MASH - Mothers Against School Hazing

Many people at St. Amant High knew about the incident, but did not say anything to anyone. I was one of the people who did not know what happened to Jake Savoy in the locker room on October 14, 2002.

I remember I was in my Physics class when I found out what happened. After two of my classmates were called out of class to report to the principal’s office, everyone in class started talking about what happened. Everyone said it was just a birthday joke that got out of hand. No one thought it was considered hazing. The first thing that ran through my mind was, “Do they know what hazing is?” After hearing everyone talk about what happened to Jake, I strongly believed he was hazed. No one can describe what happened better than Jake. I was browsing through mashinc.org one day and clicked on the Jake Savoy link. The link brought me to an essay that was written by Jake. Anyone who reads his essay cannot say that he was not hazed. In his essay, he describes exactly what happened on October 14, 2002.

On October 14, 2002, Jake Savoy and the rest of the St. Amant football team were walking into the locker room after football practice. While walking into the locker room, some senior football players started yelling his name. “After being pushed into the locker room, I was immediately swarmed by upper class football players” (J. Savoy). While lying on the bench face down, hands under his chin, the senior football players taped him to the bench by his ankles, legs, back, shoulders, neck, and hands. After taping him to the bench, they pulled down his football shorts. Each senior football player took turns beating Jake, even beating him with sandals. Some even went for seconds. They placed a tape roll in his rear end, and some even put their own rear end in Jake’s face. Not until one of the senior football players, Jay Lance, noticed he was bleeding did they stop (J. Savoy). After they noticed what they did to Jake, they realized they were wrong for doing it.

In my desire to write about hazing, I want to let people know that Jake Savoy was hazed. I wanted to find out as much information about hazing to prove that what was done to Jake on October 14, 2002 was not just a prank that got out of hand.

I went to the Ascension Parish Library in Gonzales to start my research on hazing. While reading a book about hazing, I found out that there are different types of hazing. According to Jay Schleifer, “the acts of hazers fall into three basic categories”(18). The three types of hazing are messing with the mind, terror hazing, and physical hazing (Schleifer 18). After reading the three different types of hazing, it is obvious Jake was physically hazed. While reading about hazing, I decided to interview either Jake or his mother, Karen Savoy. I knew they would be a lot of help in writing my paper. I did not quite know how to get in touch with Mrs. Savoy. I later read in the paper that she developed a website, mashinc.org, which stands for Mothers Against School Hazing. I visited the website hoping to find some kind of contact information. A couple of days after emailing Mrs. Savoy, we scheduled a day for the interview.

What is hazing? Many people seem to not know what hazing is. To me, hazing is any kind of physical abuse a person undergoes by a group of fellow classmates either as an initiation process or just to be humiliated and embarrassed. In “Education to Eliminate Hazing”, hazing is described as “any activity expected of someone joining a group that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and or physical harm.” When I interviewed Mrs. Savoy, I asked her what her definition of hazing was and her response was:

"Any action taken or situation created, intentionally to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Any form of harassment whether it be brutality or just for the objection of humiliating someone”(K. Savoy).

When the senior football players were called to the principal’s office, many people started talking about Jake’s parents. Everyone was saying that no one was going to get away with this because his parents were probably going to sue. The senior football players were punished for what they did, but it was not a good enough punishment. Twenty eight senior football players were suspended. Some also received Saturday detention. Because this occurred during Homecoming week, all 28 senior football players were not allowed to participate in any of the homecoming activities such as the parade, pep rally, the football game and they could not attend the dance. Everyone blamed Jake’s parents for the football players’ punishment by saying, “They ruined our senior year.” No one ruined their senior year but themselves. The punishment they received was nothing. When asked if the players’ punishment was good enough, Mrs. Savoy replied “No. My opinion was the same then as it is now; they should have been kicked off the football team.”

After reading Jake’s story, some questions ran through my mind. Why do people haze other people? What makes a person want to haze another person? I know a person might get hazed if he joins a group such as a fraternity or sorority. According to Mrs. Savoy, people haze because “it is a means of control and a means of power. From my research, I believe that the leader from the people that haze have inner low self-esteem.” According to the football players, what was done to Jake was just a birthday prank. The incident was planned of course because the same thing was done to another football player for his birthday a couple of weeks before Jake’s birthday. A person doesn’t get up in the morning and say, “I’m going to haze someone today.” Hazing starts off little. I think the first step of hazing is bullying. Bullying gradually increases to dangerous acts of hazing.

Most hazing incidents are not reported, but nowadays people are starting to report them. Hazing incidents occur nationwide. After the Savoys filed a civil suit against three football players and the football coach, they were contacted by People Magazine and Oprah. Mrs. Savoy was not sure about going on Oprah but when she mentioned it to Jake, he agreed to do it to let people know what really happened. “When the producers of Oprah came, they tried to get the other side to talk and it angers me that they would not talk to the producers of Oprah”(K. Savoy). In February, Mrs. Karen Savoy traveled to Washington D.C. to have several meetings set up with senators to try to get a nationwide hazing law passed.

As I finish my research and write my paper, I wonder: Should there be a law passed to stop hazing incidents from happening in high schools across the country? I truly believe there should be a hazing law. With a hazing law, students can feel safe at their school and not have to worry about being hazed.

Works Cited

“Educating to Eliminate Hazing.” 20 February 2003 <http://www.stophazing.org/definition.html>.

Savoy, Jake. “Jake’s Story.” 11 February 2003. <http://www.mashinc.org/jakestory.html>.

Savoy, Karen. Personal Interview. 16 February 2004.

Schleifer, Jay. The Dangers of Hazing. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 1996.


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		RESOURCES What is hazing Examples of hazing Effects of hazing Alternatives to Hazing Suggested Rules for Schools What to do if my school has an incident Roles of Coaches State Laws Your Senators Aid Organizations Links and Publications Speeches/Essays Schedule a Speaker Report an incident Reported incidents		ESSAYS Carla Ruiz English 102-48 David Starns 9 March 2004 Hazing: Purposely or Accidentally I first became interested on the topic of hazing after a guy at my high school was hazed in October 2002. I remember I used to come home from school and watch talk shows like Ricki Lake and Oprah. My favorites were always about school hazing. While watching these shows, I would sit and think how lucky we were to have never had a hazing incident occur at my school. I was very shocked when I found out that over 20 senior football players, which were my classmates, hazed a sophomore football player on his birthday after football practice in the locker room.

		Many people at St. Amant High knew about the incident, but did not say anything to anyone. I was one of the people who did not know what happened to Jake Savoy in the locker room on October 14, 2002. I remember I was in my Physics class when I found out what happened. After two of my classmates were called out of class to report to the principal’s office, everyone in class started talking about what happened. Everyone said it was just a birthday joke that got out of hand. No one thought it was considered hazing. The first thing that ran through my mind was, “Do they know what hazing is?” After hearing everyone talk about what happened to Jake, I strongly believed he was hazed. No one can describe what happened better than Jake. I was browsing through mashinc.org one day and clicked on the Jake Savoy link. The link brought me to an essay that was written by Jake. Anyone who reads his essay cannot say that he was not hazed. In his essay, he describes exactly what happened on October 14, 2002. On October 14, 2002, Jake Savoy and the rest of the St. Amant football team were walking into the locker room after football practice. While walking into the locker room, some senior football players started yelling his name. “After being pushed into the locker room, I was immediately swarmed by upper class football players” (J. Savoy). While lying on the bench face down, hands under his chin, the senior football players taped him to the bench by his ankles, legs, back, shoulders, neck, and hands. After taping him to the bench, they pulled down his football shorts. Each senior football player took turns beating Jake, even beating him with sandals. Some even went for seconds. They placed a tape roll in his rear end, and some even put their own rear end in Jake’s face. Not until one of the senior football players, Jay Lance, noticed he was bleeding did they stop (J. Savoy). After they noticed what they did to Jake, they realized they were wrong for doing it. In my desire to write about hazing, I want to let people know that Jake Savoy was hazed. I wanted to find out as much information about hazing to prove that what was done to Jake on October 14, 2002 was not just a prank that got out of hand. I went to the Ascension Parish Library in Gonzales to start my research on hazing. While reading a book about hazing, I found out that there are different types of hazing. According to Jay Schleifer, “the acts of hazers fall into three basic categories”(18). The three types of hazing are messing with the mind, terror hazing, and physical hazing (Schleifer 18). After reading the three different types of hazing, it is obvious Jake was physically hazed. While reading about hazing, I decided to interview either Jake or his mother, Karen Savoy. I knew they would be a lot of help in writing my paper. I did not quite know how to get in touch with Mrs. Savoy. I later read in the paper that she developed a website, mashinc.org, which stands for Mothers Against School Hazing. I visited the website hoping to find some kind of contact information. A couple of days after emailing Mrs. Savoy, we scheduled a day for the interview. What is hazing? Many people seem to not know what hazing is. To me, hazing is any kind of physical abuse a person undergoes by a group of fellow classmates either as an initiation process or just to be humiliated and embarrassed. In “Education to Eliminate Hazing”, hazing is described as “any activity expected of someone joining a group that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and or physical harm.” When I interviewed Mrs. Savoy, I asked her what her definition of hazing was and her response was: "Any action taken or situation created, intentionally to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Any form of harassment whether it be brutality or just for the objection of humiliating someone”(K. Savoy). When the senior football players were called to the principal’s office, many people started talking about Jake’s parents. Everyone was saying that no one was going to get away with this because his parents were probably going to sue. The senior football players were punished for what they did, but it was not a good enough punishment. Twenty eight senior football players were suspended. Some also received Saturday detention. Because this occurred during Homecoming week, all 28 senior football players were not allowed to participate in any of the homecoming activities such as the parade, pep rally, the football game and they could not attend the dance. Everyone blamed Jake’s parents for the football players’ punishment by saying, “They ruined our senior year.” No one ruined their senior year but themselves. The punishment they received was nothing. When asked if the players’ punishment was good enough, Mrs. Savoy replied “No. My opinion was the same then as it is now; they should have been kicked off the football team.” After reading Jake’s story, some questions ran through my mind. Why do people haze other people? What makes a person want to haze another person? I know a person might get hazed if he joins a group such as a fraternity or sorority. According to Mrs. Savoy, people haze because “it is a means of control and a means of power. From my research, I believe that the leader from the people that haze have inner low self-esteem.” According to the football players, what was done to Jake was just a birthday prank. The incident was planned of course because the same thing was done to another football player for his birthday a couple of weeks before Jake’s birthday. A person doesn’t get up in the morning and say, “I’m going to haze someone today.” Hazing starts off little. I think the first step of hazing is bullying. Bullying gradually increases to dangerous acts of hazing. Most hazing incidents are not reported, but nowadays people are starting to report them. Hazing incidents occur nationwide. After the Savoys filed a civil suit against three football players and the football coach, they were contacted by People Magazine and Oprah. Mrs. Savoy was not sure about going on Oprah but when she mentioned it to Jake, he agreed to do it to let people know what really happened. “When the producers of Oprah came, they tried to get the other side to talk and it angers me that they would not talk to the producers of Oprah”(K. Savoy). In February, Mrs. Karen Savoy traveled to Washington D.C. to have several meetings set up with senators to try to get a nationwide hazing law passed. As I finish my research and write my paper, I wonder: Should there be a law passed to stop hazing incidents from happening in high schools across the country? I truly believe there should be a hazing law. With a hazing law, students can feel safe at their school and not have to worry about being hazed. Works Cited “Educating to Eliminate Hazing.” 20 February 2003 <http://www.stophazing.org/definition.html>. Savoy, Jake. “Jake’s Story.” 11 February 2003. <http://www.mashinc.org/jakestory.html>. Savoy, Karen. Personal Interview. 16 February 2004. Schleifer, Jay. The Dangers of Hazing. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 1996.