Summary: Hazing, outlawed for more than a century, has not disappeared from the service academies. At all three service academies, hazing occurs more often than official records would suggest, although the academies rarely charge anyone with hazing, preferring to pursue discipline under a lesser charge. The distinction between hazing and legitimate fourth class indoctrination, which typically includes harassment by upperclass students, can be murky. Recent changes to the fourth class systems at the Military and Naval academies appear to have successfully reduced the extent of hazing, although some kinds of hazing, such as verbal harassment and ridicule, persist. The Air Force Academy has not done an in-depth review of its fourth class system similar to those conducted at the other academies and has shown no recent reduction in the level of hazing. The harmful effects of hazing on cadets and midshipmen include higher levels of stress, lower grade point averages, attrition from the academies, and reduced career motivation.
