Even if someone doesn't say no, they're not necessarily saying yes.
Every Tufts student hears this during orientation programming — but not everyone realizes that the logic applies to hazing.
"Things might sound like they involve optional participation," Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman said, "but social pressure to participate is substantial enough to [undermine] that word optional."
And while hazing is often associated with Greek organizations, interviews with representatives from a variety of student organizations reveal that the problem is prevalent in many walks of campus life — especially given the university's liberal definition.
"This is not specifically a Greek community issue; it's something that many Tufts students encounter during their time at college," said senior Becca Weinstein, director of public relations for the Panhellenic Council, which oversees Tufts' sororities.
Massachusetts state law defines hazing as conduct that "willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person." But Tufts' policy goes farther than that, labeling hazing as "any action taken or situation created, intentionally … to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule."
It proceeds to name activities that could fit the bill, listing some seemingly benign events, such as scavenger hunts and treasure quests, along with the more widely recognized forms of coercion like drinking games and forced consumption of substances.
A member of one artistic performance group on campus described an initiation process that involved a staged kidnapping and alcohol consumption. While participants were drinking alcohol, newcomers who declined were made to consume an uncomfortable amount of a non-alcoholic beverage.
"Normally people don't give me a hard time for not drinking, but that time I felt it was definitely pressuring me to drink, because obviously it would have been more comfortable not to have to drink all of that fluid," the student said.
All students interviewed about their hazing experiences requested anonymity, citing the nature of the incidents and the students' desires not to implicate organizations.
Members of a number of women's and men's athletic teams described initiations and bonding activities in which students were told to finish a prescribed amount of alcohol within a certain time period, or to participate in drinking games.
And most student athletes interviewed said that they either would not have classified what was taking place as hazing or they would have considered it relatively minor and harmless — in large part because those who did not want to drink were permitted not to do so.
Still, university policy dubs these alcohol-related activities as definite forms of hazing, specifying that "consent of participants is not an available defense against any prosecution for hazing."
"Willingness to participate in the event does not negate the accusation," Reitman said. "It is still hazing by using peer pressure to get somebody to participate … Often you want to show how much you want to belong so you do this voluntarily. It's somewhat insidious."
Reitman said that Tufts' broad policy is part of a nationwide shift to a more encompassing definition of hazing. This newer definition includes activities that are less obviously harmful and coercive but can still cause physical and psychological damage.
"The old definition of hazing described things you were forced to do, that were obligatory," Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman said. "The definition has changed … The blatant hazing stuff that was dramatic got to be taboo, and what replaced that was stuff that people saw as safer but is not necessarily so."
Some students disagreed with the school's definition.
"I think it's too broad," a member of another performing arts group said.
Highlighting one particular alcohol-related bonding activity, the student said, "[Alcohol] was a big part of the night … but no one was pressuring anyone. If anything it was pressure that someone was putting on himself to do what other people were doing, but that was no more prevalent than [it is from] just being on the Tufts campus."
Others echoed Reitman, agreeing that under certain circumstances, members might feel coerced into participating in voluntary activities.
Another member of a men's sports team said that team members were told they could leave before the drinking started but felt that no one would really choose to do so, as there was undue pressure to participate.
Reitman feels that such situations are common. He emphasized that activities like scavenger hunts, even when perceived as fun or harmless, can fall within the realm of hazing and could lead to university judiciary proceedings — criminal prosecution, even — if they came to light.
"What somebody sees as just fine, someone else is going to see as dangerous, embarrassing or demeaning," Reitman said.
Director of the Office for Campus Life Joseph Golia, Director of Athletics Bill Gehling and Reitman all said that although there have been hazing incidents in the past, no complaints outside the Greek community have surfaced in recent years.
Reitman and Gehling acknowledged that this might not reflect what actually occurs on campus.
"I'm not sure how big a problem it is at Tufts except what is reported to our office," Reitman said. "Most of the reports about hazing behavior come from parents." He said the office had not received complaints recently, "either because things are more under control or less in view of families."
Golia felt that the disconnect between what was reported and what he said was actually taking place could be attributed to the fact that students did not intuitively link certain abusive situations with hazing.
"Some of these things that would be in the category of hazing don't register because it's not some of the terrible things in the newspapers that lead to someone's death," Golia said.
But even these relatively "minor" incidents that often arise during initiations and bonding activities are unacceptable, Golia said.
"Everyone knows that forcing someone to drink is wrong," he said. "It's the little things like scavenger hunts and things you would never think of that people need to be informed about."
The Panhellenic Council will sponsor a panel of representatives from various student organizations next Wednesday to raise awareness about lesser-known forms of hazing.
