Dr. Akeya Simeon: Why We Need Replacement Activities in Hazing Prevention

Dr. Akeya Simeon is the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of South Florida. Dr. Simeon brings a wealth of experience as a scholar-activist, higher education leader, and social work educator. She most recently served as Assistant Director for FSL at West Virginia University, where she also taught in the School of Social Work and earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education. She's passionate about hazing prevention, student development, and creating empowering spaces. Read her dissertation research here: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12669/ In episode 595 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out what experiences shaped her as an "unapologetically student-centered, justice-driven" leader, how her background in social work influenced the way she approaches leadership in fraternity and sorority life, what is "The Kaleidoscope Effect" in hazing prevention, examples of replacement activities in hazing prevention, what are the differences in attitudes between IFC and PHA members regarding hazing, what are the institutional barriers that make it difficult for campuses to address hazing effectively, how campuses build institutional memory and long-term hazing prevention efforts that actually stick, and her initial priorities at the University of South Florida. Enjoy!