Nearly 87 per cent of first-year students reported not experiencing hazing during Fall Orientation 2025, according to the Queen’s Senate Orientation Review Committee’s annual report.
The report, which Queen’s shared with The Journal, summarizes survey responses from first-year students about their experiences during Orientation, though the respondent characteristics and responses by year haven’t been publicly released. The survey received responses from 1,118 of 5,701 eligible students, representing a 19.6 per cent response rate.
In a written statement to The Journal, Orientation Round Table (ORT) Coordinator Olivia Elmhurst said 86.8 per cent of students reported no hazing during Orientation, an increase from 85.5 per cent in 2024.
The survey shows 11.7 per cent of respondents reported “subtle hazing,” defined as behaviours emphasizing a power imbalance, while 1.3 per cent reported “harassment hazing,” involving emotional or physical discomfort. Violent hazing was reported by 0.1 per cent of respondents.
Reported hazing behaviours have been declining over the past several years, Elmhurst wrote, describing the trend as continuing in a positive direction.
Erika Tuzi, ArtSci ’28, a Community, Awareness and Engagement (CARE) orientation coordinator for the Class of 2026, said training places a “large emphasis” on preventing hazing and maintaining a welcoming environment for incoming students.
According to Tuzi, coordinators are instructed to avoid language associated with hazing and instead focus on promoting positive experiences and creating an inclusive atmosphere.
Despite the decline in hazing, the survey found that 59 per cent of respondents said they were expected to participate in activities they considered embarrassing during Orientation, up from 52 per cent the previous year.
Elmhurst said perceptions of embarrassment can vary widely depending on students’ comfort levels.
Orientation leaders are encouraged to support students in making their own decisions about participation, according to Tuzi. “If a student doesn’t want to […], it’s completely up to them,” she said.
The report also examined broader experiences during orientation. Most students reported positive outcomes tied to the program’s goals, including 89 per cent who agreed that Orientation helped them feel welcome at Queen’s and 85 per cent who felt they were joining an inclusive community.
Survey responses also suggest that participation varied throughout the week. The most common reasons students gave for not attending all orientation activities included being too tired, scheduling conflicts, or not having enough time.
It also explored issues related to alcohol consumption during Orientation. While 55 per cent of respondents said alcohol was at least moderately part of orientation culture, nearly three-quarters of students reported that they didn’t consume alcohol during the week.
The survey also found that 10 per cent of students said they were either somewhat or often “strongly encouraged to consume substances or mixtures,” and five per cent said they somewhat or often felt “required or forced to drink alcohol at an Orientation event.”
Income also seemed to play a role in drinking, with students whose families made $75,000 or less reporting drinking during Orientation 13 per cent of the time, whereas those who came from household incomes of $125,000 or more reporting drinking 34 per cent of the time.
When students did feel pressure to drink, the report found it most often came from fellow first-year students rather than orientation leaders or staff.
Elmhurst said ORT remains committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment and will continue working with faculty orientation teams to address feedback.
Tags
hazing, orientation, Orientation Round Table, ORT
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