Case Study of Miss America

The fact that Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015, initially indirectly said that she hazed someone else instead of immediately admitting she did it and apologizing would look very bad to a public relations employee. It looked very controversial that she initially denied that she did not haze herself, but that she was accused of being involved in hazing, and was hazed. Also, when she was presented evidence that she was making a joke that her sorority would “make the evening scary for the pledges”, she denied that the statement was considered hazing (ABC News, 2014) . Being in a sorority myself, I understand hazing as an act that is forcing someone to feel or do anything that don’t feel comfortable feeling or doing. Her college had somewhat different guidelines for hazing as “deception, demerits, quizzing on meaningless information, name calling and requiring new members to refer to current members by titles such as Mr. or Miss”, and also, examples of “harassment hazing” were “written or verbal abuse, personal servitude, sleep deprivation, required group sleepovers and requiring new members to wear abnormal, unusual, or humiliating attire” (D’Zurilla, 2014). However, she was still kicked out for the statement she made about an event, so they probably saw it as at least being close to one of those breaks in the guidelines for what hazing is deemed to be. In order to coach Kira, for when she has to address her situation for more interviews. I wouldn’t focus on her other accomplishments like her spokeswoman tried to. She said, according to CBS News, “It's unfortunate that this incident has been exploited to create a storyline that distracts from what we should be focusing on: Kira's impressive academic achievements at Hofstra University, including earning a triple major from the Honors College and her commitment to serving her community. Kira is an exceptional ambassador for the Miss America Organization, and we are excited to be a part of her journey as a force for good across our nation, promoting education and service and working to empower young women” (CBS News, 2014). Clearly, that statement has not worked in clearing Kira’s reputation. I believe that she should address the allegation. I would coach to say to the press something along the lines of “I should’ve apologized for this a long time ago. I’m very sorry to all of the people that I allegedly hazed, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me”. Then, I would advise for her new norm, which is an “expectation that governs group members' behavior” to be starting a program that advocates for anti-bullying and anti-hazing in college, and actively participating in her program (Lietzenmayer, 2018). For example, she could visit college campuses, address her experience, and talk about why it’s not okay to bully or haze other people. I think that through a program like this people would see that she is trying to fix her alleged mistakes, and she would be offering her voice to not only correct her mistakes, but to make sure what happened to her doesn’t happen to anyone else. CBS News. (2014, September 23). Miss America addresses sorority hazing allegations. Retrieved October 20, 2018, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/miss-america-addresses-sorority-hazing-allegations/ D'Zurilla, C. (2014, September 23). Miss America admits sorority hazing, denies severity of accusations. Retrieved October 20, 2018, from http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-miss-america-kira-kazantsev-hazing-accusation-20140923-story.html. Lietzmayer, T. (2018). Credibility. Retrieved from http://ple.odu.edu/courses/201810/ comm333/modules/4/assignments Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev Denies Hazing Allegations. (2014, September 23). Retrieved October 20, 2018, from https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/miss-america-2015-kira-kazantsev-denies-hazing-allegations/story?id=25689221