"Men for others" at Marquette

[bonwich]

Always nice to see our Jesuit brethren getting a little ink. Didn't play lacrosse as an undergrad, did you, B-Law?

Marquette's lacrosse team suspended after alleged hazing

BY MEGAN TWOHEY

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE - The men's lacrosse team at Marquette University has been suspended for a year after the administration determined that hazing occurred at a party involving beer, bongs and thongs.

Father Andrew Thon, Marquette's vice president of student affairs, said that the university decided to cancel the club team's spring season and suspend it as a student organization after holding a conduct hearing last month. He said it was the first time in at least 10 years that a team had been suspended for hazing. None of the nearly two dozen team members were disciplined individually, but the university is reserving the right to investigate further, Thon said.

"We have a policy that makes it very clear that hazing is unacceptable," Thon said. "When we found out about this, we acted quickly and definitively."

The university's student handbook defines hazing as "a broad term" that can involve "any action or situation that intentionally or unintentionally endangers the physical or mental health of a student for the purpose of initiation, full admission, or affiliation with any organization operating under the sanction of Marquette University."

Thon said university policy prohibited him from discussing what constituted the hazing. But photographs of the party that were posted on the Internet by a lacrosse player and e-mailed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by a concerned alumnus offer a taste of what went on.

The pictures show young men partying inside and outside a house with a sign that reads Marquette Lacrosse. Many of the men are dressed in nothing but thongs and tennis shoes. The photos capture them lined up with their faces against a wall and bent over with their hands held up to their bottoms. Other pictures show thonged men mingling among male and female party-goers who are clothed. In one photo, clothed students are drinking out of what appears to be a beer bong.

Terry Dale said he shared the photos after coming across them on www.webshots.com. He said he participated in both sides of hazing while serving in a fraternity at Marquette. Since graduating, he has determined that hazing is dangerous and wrong. He now feels so strongly about the practice that he searches the Internet for evidence of hazing.

Dale sent the photos to Thon, but only after Marquette administrators had learned of the party and suspended the team. Thon said the photos played no role in their decision.

Will Vial, the student who posted the photos, told Marquette's student newspaper that the party was "just a fun team gathering" and that "there were no ringleaders and no segregation of classes."

Lacrosse player Kyle Swatkowski agreed.

"It wasn't hazing," Swatkowski told the Marquette Tribune. "In hazing you're told to do certain things. It was like `Hey, do you want to do this?' not `You have to do this or you're off the team.'"

Swatkowski declined an interview request. He said in an e-mail exchange that the lacrosse team was referring questions to Thon's office.

Thon said the team had 10 days to appeal the suspension, but chose not to. The team's coach, who was hired by the players, agreed with the decision, Thon said.

He said the administration would work with the coach and players on ways to get the team back on track for the next school year.

[Taj79]

B-Law .... when we go to the end-of-season tournament, we are always struck by the "lovely apperance" of the Marquette cheerleaders and dance team. I was wondering if this might the reason that the thongs are worn by the men at this institution of higher education????? I mean, if its a hairy arse, I guess it doesn't really matter does it?

[slufanskip]

I don't see where anyone was in danger of getting hurt. They had to wear thongs ... so what. Our politically correct world at work.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

[kwyjibo]

Marquette has had anti-hazing rules since the 80's (and I am pretty sure SLU has had them as long as well). The team members hazed (the thong thing is so old and cliched that they should be punished for their lack of imagination as well), were stupid enough to post pictures on the internet, and got punished for breaking clearly laid out university policy. They appear to be compounding their crime by lying now (I have no proof of that but that is usually what escalates these cases in the minds of college officials, the attempt to cover them up). Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Your attempt to shift this into a debate on physical harm (not the point although several hundred people have died because hazing went too far) or some inarticulate grunt of "political correctness" is not helpful. Thanks for turning the clock back a few centuries (Illinois has had an anti-hazing law for over 100 years!). Maybe you should educate yourself a bit first (ESPN has even done several good pieces exposing these sadists in sports) as there is near universal agreement to ban hazing at educational institutions.

[Billiken Law]

wow, keeping up the obsession with MU even though they're not in the same conference. Bravo.

Nope, didn't play lacrosse at MU (have never picked up a lacrosse stick, in fact, never an opportunity to learn it though I was always intrigued by the game as a kid). As for the cheerleaders, the offical name of the dance team is "Intensity" but we always referred to them as "Immensity" or "Obeseity."

This is activity I'd have expected out of the Rugby team when I was at MU, not the Lacrosse team. How times have changed. Kudos to the university for coming down hard on the rule breakers.

[bonwich]

Not only that -- if you want to talk about psychological harm, just think how you'd feel if you had to see our basketball team in thongs!

[Major Majerus]

Exactly; what "rules" were they breaking? Sounds like a form of toga party...where some cute gals got to check out their bods. If it was voluntary, no harm done.

[SLUBALLS]

Agreed. The situation sounds like it should be judged on its own merits and not wrapped under the politically-correct guise of hazing.

My belief is society has broken down to a battle between those that will allow their kids to enjoy the excitingly simple game of dodgeball and those that won't. Dodgeball will reign supreme in my backyard....well except for when there's soccer to be played.

[slufanskip]

I wasn't shifting anything ... really just making a sarcastic comment. I'm surprised you haven't found some obscure stat on the internet claiming 4 of 5 dentists prefer the thongs to be worn on the head while hazing as you can use it as dental floss.

Either way ... I think it's ridiculous. So you don't agree, I'm glad to know where you stand. It really is important to me.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

[courtside]

This is very very very tame stuff. Is there more I am missing? Wow!

And as cheerleaders and dance teams go, only Memphis had it going on in C-USA....maybe a distant distant Cincinnati or something...but Marqette, SLU etc...no thanks.

[Box and Won]

Don't forget about Southern Miss. Their dance team was probably the only good thing about having to play that school.

[Billiken Law]

South Florida! Brass poles were going unused in Tampa the week of the conference tourney. L-ville, Charlotte and Cincy with their unis for the title game 2 years ago were also solid.

[Taj79]

Aren't thongs acceptable in some places? Okay, okay .. granted as formal wear at a party is probably not acceptable. As the final outerwear garment of choice at any time in Milwaukee .. well, not my cup of tea either.

Hazing? I don't beleive so ... only if say, the freshman or first year members of the team had to wear them. But if they all did? Where's the hazing in that?

Nude beaches are acceptable in some spots of the world. As Americans, we require clothing. Nothing is prettier than a pair of old German wrinkled "snausages" flapping in the breeze down around the knees of a "beauty" walking Palm Beach in Aruba. To steal from a jon Bovi song ..."Been thre, done that, I ain't looking back ..."

If it was hazing, fine, they need their butts kicked and the punishment meets the crime. If it was a "Musketeers Moment" .. all for one one for all .... its just another example of an institution coming down on some free spirits, which has been and will go on forever. I mean, it is "Marquette" lacrosse, is it not?

Dumb college guys. Thanks gawd I is a grad-oo-ett!!!