RefinED Friends,

As we conclude National Hazing Prevention Week, it's important that some of the most foundational aspects of hazing remain in the forefront--namely consent.

All too often, an excuse from those choosing to haze is, "We gave him/her the option to say no." OR "He/She told us he was okay with it."

Over the past few days, Clemson University's women's soccer team has been in the headlines for a hazing incident back in 2011. A former player alleges she was blindfolded with her freshmen...
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RefinED Friends,

Jay Giedd, Jean Decety, Lauren Howard.  Do these names ring a bell?  Perhaps, perhaps not.  Regardless, they know your brain.  They're in your heads.

I'm a professed neuroscience geek.  Over the last few years, I've become increasingly fascinated by studies involving Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and concentrated research connecting social emotional learning and childhood brain development.  Technology now allows scientists to map active regions of the brain as i...
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RefinED Friends,

In 1852, Cardinal John Henry Newman delivered a series of lectures entitled "The Idea of a University", emphasizing how University environments are designed to mold student minds, not simply dispense knowledge.  Within his lectures, he spent time discussing his definition of a gentleman.  As I reread this portion today, a phrase struck me:

He (the gentleman) has his eyes on all his company; he is tender towards the bashful, gentle towards the distant, and merciful towards the a...

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