The 2007 Anti-Hazing Hero Award Winners!

Chad Ellsworth

Chad Ellsworth knows the negative impact of hazing first-hand. He was hazed as an undergraduate member of a fraternity at the University of Nebraska. Rather than go along as so many do, Chad stood up against hazing, by reporting his chapter, and was ostracized for his actions. He found another fraternity home, however, and ended up having a positive Greek experience – one that led him to a career in fraternity/sorority advising.  As a graduate student, Chad wrote his thesis on hazing, and has written articles and presented workshops on hazing since then.  Now, as the Greek Advisor at the University of Minnesota, Chad has the opportunity to impact his students and this issue everyday.

Adrian Herrera

Adrian Herrera is the IFC president at the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  He attended a workshop at WRGC last spring, where he shared his frustrations with his chapter’s hazing. That same day, he made the decision to report his chapter to the International Headquarters.  Already ostracized by the chapter for his stance against hazing, after reporting it, he received hate mail from his brothers in Tau Kappa Epsilon.  After a membership review, his chapter returned this year with only 14 members, but all of them committed to being a no-hazing fraternity, they recruited 18 new members this fall to join them. Adrian credits his experience at UIFI and his WRGLC facilitator, David Stollman, with helping him take the stand that he knew he needed to take to end the hazing in his chapter.

Nick Lindsey

Nick Lindsey was nominated for this award by his Theta Xi chapter president, Randy Riffle.  Randy was impressed that Nick quit the Bradley University fraternity that had hazed him the semester before and wrote about his experience anonymously for the school paper. “He shows great character and a love for the Greek system as well as his new chapter,” Randy says. In his second semester of membership, Nick now serves on the executive board of his chapter.  Randy reports that Nick has stepped up and taken on important roles for the chapter as scholarship chairman and also planning for a recent comedy show.  “I am thankful everyday that he gave Greek life a second shot because I gained a new quality brother in the process.”

Matt Modansky

Matt Modansky holds numerous leadership positions, and values those roles because they afford him a platform to lead by example and educate others about what it means to be a leader as well. As a founding member of his chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu at West Virginia University, Matt was instrumental in insuring the organization would have zero tolerance for hazing. Matt has been recognized by his national organization for his leadership, and last year was asked to plan an educational session for the national convention. He also helped bring an educational speaker to his campus. Matt hopes his example will allow others to stand up to hazing in their own organizations, and as IFC president, he wants to be that “someone to tell” when students don’t know where to turn.

Allison Swick-Duttine

Allison Swick-Duttine had been the Director of Fraternity/Sorority Life at the State University of New York Plattsburgh for four years when Dean Jennings died on her campus from hazing he endured in a non-recognized fraternity.  That incident galvanized Allison – already a strong opponent of hazing – to share her experience with other campus professionals and students so that future hazing deaths could be avoided.  She has presented numerous times about hazing and underground fraternities and written much on the subject as well for various publications.  She has recently accepted a board position with HazingPrevention.Org, where she will continue to impact this issue.