When Dr. Jamison Keller first went off to college, he was hesitant to join a fraternity due to negative stereotypes.
After giving it a try, he experienced its benefits firsthand, and now aims to help students in Greek life and other campus organizations have the best possible experience.
Keller, the assistant dean and director of fraternity and sorority life at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is coming to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to talk to students about hazing prevention. His discussion and workshop are part of “Mocs Don’t Haze,” a series of events taking place at UTC from Sept. 23-27 during National Hazing Prevention Week.
“Mocs Don’t Haze,” which is co-chaired by Office of Multicultural Affairs Assistant Director Chris Stokes and Center for Wellbeing Director Megan McKnight, aims to raise awareness about hazing and create a culture of safety on campus.
“The more that we create spaces for prevention and awareness, the less likely that we are to have an occurrence of hazing,” Stokes said. “It’s all about creating a safe and healthy community for our students, faculty and staff here, and helping the campus community to understand what healthy relationships look like.”
This is the second year that UTC will host the week-long event. Stokes said that last year’s workshops, guest speaker and resource fair helped make conversations about hazing much easier.
“(Students) need to know what it looks like in different forms and common misconceptions,” he said. “The speaker shared that in such a way that it almost demystified it, took away some of the taboo talk around it and created more of an open dialogue.”
This is one of Keller’s goals for his visit to UTC.
“This program is designed to open up dialogue about how a hazing culture begins and festers over time from ‘light hazing’ to a dangerous cancer,” Keller said. “I will share my own personal experiences as a pledge who thought he knew what hazing was, thus never realizing I was being hazed or later was hazing others as chapter president.”
Keller and Stokes want the campus community to know that hazing does not only happen in fraternities and sororities, which is why sports teams, music groups, academic clubs, campus departments and members of any campus organization or group are invited to attend the events.
“Hazing is an often misunderstood and overlooked issue that takes root on our campuses and in our organizations, sometimes without us realizing it,” Keller said. “Having a nationally recognized week to address this topic allows us to realize how serious hazing actually is.
“It gives us the knowledge to identify it, challenge it, stop it and prevent it from happening again.”
UTC Hazing Prevention Week 2024
Monday, Sept. 23
Social Media Day: Each council, chapter, registered student organization and all other campus stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the “Mocs Don’t Haze” social media campaign. Share Hazing Prevention Week social media graphics to spread awareness about the mission to end hazing.
* * * * *
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Campus Outreach Day: Lupton Hall lobby, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Each council, chapter, registered student organization and other campus stakeholders are encouraged to participate in “Campus Outreach Day.” Attendees are invited to stop by the UC lobby table to sign the end hazing banner and receive buttons and stickers.
Hazing prevention speaker Dr. Jamison Keller
- Workshop, UC Chickamauga Room, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Open to chapter, council and student organization leaders as well as faculty, staff and organization advisors.
- Keynote, UTC Fine Arts Center Roland Hayes Auditorium, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Open to the entire campus community. Flexible start time with preliminary activities for attendees.
* * * * *
Wednesday, Sept. 25
Campus Outreach Day, Lupton Hall lobby, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Prevention workshops: Hazing prevention and bystander intervention, presented by the Center for Wellbeing
- Student leaders session, UC Chickamauga Room, 12-1 p.m., 2-3 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. Open to chapter, council and student organization leaders.
- Faculty/staff/advisor session, UC Chickamauga Room, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Open to faculty, staff and organization advisors. An alternate session time may be considered after business hours to accommodate non-faculty/staff advisors.
* * * * *
Thursday, Sept. 26
Mocs Don’t Haze resource fair, Chamberlain Field, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.. The UTC Hazing Prevention Team will join the Center for Wellbeing for the “Mocs Don’t Haze” resource fair. The event will provide information on keeping fellow Mocs safe, the importance of being an active bystander, and how campus partners are working to end hazing at UTC. Games and refreshments will be provided.
* * * * *
Friday, Sept. 27
Campus photo with banner, Chamberlain Pavilion, 11:45 a.m.
Learn more
Office of Multicultural Affairs
