—The Sports Law Institute at Vermont Law School will present “Hazing in Sports: Legal, Psychological and Public Policy Implications,” a panel discussion from 12:45 to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Chase Community Center at VLS. The event is free and open to the public and press, and will be streamed live at vermontlaw.edu/live.
Incidents of hazing and athlete-on-athlete abuse make national headlines, though the vast majority of incidents go unreported. According to 2015 research published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine and reported by Reuters, “At the college level, 80 percent of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes say they have experienced some form of hazing throughout their college athletic career while 42 percent reported a history of also being hazed in high school.”
The VLS panel, moderated by Professor Brian Porto, director of the Sports Law Institute, will examine the legal and public policy implications of hazing in addition to the psychological effects. Guest panelists include Rick Farnum, athletic leadership educator and former University of Vermont athletic director; Heather Thomas Lynn, a partner at Burlington-based law firm Lynn, Lynn, Blackman & Manitsky; and Dave Landers, a professor of psychology and gender studies at St. Michael’s College.
“We look forward to welcoming our esteemed guests to Vermont Law School for what promises to be an informative, wide-ranging discussion on the issue of hazing in athletics,” Porto said. “The discussion will explore what hazing is, why it persists on athletic teams, its effects on individuals and institutions, and what can be done to prevent it.”
For more information about “Hazing in Sports: Legal, Psychological and Public Policy Implications,” email bporto@vermontlaw.edu or call 802-831-1144. For more information about the Sports Law Institute at Vermont Law School, visit vermontlaw.edu/academics/centers-and-programs/sports-law-institute.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a juris doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; four master’s degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy, and Master of Arts in Restorative Justice; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, Center for Applied Human Rights, and Center for Justice Reform. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.