In sparing the young men — Aaron Golson, Benjamin McNamee and Darryl Cearnel — prison, Circuit Judge Renee A. Roche told those who were urging prison time “… the brand of felony on these young men is a substantial punishment that perhaps can never be undone,” according the Orlando Sentinel, which covered the sentencing.
The judge’s assessment echoed others around the nation.
Indeed, the former students, part of a group of 12 charged in the November 19, 2011, murder-by-hazing of 26-year-old fellow FAMU band member Robert Champion, may be free from prison, despite what Champion’s family and supporters wanted. Still, the probation has restrictions and their felony conviction is a lifelong tag that bars them from a long list of opportunities including the right to vote.
The FAMU incident was not the first nor last of its kind, say anti-hazing organization leaders and college officials who focus on the issue. Still, it has drawn more attention and legal actions to stop hazing and spurred more efforts to show the harms of the widely practiced, loosely defined, centuries-old act of testing the personal mettle of a person or group of people seeking to participate in an organization.
“It’s [hazing] being reported more and tolerated less,” said Emily Pualwan, executive director of Hazing Prevention.Org, the small group of academics who started Hazing Prevention Week a few years ago.
This year, the organization has set next week, September 21 through 25, as National Hazing Prevention Week, with a small number of institutions staging educational events to focus on the practice and its issues.
