing the survey before other universities did similar surveys. But there was another reason.

"The motivation for us also was the frustration from knowing what happened to Michael," Baldwin said, "and we wanted to see what students thought about it now."

Davis, a mass communication major, was in one of Dufek's classes when he was killed.

"This kid had his life snuffed out over something very senseless," Dufek said. "And we wanted to see what students thought about hazing and where they were getting their information from."

According to the survey, most of the students polled said most of their information came from friends. Newspapers and television ranked next.

But the results also indicated that students found newspapers and television more accurate than their friends for information.

Baldwin and Dufek said they might collaborate on articles outlining their research in the future. They said university officials also have expressed interest in their data.

SELECT SURVEY RESULTS

A total of 392 students living on campus were surveyed. The poll has a +- 3 points margin of error.

If administered properly, hazing can be a positive force in a student's college experience.

Agree 31.1

Disagree 62

Unsure 6.9

I would report a hazing incident to university officials if I had direct knowledge of the incident.

Agree 58.4

Disagree 29.7

Unsure 12

Hazing is a widespread problem at Southeast Missouri State University.

Agree 37.7

Disagree 38.2

Unsure 24.1

Because hazing is a tradition in college life, it should not be prohibited.

Agree 23.7

Disagree 73.5

Unsure 2.8