DOD Service Academies

Hazing, outlawed for more than a century, has not disappeared from the service academies. At all three service academies, hazing occurs more often than official records would suggest, although the academies rarely charge anyone with hazing, preferring to pursue discipline under a lesser charge. The distinction between hazing and legitimate fourth class indoctrination, which typically includes harassment by upperclass students, can be murky. Recent changes to the fourth class systems at the Military and Naval academies appear to have successfully reduced the extent of hazing, although some kinds of hazing, such as verbal harassment and ridicule, persist. The Air Force Academy has not done an in-depth review of its fourth class system similar to those conducted at the other academies and has shown no recent reduction in the level of hazing. The harmful effects of hazing on cadets and midshipmen include higher levels of stress, lower grade point averages, attrition from the academies, and reduced career motivation.

GAO found that: (1) the distinction between allowable fourth class indoctrination and improper fourth class treatment was unclear to a significant number of cadets and midshipmen; (2) the majority of the students at all three academies indicated that during their fourth class year they had been subjected to upperclassmen screaming in their faces, verbal harassment, memorizing and reciting trivia, and using study hours to prepare for fourth class duties; (3) the officers on the commandants' staffs generally concurred with the extent of hazing cited by the students, except for the Air Force Academy officers; (4) academy disciplinary records revealed that few individuals have been charged with hazing; (5) the Military Academy and Naval Academy made changes in their fourth class indoctrination system which focused on positive leadership development techniques; (6) there was a strong correlation between self-reported exposure to hazing-type treatment and higher frequency of physical and psychological stress symptoms, lower grade point averages, thoughts about leaving the academy, and lower motivation toward making the service a career; and (7) the majority of students, especially those in the upper classes, held traditional views regarding the purpose and operation of the fourth class system.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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