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UMW to investigate possible hazing incident

September 29, 2006 12:50 am

By JEFF BRANSCOME and MICHAEL ZITZ

University of Mary Washington officials are investigating photos that appear to show members of the 2004-05 women's basketball team engaged in hazing rituals.

The spokesman for an anti-hazing Web site provided nine of 113 such pictures to The Free Lance-Star yesterday.

They're dated April 2, 2005, and are "absolutely" a violation of the college's hazing policy, said Bernie Chirico, vice president for student affairs.

The women are blindfolded in many of the pictures, with some wearing sombrero-like hats. With the exception of some casually dressed onlookers, all are wearing UMW basketball jerseys and appear to be drinking alcohol.

School officials became aware of the photographs after being contacted by officials of the anti-hazing Web site.

Raymond Tuttle, director of judicial affairs and community responsibility at UMW, will meet with the women's basketball coach today to review the pictures, Chirico said. He said he's "pretty confident" they'll be able to identify the students involved.

"My expectation is they will be upfront and tell us what each role [in the hazing] was," he said.

But before they implicate any students, they deserve their "due process," he said.

"I always think it's important to give students an opportunity to respond and give their side of the case," Chirico said.

Possible sanctions for violating the school's hazing policy would include suspensions from the basketball team, as well as what he called an "educational component." That includes a review of nationwide hazing-related deaths, as well as a written report and presentation.

"I'm not a big believer in just punishing people," he said. "My main concern is how do we help to change the behavior."

The images include five women on their knees, being recorded with a camcorder as they sip something from ice trays with straws.

A blindfolded woman is shown on a couch with her head tilted back and a mouth full of whipped cream. Behind her, two others are armed with a can of whipped cream and what appears to be a spice shaker.

Another photo focuses on a woman drinking from an orange beer bong with the words "2005 CAC Champs" on it.

The school's 2004-05 team was the most successful ever, winning their first-ever Capital Athletic Conference tournament title. Their season ended March 5, 2005, in a loss to Randolph-Macon College in the NCAA tournament.

William Schut, a spokesman for NCAAhazing.com, said the site's mission is to push for tougher anti-hazing rules in college sports.

He obtained the UMW pictures from another Web site and said some show students marching through a dining hall "in crazy outfits."

NCAA officials don't want to deal with hazing, he said, because the tradition is so ingrained in the culture. He noted a 1999 study that concluded 80 percent of college athletes have been hazed.

"If they suspended everybody involved, you'd have no one left to play," he said.

The Web site may help administrators better understand the nature of hazing, Chirico said.

"At least they'd have a better sense," of what hazing rituals may look like, he said.

The university's coaches discuss hazing every year, but the pictures may lead them to "reinforce the messages they've sent before," Chirico said.

Seven of the members of the 2004-05 women's basketball team were still on the team last year. Five of them are listed as students in the current UMW student directory.

Whatever the outcome of the investigation, Chirico said the pictures don't reflect UMW's campus life.

"I really think that our students are better than what's being shown on these photos now," Chirico said.

To reach JEFF BRANSCOME:540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com