Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: News

Photos from a women's soccer team "freshmen party" were posted on the online social networking website Facebook in December. The Athletics Department denied access to the contact information of the players and most players couldn't be reached through available phone numbers to comment on an investigation. "Freshmen party" photos were available publicly in December on Facebook before being taken down. No photos from the party can be found on the public profiles of the women's soccer players on Facebook. [Click to enlarge]

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Athletics Director Terry Wanless [Click to enlarge]

Student athlete handbook 2006-07 [Click to enlarge]

Editor's note: A majority of editors including the editor in chief, print managing editor, news editor, sports editor and news assistant editor decided against displaying the faces of the freshmen pictured in the photos supplementing this story. Media coverage in similar cases either blurred photos or chose not to run any. The State Hornet decided against humiliating those photographed.

The events of a December "freshmen party" organized by the women's soccer team may have gone too far and have become further blurred with the Athletics Department telling players not to speak with The State Hornet. This comes after the athletic director was shown photos of freshman players tagged with the words "bitch" and other forms of "marking up."

Former midfielder Katie Rorabaugh, who transferred to Azusa Pacific University to be closer to home, said the idea to dress up in costumes and draw on each other was not the freshmen's.

"It was the upperclassmen's idea," Rorabaugh said in a telephone interview on Monday.

But Rorabaugh said all of the freshmen were willing to participate and that she didn't see it as a harmful situation.

"It wasn't forced on us," Rorabaugh said. "I don't really consider it hazing. I didn't find it humiliating."

Sophomore goalkeeper Jenny Lawrence said freshmen were told to wear costumes and willingly participated.

"We don't make them do something they don't want to do," Lawrence said in a telephone interview. "I think the administration took it way too seriously."

"(The freshmen) wanted to do it because it was their night," sophomore defender Kara Taylor said in a telephone interview. "There were no penalties towards us."

Former coach Katie Poynter and new coach Randy Dedini did not respond to multiple calls. Dedini also cancelled a telephone interview on Saturday with The State Hornet for a separate profile on the new coach.

Athletics Director Terry Wanless said on Thursday that the department was looking into allegations about the women's soccer team and said he would be involved in any investigation of hazing within the Athletics Department.

"I certainly wouldn't use the word investigation because I think that that is an overstatement of the way that we deal with things," Wanless said on Thursday.

Lawrence said in a telephone interview on Monday, Wanless told the players on Friday to give a "no comment" to The State Hornet. Taylor said on Monday that coaches told the team not to speak to the newspaper.

In an interview on Monday, Wanless declined further comment.
"I don't know if there's been a determination of hazing," Wanless said. "That's a Student Affairs issue."

When asked whether the women's soccer team was under investigation for hazing, Director of Student Conduct Leonard Valdez said, "There's no way I can comment on anything that is ongoing currently."

"Anything that is ongoing, I would not discuss," Valdez said. "If there are any cases going on, I could not respond to that."

PHOTOGRAPHS

Photos from the "freshmen party" were posted on the public portions of social networking website Facebook. No photos from the party are currently online on any of the public soccer team player profiles on the website. The State Hornet downloaded six photos in December.

In one photo, eight players are dressed in costume, including a freshman defender wearing a cardboard box and two other players wearing sombreros. All of the players have ink writing on their faces. A penis and testicles are drawn on the throat of a redshirt forward. A freshman goalkeeper and a freshman midfielder are wearing yellow headbands with "bitch" written on them.

The Athletics Department declined to release the phone numbers of the players seen in the photographs. The department has released phone numbers for players in the past.

Rorabaugh said Wanless told players to not speak to The State Hornet. Senior forward Kelly Novak, an all-Big Sky Conference honorable mention selection, declined to comment. She wouldn't give out the numbers of any other players and said no players would comment.

Senior midfielder Katie McCoy, selected to the all-Big Sky Conference first team, did not return calls.

"I think it's not in the best interest of the student-athlete to comment on these issues," Wanless said.

Shown photos of the party obtained by The State Hornet, Wanless wouldn't on Thursday describe the contents as hazing, stating they could be considered inappropriate.

"Not having seen these before, I don't really want to comment one way or the other," Wanless said. "Obviously, they would be inappropriate. No question about that. Whether this is considered hazing is obviously a different route. Is it a 'masquerade party?' See, that's the problem with how you define hazing that everyone struggles with to some degree."
Wanless denied on Monday obtaining the photos before The State Hornet showed them to him.

"I never received an e-mail, a picture (or) a complaint on my computer," Wanless said.

Valdez was shown two photos of the female athletes and said that the activity could potentially be hazing.

"We need to establish the context of the photos. I think I know the context, but I need to make sure that that's what was exactly going on," Valdez said.

Taylor and Lawrence said Poynter addressed the team sometime after the "freshmen party" and said the university was looking into the incident. The Athletics Department considered canceling the season for hazing, Lawrence and Taylor said, yet no action was taken against the team.

Wanless wouldn't say whether the Athletics Department planned to cancel next season.

"I don't want to give validity to a statement like that," Wanless said.

ATHLETICS

Poynter stepped down for her position after guiding women's soccer to a program-best 10-7-4 record in the fall and a 21-30-7 record during her three years as coach. The season ended in a 4-3 loss to Idaho State on Nov. 5 in Sac State's first conference championship appearance.

Poynter resigned to spend more time with her family.

"(My husband) got a job teaching in Livermore, so we decided it was time to focus on starting a family in the Bay Area," Poynter said in a prior interview.

Wanless said Poynter's departure is unrelated to the events of the December parties.

"There's no correlation between her resignation and this," Wanless said. "I can guarantee you that."

Wanless said all student-athletes receive a student-athlete handbook, which describes program policies and expectations.
"Hazing is any act whether physical, mental, emotional or psychological, that subjects another person, voluntarily or involuntarily, to conduct that may abuse, mistreat, degrade, humiliate, harass or intimidate the person, or which may in any fashion compromise the inherent dignity of the person," reads the manual.

Student-athletes undergo a meeting as part of the team orientation program and Wanless said that coaches discussed the department's philosophy on hazing in the fall. All freshmen student-athletes are also enrolled in a fall course, General Studies 21, to discuss topics ranging from academic skills to decision-making to hazing.

Wanless said there is no punishment standard for hazing in the Athletics Department. Dismissal from a team or suspension from games are possible punishments.

"I don't think you can have a black-and-white situation," Wanless said. "I think you have to look at each situation for its uniqueness and deal with it appropriately."

Valdez said if a sports team participated in hazing that the Athletics Department and Student Affairs would investigate the situation.

"I don't treat any group in isolation. An intramural program, a fraternity/sorority, a social club, a professional organization, it doesn't matter," Valdez said. "It's an organized and recognized program, and, therefore, falls under my jurisdiction."

DEFINITIONS

"Marking up" is a term used to describe writing words or drawing pictures using markers on someone's body. "Chiefing" describes "marking up" someone who is asleep.

According to the California Education Code, hazing includes any initiation activity by members of a student organization likely to cause physical or mental harm. Even if a student willingly submits to the action, the activity is still hazing.

"Neither the express or implied consent of a victim of hazing, nor the lack of active participation while hazing is going on is a defense," the code states. "Apathy or acquiescence in the presence of hazing is not a neutral act."

Hazing that doesn't lead to bodily harm is punishable in California as a misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $100 up to $5,000 and potentially one year of jail time.

Hazing in which someone is injured can result in a misdemeanor or felony, and one year in county jail.

Susan Lipkins, author of "Preventing Hazing: How Parents, Teachers, and Coaches Can Stop the Violence, Harassment, and Humiliation," said college students are attempting to circumvent rules by manipulating technicalities.

"What's happening lately is the kids are slicing and dicing the definitions of hazing," Lipkins said in a telephone interview on Friday. "The laws are written whether or not the victim agreed to participate in that sort of hazing. I don't really know of groups of kids who go and decorate themselves like that with Magic Markers on a regular basis for no apparent reason."

Lipkins said college athletes are moving what was once considered an initiation from the beginning of the season to the end. She said seniors are turning it into a sort of graduation activity.

"Part of the reason is that the seniors feel like if they do it then, there's nothing really much that can happen to them, that they can't get in a lot of trouble," Lipkins said. "They feel safer and less vulnerable."

UNIVERSITY POLICY

Director of Student Conduct Leonard Valdez Valdez said hazing is defined as an activity that would put an individual or an organization at risk physically or psychologically, or a situation that could "introduce them to a kind of humiliating experience."

Valdez said he does not believe individuals participate in hazing with an intention to hurt each other. He said that the activity is not tolerated because it presents a potential dangerous situation.

"What happens is that by virtue of the acts that are committed, students... are put at risk or put into situations that could potentially become risky," Valdez said.

Even if individuals agree to participate in the activity, they are not free from punishment, Valdez said.

"It's not a good defense," Valdez said. "In fact, it's no defense."
Valdez said punishments for hazing depends on the severity of the case. Types of sanctions include educational seminar, suspension and expulsion.

"We try to match it to the situation," Valdez said.

Being educated about hazing is a typical penalty that the university enforces when the form of hazing is not severe, Valdez said, giving an example of an organization requiring its members to shave their heads. He said with this punishment, organizations are taught what types of actions are allowed compared to actions that are not allowed.

Individuals who are found guilty of hazing are also required to sign a form pledging that they will not participate in hazing again, Valdez said.

Valdez said individuals who repeatedly participate in hazing are "probably gonna find themselves in deeper water."

"It's a serious matter," Valdez said. "We don't want to see anyone hurt."

If the type of activity harms someone or if there is "some equally egregious violation to the (university's) policy," the penalty will result in expulsion.

"The question will not be what kind of sanction they're gonna get, it's going to be: Where are you going to go to school next year?" Valdez said. "And I won't think twice about it."

GREEK HAZING STANDARD

Tom Carroll, program advisor in the Student Activities Office, said all clubs on campus would go through a judicial process if hazing is suspected. Any investigation would begin with interviews of individual members and would be referred to Valdez.

Carroll declined to comment on the photos of female athletes obtained by The State Hornet. However, he said "chiefing" would constitute hazing. A bandanna with the words "Sarah's bitch" could also be hazing, Carroll said.

"I believe 'chiefing' in most instances would be hazing," Carroll said. "Even if they're awake, you're doing it ridicule them. The intent is there within 'chiefing.'"

Carroll has a hazing presentation for the Greeks as part of new-member education for Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council chapters. He said he has shared information within the presentation with the Athletics Department in the past.

"Since I've been here, we've tried to get it across that we need to police ourselves," Carroll said. "We need to be responsible for ourselves because when (one) group messes up, we all look bad."

Matt Beltran, Nika Megino and Nate Miller can be reached at news@statehornet.com.


Sacramento State Student Athlete Handbook 2006-07

Hazing and Initiation Activities
Hazing is any act whether physical, mental, emotional or psychological, that subjects another person, voluntarily or involuntarily, to conduct that may abuse, mistreat, degrade, humiliate, harass or intimidate the person, or which may in any fashion compromise the inherent dignity of the person. In addition, any requirements by a team member that compel another member to participate in any activity which is against University policy or law will be defined as hazing. No person or organization shall create, or permit to exist any situation that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health of a student enrolled at Sacramento State. Student-athletes are strictly prohibited from engaging in any form of hazing or initiation activities, either as a direct participant or by implicit encouragement, which endangers the mental, emotional or physical health of others.

University Student Conduct Code
Explanation of Title 5, Article 2, Student Conduct

Hazing, or conspiracy to haze, as defined in Education Code Sections 32050 and 32051:

"Hazing" includes any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a student organization, or any pastime or amusement engaged in with respect to such an organization which causes, or is likely to cause, bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm, to any student or other person attending any school, community college, college, university or other educational institution in this state; but the term "hazing" does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competitions.

A group of students acting together may be considered a 'student organization' for purposes of this section whether or not they are officially recognized. Neither the express or implied consent of a victim of hazing, nor the lack of active participation while hazing is going on is a defense. Apathy or acquiescence in the presence of hazing is not a neutral act, and is also a violation of this section.

California Penal Code 245.6
(a) It shall be unlawful to engage in hazing, as defined in this section.

(b) "Hazing" means any method of initiation or preinitiation into a student organization or student body, whether or not the organization or body is officially recognized by an educational institution, which is likely to cause serious bodily injury to any former, current, or prospective student of any school, community college, college, university, or other educational institution in this state. The term "hazing" does not include customary athletic events or school-sanctioned events.

(c) A violation of this section that does not result in serious bodily injury is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100), nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or both.

(d) Any person who personally engages in hazing that results in death or serious bodily injury as defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 243 of the Penal Code, is guilty of either a misdemeanor or a felony, and shall be punished by imprisonment in county jail not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison.

(e) The person against whom the hazing is directed may commence a civil action for injury or damages. The action may be brought against any participants in the hazing, or any organization to which the student is seeking membership whose agents, directors, trustees, managers, or officers authorized, requested, commanded, participated in, or ratified the hazing.

(f) Prosecution under this section shall not prohibit prosecution under any other provision of law.

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