Hazing is an often discussed topic as freshmen and upperclassmen alike begin the rush process to join a sorority of their choice. Will I be hazed? Does hazing still occur?

The Penn State Panhellenic Council will try and quell that fear when it kicks off its first ever anti-hazing week today, discouraging potentially dangerous behavior that has plagued the Greek scene, in myth and in fact, for years.

The event, which will run from September 19-23, is designed to profile the negative effects hazing has on not only members of sororities, but also the effect on the community and the Greek scene in general in an effort to end hazing at Penn State and other college campuses in nationwide. According to the group’s Facebook page, the week is recognized to “educate and spread awareness about the harsh realities of hazing.”

The idea is a good one; hazing is an ordeal long perceived as inherent in Greek life everywhere. There are as many rumors and myths about what actually occurs then there are truths. According to a 2007 report by the National Study of Student Hazing, 68 percent of women who participated in Greek life have experienced hazing, which leads to questions as to whether the recent effort to discourage hazing is really making any dent in the problem.

In February 2008, a Penn State Altoona student came forward, detailing her hazing experience at a sorority there. It seems unlikely that this is the last of former or current Greek members reporting incidents of hazing.

A week dedicated addressing this issue is a great idea, but Penn State’s Panhellenic Council and its chapter members need to do more to solve the problem. Anti-hazing should not be confined to a single week; it should go without saying. No one should be excluded from Greek life because he or she refuses to be subjected to hazing.

Is one week enough time to dedicate to anti-hazing? Have you been or know someone who has been affected by hazing?