Allan’s hazing prevention expertise featured in Portland Press Herald
University of Maine Professor of Higher Education Elizabeth Allan was interviewed for a Portland Press Herald article titled “Anti-hazing measures are in place at Maine high schools. Experts say more can be done.” Recently, Lisbon High School’s football season was put on hold in the wake of police and internal investigations into alleged hazing incidents. That follows a hazing incident involving the Brunswick football team three years ago, which made national headlines, and resulted in the firing of the head coach and cancellation of the season. “Schools are doing more than ever before to educate about it,” Allan said, “but we still have a long way to go… It’s easy to say ‘Oh, that’s not a problem here at our school.’ However, the research shows that it’s far more pervasive than people typically think.” Allan said schools could take several steps to more proactively confront hazing, including communicating their policy around hazing, such as what it constitutes and how it will be enforced; making sure coaches are trained and educated on what to look for; training people on how to intervene with a situation they see unfolding and letting kids know how they can feel safe while alerting supervisors; and stressing how school spirit can exist without hazing. She said while hazing’s physical dangers are publicized, the mental toll can be just as damaging. “There’s the emotional and psychological trauma that can happen with hazing, sometimes leaving lifelong scars,” Allan said. “(The) PTSD, anxiety, stress, depression that manifest sometimes years later because of the trauma experienced from hazing. And those are impacts on an individual. It’s important to remember that there are these ripple effects where the families are impacted, and friends as well as the group and the team. We’ve seen how seasons can be canceled, people can be fired.”