Students Recognized By Anti-Hazing Organization

March 22, 2012

Two SUNY Plattsburgh students have been recognized for their participation in a national hazing prevention organization.

Senior Tyler Bellick is one of five students across the country to receive an anti-hazing hero award from HazingPrevention.org, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower people to prevent hazing in college and university student groups. The Hank Nuwer Award is given to students who have stood up to hazing and helped educate others about the dangers involved.

Bellick, a senior sociology major from Schenectady and member of Pi Alpha Nu, said the anti-hazing hero award is among the greatest honors he’s received.

"Changing the hazing culture in my organization and Plattsburgh's Greek community and actually seeing results was rewarding in itself,” he said. “Fraternities and sororities are values-based organizations with a specific purpose. None of these values or definitions of purpose support hazing. Besides the fact that hazing can be physically and emotionally dangerous, it has no place in any fraternal organization.”

Meanwhile, Eric Bran has been appointed as the student representative to the HazingPrevention.org Board of Directors.

Bran, who will graduate in May 2013 with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in adolescence education and mathematics, is a leadership development coordinator for fraternity and sorority life at SUNY Plattsburgh. He is responsible for developing student leadership programs and managing and mentoring a six-student staff of peer facilitators.

The Queens native also organized a two-day training retreat to address learning outcomes and objectives of the Peer Facilitation Program and Leadership Development.

As a resident assistant, Bran’s leadership provides support and resources for students, and he serves as an orientation leader, a member of Nu Theta Gamma fraternity, president of the Interfraternity Council and a member of the Greek leadership honor society Order of Omega. He has also been invited to join Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society for college students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Allison Swick-Duttine, the director of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Organization Development and a 2007 recipient of the Anti-Hazing Hero Award, calls the students’ accolades a testament to the Greek community’s commitment to eradicate hazing at SUNY Plattsburgh.

“These students have worked tirelessly to move our fraternities and sororities to become a values-driven community that does not tolerate the abuse and devaluing of our members,” she said. “I am proud of the work of both Tyler and Eric and all of the other fraternity and sorority members who are working every day to remove hazing from their organizations or who have already made the commitment to hold developmental new member education programs.”

HazingPrevention.org was founded in 2003 by the Association of Fraternity Advisors. Today, with sponsoring organizations, the nonprofit provides education programs and services in an effort to empower people to prevent hazing.