By Elise Shuey
Sounds of chatter, laughter and rain drops filled Old Town on Wednesday as each of the University of Maryland’s panhellenic chapters gathered to leave painted handprints on banners and pledge to keep their community hazing-free.
Messages like, “These hands don’t haze” and “Hands down for hazing” were painted on the banners and displayed on sorority houses throughout Old Town.
Sept. 22 marked the start of National Hazing Prevention Week, a week allocated to raising awareness about hazing. Although hazing prevention is a year round initiative, the National Hazing Network dedicates this week to encourage groups to be actively focused on participating in anti-hazing activities.
Active UMD panhellenic chapter members at the event shared their thoughts on hazing within the Greek community.
“Preventing hazing isn’t just about following rules,” Gabrielle Angelo, a sophomore communications major in Alpha Phi, said. “It’s about protecting individuals’ well-being.”
Casey Glickman, a junior journalism major and Alpha Chi Omega’s Panhellenic Association Delegate, shared how UMD’s outspoken education and prevention of hazing made her feel comfortable when joining her sorority in 2024.
“I feel like across chapters we all do a good job of uplifting one another,” Glickman said.
Ria Chaudhary, a senior marketing major in Alpha Delta Pi and Vice President of Membership Development for the Panhellenic Association, oversees all new member educators and hazing prevention in the community – putting her in charge of organizing the banner event.
“We are proud to say that we are an anti-hazing Panhellenic community,” Chaudhary said. “My goal in this position is to ensure that the new member period is a really positive, fulfilling experience for every single girl who joins our community.”
Before the start of the Fall 2025 semester, Chaudhary met with the Office of Student Conduct to go over definitions of hazing, harmful behaviors that are underreported and what actions to take if there are signs of hazing within the UMD community.
In addition to the Panhellenic Association, the Office of Student Conduct plays a vital role in addressing hazing in all organizations at UMD.
“I recognize that when people think of hazing, they think of Greek life – but it is so much broader than that,” UMD Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct James Bond said.
Bond emphasized that it’s important to acknowledge that hazing takes place across all types of campus organizations including athletic groups and performance groups.
The Office of Student Conduct has hazing policies giving them the authority to step in when hazing has occurred or is likely to occur within a UMD affiliated organization.
A notable example of this took place in early 2024, when all recruitment activity was suspended for both the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils. According to Bond, the suspension was put in place after the office received information leading them to believe that harmful behavior was taking place within a number of UMD chapters.
“The incident really sparked a lot of conversation,” Bond said. “It brought a lot of people to the table to talk about the culture and practice, and how we can all get on a better page relating to this case.”
Bond said that after the incident, greater collaboration and engagement with Greek leaders and members led the Office of Student Conduct to establish the Fraternity and Sorority Life Transformation Initiative.
The initiative recognizes the importance of keeping these organizations active for students in a way that fosters safety and trust by eradicating hazing.
The office hosted a webinar on Wednesday for Hazing Prevention Week, where Bond gave a lesson on all aspects of hazing at UMD. The lesson described hazing as a “fundamental violation of human dignity.”
If you are or suspect/know of someone experiencing hazing, refer to the resources provided by this link: https://hazing.umd.edu/hazing-reporting
Featured Image: Chapter members’ painted hands after pressing them onto anti-hazing banners. Photo by Elise Shuey.