Florida State University shared hazing prevention education, advocacy and awareness with more than 1,500 students during Hazing Prevention Week last month.
The week introduced “The Power of One,” a campaign created to empower students to create positive change. Centered around hazing prevention and medical amnesty, “The Power of One” brings awareness to the power every student holds to be able to do the right thing and make the call for help.
“Hazing prevention continues to be a priority for Florida State in keeping students safe during their years on campus,” said Amy Hecht, vice president for the Division of Student Affairs (DSA). “I could not be prouder of the campus-wide support for this incredible initiative.”
“The Power of One” initiative was inspired by the mother of Andrew Coffey, an FSU student who died in 2017 during a hazing incident.
“If one of the kids from the party that night — there were 90 kids there — if just one of them would have picked up the phone when they saw that Andrew needed some help, he’d still be here,” Sandy Coffey said.
As part of the initiative, the FSU Hazing Prevention Team developed an interactive experience, held over two nights, that challenges participants’ decision making, ethical reasoning and community impact. More than 700 participants made real-time choices through a series of scenarios to comprehend the downstream effects and consequences of their decisions.
Throughout the week, students received hazing prevention information. During Market Wednesday, many on-campus departments and student organizations shared tabling educational resources.
The final event of the week was a keynote presentation by Dr. Louis Profeta, an emergency room physician at St. Vincent Hospital of Minnesota, who spoke to more than 600 students on the impact that drug and alcohol abuse can have. He emphasized the importance of how one person can have an impact on increasing community well-being.
“Florida State University continues to prioritize hazing prevention on our campus, and this week was a testament to that,” said Freddy Juarez, director of Fraternity and Sorority Life and director of Strategic Initiatives. “Between student engagement at the events and staff support in sharing resources with our students, it is evident that FSU continues to be committed to maintaining a safe campus for our students.”
The FSU Hazing Prevention Team is comprised of representatives from Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Conduct & Community Standards, Investigations & Assessment, University Health Services, Center for Health Advocacy and Wellness, Student Organizations and Involvement, Campus Recreation and The Center for Leadership & Service.
For more information about FSU’s commitment to hazing prevention, visit hazing.fsu.edu.