Passion in Action: Hazing Prevention 2024

BY MEREDITH BROWN (OMICRON, BAKER UNIVERSITY), VICE PRESIDENT RISK MANAGEMENT

At Omicron, healthy sisterhood is our top priority. Our chapter creates strong, stable bonds through anti-hazing education, engaging sisterhood events and community service. Hazing prevention goes hand in hand with healthy love. 

This past spring, some of our favorite sisterhood moments have been a karaoke night, vision board making, painting lessons and countless late-night Sonic runs. After winning the 2023 NHPW Challenge from headquarters, we were awarded with supplies for a sisterhood jewelry dish making event. The sisterhood event we hosted, “Jewelry Dish Making and a Thing Called Love,” included education on healthy relationships. Members engaged in deep conversations, answering questions like, “What does healthy love look like?” and “How can we show healthy love to our sisters?” 

We also educate our community about healthy love. This year, we hosted Walk-A-Mile at Baker University’s Liston Stadium. The relay-race structured competition had teams representing every sorority and fraternity chapter on campus. Half time included a guest speaker from our local domestic violence shelter, The Willow in Lawrence. All proceeds from the event were donated to The Willow. Additionally, at move-in, Alpha Chis at Omicron donated hygiene products to women in domestic violence shelters. 

This year, Omicron’s plans for National Hazing Prevention Week consist of multiple events. To start, members will share their thoughts on how to prevent hazing on campus via a response jar at the beginning of the week. This will be followed by further anti-hazing education. Later in the week, members will outline their hands to create a “These Hands Don’t Haze” chalk art mural. To finish off the week, sisters will be invited to join an anti-hazing documentary movie night. 

As an executive board, we started off the year putting together words we would like to embody as chapter leaders. One of the words we settled on was “passionate.” Alpha Chis at Omicron are passionate about encouraging healthy love within our chapter and in our community. We are passionate about encouraging healthy relationships by tabling during Healthy Relationships Week, donating to The Willow and being examples on campus. We are passionate about educating ourselves and others about healthy relationships and hazing prevention.

Learn more about National Hazing Prevention Week on the Alpha Chi Omega website.

(pictured Ruby Boswell (chapter president) and Kolbie Christensen (VP risk management) of the Omicron chapter)