Hazing
Prominent Dates of Occurrence:
History: The first mention of hazing in a student publication of the University dates to 1888. The University Monthly published a response from the Juniors to a letter written by H. C. Creed that was published in the St. John Sun on 4 January 1888. According to the opinions of the respondents, several features of Mr. Creed's letter were false and misinformed. The response took a defensive position against the allegations, which reportedly accused the greater university of fault.
The letter from Mr. Creed referred to a number of activities surrounding punishment for breaking the "Unwritten Laws," which included the prohibition of Freshmen growing facial hair and of spending an excessive amount of time in "the society of ladies." The respondents admitted that, in the latter case, offenders were subjected to a mock court and, if found guilty, "were fined a peck or two of apples." Reportedly, Mr. Creed wrote in his letter that, if the fine is refused or if the offending party offends again, the offender "is tossed in a blanket" - an accusation denied by the respondents. The respondents instead attribute the punishment to the tongue and attitude of Mr. Creed's son who, upon arriving at the University, supposedly declared that he would not conform to the elder students' regulations. The response also alludes to circumstances at other universities in the maritimes in which hazing occurred.
Two months later, in the March edition of the University Monthly announced the abolishment of hazing at the University of New Brunswick.
Despite several articles and declarations condemning the practice of hazing over the next many years, an article published in the first University Monthly of 1905 indicated that the behaviour persists despite past efforts of abolition. In this article, the author distinguishes between initiation and the breaking of the "Unwritten Laws" of the student body.
Sources:
- University Monthly, vol. 7, no. 4, January 1888, p. 6-8.
- University Monthly, vol. 7, no. 6, March 1888, p. 1.
- University Monthly, vol. 25, no. 1, November 1905, p. 24.