C'mon Man! Eat It! Eat It! Eat It! Eat It!

UCF Catholic Group Faces Hazing Charges For Protecting 'Body Of Christ'
WFTV-TV Orlando, FL | 14-Sept-2008 | N/A

Catholics consider the consecrated wafer, the Eucharist, among the most sacred objects in the world and believe it becomes the 'Body of Christ' through transubstantiation. On a college campus it very well may be hazing.

Student Government Senator Webster Cook filed the hazing charges with University of Central Florida administrators shortly after "violating church rules" by bringing the Eucharist home from Mass on June 29, then holding it hostage for one week in a plastic bag before returning it.

Cook said his hazing complaint cited a UCF anti-hazing policy banning the forced consumption of any food in which the initiation or admission into or affiliation with a University of Central Florida organization may be directly or indirectly conditioned.

Hazing policy distinctly includes voluntary and consensual acts and unintentional mental stress and anxiety caused by organizationally associated practices. The widely used description includes eating, yelling, dancing, and anything that might cause physical or mental discomfort as forms of hazing.

The portion of the anti-hazing rule about food, presumably, was intended to prevent fraternities from over-feeding pledges or giving them disgusting food.

Cook noted the rule is clear and applies to all UCF clubs, including the Catholic Campus Ministries religious group. He insists the group is guilty because members ordered him to consume the Eucharist to remain at Mass.

The Diocese of Orlando declined to comment about the charges.

"Appropriate officials of the University of Central Florida are investigating the matter and due process is occurring," said a spokesperson.

Months after the incident, UCF spokesman Grant Heston confirmed the school was still reviewing the charges and had not yet decided whether they would be dismissed or brought through a formal trial ....