Hazing puts Dalhousie University men's rugby club under sanctions

Dalhousie University's men's rugby team violated the school's hazing policy and will remain suspended for at least the rest of the school year, officials announced Thursday.

An investigation was launched in September after a complaint from an employee regarding activities by the Dalhousie Tigers Men's Rugby Club on Sept. 20, 2014.

The university did not provide details on the nature of the hazing.

The suspension is one of three sanctions against the club in addition to five conditions that have been placed on it before it can resume play during the next school year.

Dalhousie University said club members who attended the events on Sept. 20 must attend education sessions on hazing awareness and prevention, as well as the harm alcohol can cause.

There are no academic penalties for the club members.

The club's suspension will be removed for next year if it agrees that a committee of team members and university representatives will select a new club executive, with prospective executive members interviewed and asked how they would address hazing.

All members of the club must attend education training on hazing awareness and the harms of alcohol and develop an event plan for the entire year.

They must also agree to ban alcohol from all team events and cannot enter into agreements with alcohol companies.

"Dalhousie is committed to being a safe, respectful and inclusive place to learn and play," the school said in a statement, adding that it "will not tolerate behaviour that humiliates, disrespects or threatens the safety of individuals in our community."

When the Dalhousie Tigers Men's Rugby Club was suspended in September, it was already under probation for a separate, unrelated incident earlier that same month. The details of that incident were also not revealed.

The suspension meant the club could not get any funding from the university, could not book university space and its members could not wear university colours and uniforms, the school said.

In January 2013, 19 members of the Dalhousie women's hockey team were suspended for hazing. The suspension left only five players remaining all first-year players and it was impossible to put together a team for the rest of the season.