14 DAY TRIAL // The cheerleading team at Towson University in Baltimore has been suspended over hazing ten freshmen.
According to media liaison, Gay Pinder, the school was alerted about the hazing incident on August 6. No injuries have been reported.
“Towson has a policy of no hazing and we do take that very seriously. We have high expectations of our students and expect them to treat each other with the utmost respect,” Pinder tells the Daily Mail.
The suspension will be in place for the 2013-2014 academic year. The team had already qualified for next year's college cheerleading championship.
In April, they won the All-Girl Division I section of the National Cheerleaders Association's Collegiate Cheerleading Championship. They were automatically allowed to compete in the championship in a preferred team position.
“I have never heard of a whole team getting suspended. [...] That is pretty rare, maybe unheard of,” Jim Lord, executive director of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators comments for the Baltimore Sun.
He mentions that one or two students are usually suspended in situations such as this one. Since a drum major died after being hazed at Florida A&M University in 2011, schools have started taking more drastic action against the practice.
“Hazing in any form will not be tolerated at Towson University,” argues Towson student affairs VP, Deb Moriarty.
The school did not disclose any information on how exactly the students were being hazed, citing their privacy.
“Out of concern for students' privacy and their rights to due process that includes their right to appeal the suspension, it would be inappropriate for the university to comment further,” Moriarty adds.
The team's coach, Edy Pratt, is also staying silent in regard to the hazing incident. Moriarty tells school newspaper, the Towerlight, that the team has the right to and will be appealing the suspension ruling. Until then, its members are not allowed to practice or perform.