Lawrence High School junior Alex Ayre says he might subject himself to hazing if participation in high school basketball hinged on it.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Ayre, who plays junior varsity basketball, “but if you like the sport enough, you probably would.”

It’s this reality of hazing among high school students in athletics and extracurricular programs that has principals of Lawrence’s two high schools anxiously awaiting the final weeks of this academic year. They know May includes Senior Week activities and the potential for hazing trouble.

So Dick Patterson of LHS and Joe Snyder of Free State High School will keep an eye on the 2003 graduating class, not because of what it has done, but because of what members of last year’s class did.

There were num-erous reports last May of Free State seniors vandalizing students’ property. Other students were snatched, driven to rural areas and left to walk home at night.

But that was mild compared to actions of more than a dozen LHS students who were suspended after participating in ritualistic spanking of sophomores. The paddle line, conducted with the blessing of some parents and former students, left some of the 10th-graders black and blue.

It also left a mark on the city.

Tradition ‘gone too far’

“Last spring,” Patterson said, “we had an incident that really brought it to the attention of the community, and brought it to the attention of parents, that it had gone too far.”

Patterson and Snyder have leaned on faculty, students and parents in an effort to change a culture that perpetuates initiation events that include physical and psychological abuse.

¢ 6News video report: End of school year does not mean end of hazing situation (5-22-02)¢ Legal consequences of hazing discussed (5-21-02)¢ Research reveals widespread hazing (5-10-02)¢ Letter: Hazing history (5-10-02)¢ Hazing advisory group in works (5-09-02)¢ Lawrence High hands out suspensions for hazings (5-08-02)¢ 6News video report: Lawrence High seniors suspended for hazing (5-08-02)¢ Students suspended for hazing (5-07-02)¢ Hazing incidents reported (5-07-02)

“In the end, it comes down to the issue of respect not only for one another but in the springtime the respect for property owners of Lawrence,” Snyder said.

Both principals say a stumbling block to taking the wind out of hazing has been that parents and alumni pressure students to continue old traditions. There’s also a reluctance of some adults to report improper behavior to police.

“One of the difficult situations is that people know what is going on and are reticent to make the call,” Snyder said.

Supt. Randy Weseman said another complicating factor was that hazing often occurred off district property.

“How do we deal with things that happen on a Saturday night at somebody’s house?” Weseman asked. “Nevertheless, we’re going to take a strong position against these kinds of things. People have been warned.”

Fun or dangerous?

At least one parent of a student who was hazed last year is concerned that few people in the community have taken the warnings to heart.

Ann Ermey, whose son was among the sophomores paddled last spring, said she volunteered to be part of a community group that would organize an anti-hazing campaign. She attended a meeting toward that goal, but her follow-up calls and e-mails to LHS administrators went unanswered, she said.

“Those kids should know well before springtime … what will happen to them,” she said.

LHS senior Jennifer Denny said some of her teachers and classmates had discussed hazing this year. Not all the seniors buy into the anti-hazing effort, she said.

“Some students think it’s so cool. They find it fun and humorous,” Denny said. “Others think not, because people get hurt.”

To reinforce the move against hazing, Patterson said the district’s Code of Conduct would be amended to include a statement on hazing. All students in high school activities and athletics are required to sign the code.

In addition, he said coaches at LHS were to discuss the issue with team members.

He said there have been attempts to establish new sports traditions that don’t have anything to do with hazing. The LHS volleyball team participated in a confidence-building rope course. Wrestlers had a midnight practice. In addition, sophomore band members were taken to an early-morning breakfast in a bus sponsored by parents.

Free State’s students attended assemblies to address hazing and the value of maintaining respect for peers, Snyder said.

Scott Morgan, school board president, said the district’s attack on hazing wouldn’t be successful unless sustained for years at all schools and among all student groups.

He said the key phrase must be “Seniors Welcoming All Sophomores” — not “Sophomores Worshiping All Seniors.”

If the unthinkable occurs again this May, Morgan said, the issue won’t be swept under the rug.

“I didn’t want this to fade away,” he said.