BC swim hazing story

[Anonymous]

Bummed to hear about the gross news about hazing going on at Boston College swim (freshmen being forced to drink and then forced to drink their own vomit or wear it in a bag around their neck). You can google news reports. It sounds like it is in litigation over whether the entire team should have been suspended but the fact that anything close to that behavior occurred makes me nervous. I always liked swimming because the schedule and rigors of the sport seemed to protect kids from that sort of nonsense. Drinking vomit is out of a horror movie.

[Anonymous]

Their parents must be proud.

My guess is that their parents are saying "not my kid" when it was totally their kid.

[Anonymous]

I feel very bad for the first year swimmers. I hope that they can transfer if they want to continue to swim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel very bad for the first year swimmers. I hope that they can transfer if they want to continue to swim.

This right here. Not to mention ADs are looking for reasons to close down non revenue generating programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Their parents must be proud.

My guess is that their parents are saying "not my kid" when it was totally their kid.

Some parents are also saying there's nothing there. Look up the Boston Globe story from late September entitled, "Parents of freshmen in BC case say that hazing allegations are unfounded."

Among the quotes, “I do NOT expect there to be evidence of salacious rumors like ‘eating vomit,’ ” the parent of one alleged freshman victim said by e-mail. Another parent said, “This is a crime in search of a victim. It has been totally blown out of proportion.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel very bad for the first year swimmers. I hope that they can transfer if they want to continue to swim.

This right here. Not to mention ADs are looking for reasons to close down non revenue generating programs.

Exactly. My male swimmer is at a D1 mid major college ( no athletic scholarship) and said to me- We don't make any money for the school, so our coaches preach get good grades (make honor roll/deans list) and stay out of trouble.

[Anonymous]

Yikes. I was definitely hazed as a freshman swimmer at a different institution. There was an unspoken agreement that you would take your lumps as a freshman and then it was your turn to dole it out in your senior year. In my junior year, somebody told the athletic department, and that ended the hazing for good. I was honestly glad that I didn’t have to decide whether I wanted to participate in it as a senior. The hazing I went through involved some public humiliation, but nothing like what is being described here. Our physical health was not put at risk.

[Anonymous]

There are two former PVS/ prep swimmers new on that team. And yes, one mom is very vocal online about it.

BC doesn’t fund swim scholarships so no one is relying on money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are two former PVS/ prep swimmers new on that team. And yes, one mom is very vocal online about it.

BC doesn’t fund swim scholarships so no one is relying on money.

Many of the swimmers on BC are now suing the school and all of the freshman signed a statement saying there was no hazing involved. From the athlete's perspective, this looks like BC just trying to save money by ending the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two former PVS/ prep swimmers new on that team. And yes, one mom is very vocal online about it.

BC doesn’t fund swim scholarships so no one is relying on money.

Many of the swimmers on BC are now suing the school and all of the freshman signed a statement saying there was no hazing involved. From the athlete's perspective, this looks like BC just trying to save money by ending the program.

PP- Exactly, they didn't care about this non-revenue sport. BC AD doesn't want to pay for coaches salaries and travel (no scholarships) and blame it on kid behavior- At least when UMD cancelled their swim and dive program about 10 years ago, they did not blame the kids, they used money as the reason.

[Anonymous]

Story about swimmers’ lawsuit https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-college-swim-and-dive-team-lawsuit-hazing-suspension/

[Anonymous]

I empathize with BC swimmers who had no involvement with any hazing - or hazing-like activity that could be construed as hazing. But I also understand BC's zero tolerance when it learned (whether by a swimmer, friend of a swimmer, or by an adult/professor overhearing what went down) about activities that potentially endangered the health, safety, and welfare of any student. Not to mention BC's risk and liability here - alcohol-poisoning, choking on vomit, etc. can be fatal.

[Anonymous]

BC is not poor. Not sure why or where the theory that BC has wanted to kill its own swim & dive program started. It doesn't make much sense but who knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BC is not poor. Not sure why or where the theory that BC has wanted to kill its own swim & dive program started. It doesn't make much sense but who knows.

UMD isn't poor either now that they got that Big 10 cash flowing AND they have beautiful pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BC is not poor. Not sure why or where the theory that BC has wanted to kill its own swim & dive program started. It doesn't make much sense but who knows.

No BC isn’t poor, but many colleges and universities struggle to fund or justify funding non revenue sports. Many schools - even those with lots of $ - have been cutting these programs. It’s a very reasonable theory… perhaps no one manufactured the story, but at a minimum, these teams they can’t give anyone an inkling of an excuse to cut the program. They’re vulnerable sports, unfortunately.