Quick Read
- Nearly 87% of first-year students reported no hazing during Fall Orientation 2025 at Queen’s University.
- This represents an increase from 85.5% in 2024, continuing a positive trend in hazing reduction.
- However, 59% of students reported being expected to participate in activities they considered embarrassing, up from 52% the previous year.
- Orientation leaders are trained to prevent hazing and encourage students to make their own decisions about participation.
- Pressure to drink alcohol during orientation mostly came from fellow first-year students, not staff.
KINGSTON (Azat TV) – Queen’s University has reported a notable decline in traditional hazing incidents during its Fall Orientation 2025, according to the Queen’s Senate Orientation Review Committee’s annual report. However, the same survey revealed a significant increase in the percentage of first-year students who felt pressured to participate in activities they considered embarrassing, signaling an evolving landscape of challenges in student integration and community building.
The report, shared with The Journal, compiles survey responses from 1,118 out of 5,701 eligible first-year students, representing a 19.6 percent response rate. The findings indicate that while explicit hazing behaviors are decreasing, the nature of uncomfortable experiences during orientation may be shifting.
Queen’s University Survey Reveals Hazing Trends
The annual report highlighted a positive trend in the reduction of hazing. Nearly 87 percent of first-year students reported not experiencing hazing during Fall Orientation 2025, an increase from 85.5 percent in 2024. Olivia Elmhurst, Orientation Round Table (ORT) Coordinator, confirmed this ongoing positive direction in reported hazing behaviors over the past several years.
Digging deeper into the types of hazing, the survey found that 11.7 percent of respondents encountered “subtle hazing,” which is defined as behaviors emphasizing a power imbalance. A smaller fraction, 1.3 percent, reported “harassment hazing,” involving emotional or physical discomfort. The most severe form, violent hazing, was reported by a mere 0.1 percent of students, underscoring the success of anti-hazing initiatives in mitigating extreme incidents.
The Rise of Embarrassing Activities in Orientation
Despite the overall decline in reported hazing, the survey brought to light a concerning trend: 59 percent of respondents stated they were expected to participate in activities they deemed embarrassing during Orientation. This figure marks a significant increase from 52 percent in the previous year. Elmhurst acknowledged that perceptions of embarrassment are highly subjective and can vary widely among students based on their individual comfort levels.
Erika Tuzi, ArtSci ’28 and a Community, Awareness and Engagement (CARE) orientation coordinator for the Class of 2026, emphasized that orientation leaders are trained to encourage students to make their own choices about participation. According to Tuzi, students are explicitly told that non-participation is ‘completely up to them,’ indicating efforts to empower students to decline uncomfortable activities.
Efforts to Foster an Inclusive Environment
Queen’s University’s orientation programs place a strong emphasis on prevention and creating a welcoming atmosphere. Tuzi noted that coordinator training specifically instructs leaders to avoid language associated with hazing and instead focus on promoting positive experiences and fostering an inclusive environment for incoming students. This proactive approach aims to build a sense of belonging without resorting to traditional, often harmful, initiation rites.
The broader goals of the orientation program appear to be successful, with 89 percent of students agreeing that Orientation helped them feel welcome at Queen’s and 85 percent feeling they were joining an inclusive community. These positive outcomes suggest that while specific activities may cause discomfort, the overarching aim of student integration is being met for a large majority.
Broader Orientation Experiences and Alcohol
Beyond hazing and embarrassing activities, the report also examined other aspects of the orientation experience. Common reasons for students not attending all orientation activities included being too tired, scheduling conflicts, or simply not having enough time. This indicates a need for flexibility and consideration in program design.
Regarding alcohol consumption, the survey found that 55 percent of respondents perceived alcohol as at least moderately part of orientation culture. However, nearly three-quarters of students reported that they did not consume alcohol during the week. Interestingly, the report also noted a correlation between household income and drinking, with students from families earning $125,000 or more reporting drinking 34 percent of the time, compared to 13 percent for those from households earning $75,000 or less.
When students did feel pressure to drink, the report found that it most often originated from fellow first-year students rather than from orientation leaders or staff, suggesting that peer dynamics play a significant role in substance-related pressures. The Orientation Round Table (ORT) remains dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming environment, promising continued collaboration with faculty orientation teams to address feedback and refine future programs.
The findings from Queen’s University’s latest orientation survey underscore a critical shift: while explicit, severe hazing is declining due to focused prevention efforts, the more subtle, peer-driven pressure to engage in ’embarrassing’ activities represents a new frontier for universities seeking to ensure truly inclusive and comfortable student integration.