Travis Apgar
When it comes to hazing prevention, Travis Apgar believes too little progress has been made in the effort to eradicate hazing. Sharing his own personal experiences, Travis is on a mission to inspire others to help end hazing and protect students from the harm it causes.
TOPICS
- Athletics
- Fraternity & Sorority Life
- Hazing Presentation
- Bystander Intervention
KEYNOTES
Getting to know
Travis Apgar
Travis serves as the Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located in Troy, NY. He holds advanced degrees in psychology and education administration and has received national recognition as an outstanding student affairs professional.
Educator, writer, and consultant, Travis has been a featured speaker on hundreds of college campuses and at conferences across the country, working with thousands of students, student-athletes, faculty, administrators, and coaches with the goal of ending hazing.
Considered an authority on hazing prevention, Travis is a member of the Board of Directors for the Hazing Prevention Network. He contributed to the NCAA Building New Traditions: Hazing Prevention in Athletics handbook, Hank Nuwer’s book Hazing: Destroying Young Lives, and the Hazing Prevention Week Resource Guide. Travis Apgar has also appeared in Haze, a documentary made available by the Gordie Center, and as a guest on PBS NewsHour and HuffPost Live.
Travis Apgar has a mission – to abolish hazing. Sharing his own personal experiences, he’s speaking on campuses to inspire others to help end hazing once and for all.
It is Travis’ belief that as a student affairs professional he has a responsibility to get involved in the fight against hazing, and to help provide resources to professionals and students that can help get the job done.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
To help you promote your event with Travis, CAMPUSPEAK has created promotional templates you can use. In this folder, you will find resources for social media, a promotional poster for printing, and press photos you can use for your event.
Link to Promotional Materials
LOGISTICAL MATERIALS
In Person Event AV Needs (PDF)
Speaking Introduction (PDF)
Discussion Questions (PDF)
SEE WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY About Travis Apgar!
KEYNOTES
Making a champion
As a first-generation student, Travis went to college full of excitement and curiosity. The opportunity to attend college came as a result of his abilities as an athlete. When pre-season camp opened, the hazing began. Those meaningless, abusive, activities which stemmed from unhealthy power dynamics and misguided intentions resulted in a detrimental impact on the team, and teammates.
Travis left that college, and had to work especially hard to overcome the setback. His keynote, Making a Champion focuses on important factors that distinguish champions and championship teams from those who fall short, and how hazing is inconsistent with the qualities of a winning team, the virtuous attributes of participating in sports, and the ability for people to thrive.
This prevention program is delivered from the perspective of one with a background that contributed to the severity of the impact. Travis Apgar tells his story of the pain and hidden harm caused by his hazing experiences as guide of ‘what not to do’. Travis’ powerful story is the perfect backdrop to give students, coaches, and administrators a wake-up call about the multifaceted liabilities associated with hazing.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- the factors which shape winning teams,
- to define hazing and recognize hazing activities,
- the detriment that unhealthy power dynamics play in preventing a championship culture, and
- the various liabilities of hazing, which can have a life changing impact.
Hazing: The Fallout
As a first-generation student, Travis went to college with hopes of fitting in, belonging to a community of learners, and feeling included. His experience with pre-season football camp was anything but welcoming, as the culture of hazing was apparent from the start. The only thing worse was the hazing he experienced as a fraternity pledge.
In his keynote, The Fallout Travis focuses on important factors that distinguish between healthy and supportive student organizations which promote personal growth, leadership development, inclusion, and belonging, from those which fail to live up to their self-proclaimed value.
This prevention program is delivered from the perspective of a hazing survivor with a background that contributed to the severity of the impact. Throughout the program, Travis Apgar tells his story of the pain and hidden harm caused by his hazing experiences. Travis’ powerful story is the perfect backdrop to give students, alumni, staff, and administrators a wake-up call about the hidden harms of hazing.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- how to adhere to healthy practices which lead to the fulfillment of a welcoming environment, an atmosphere of family away from family, where people feel they belong, are included and valued,
- to define hazing and recognize hazing activities,
- how an unhealthy power dynamic and hazing can lead to physical and mental abuse including, objectification, humiliation, degradation, and even assault, and
- the various liabilities of hazing, which can have a life changing impact.
Hidden Harm
Travis Apgar was a first-generation student, the youngest of eight siblings and the only one to attend college. He arrived on campus full of excitement and curiosity. Despite having financial and other insecurities, he hoped that he could find a group of friends to belong and to be included. As an athlete, he experienced hazing early on, and the severity only increased when he became a fraternity pledge.
Travis arrived at college with a background that contributed to the severity of the impact of hazing. This “hidden harm” so to speak, is commonplace among today’s students who come from various backgrounds, some of who have had tremendous personal experiences prior to arrival.
In his keynote, Hidden Harm, Travis focuses on important factors that distinguish between healthy and supportive student organizations which promote personal growth, leadership development, inclusion, and belonging, from those which fail to live up to their self-proclaimed value.
Throughout the program, Travis Apgar tells his story of the pain and hidden harm caused by his hazing experiences and others. These powerful stories are the perfect backdrop to give students, alumni, staff, and administrators a wake-up call about the liabilities of hazing.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- how to adhere to healthy practices which lead to the fulfillment of a welcoming environment and an inclusive atmosphere where people feel they belong, are included and valued,
- to define hazing and recognize hazing activities,
- how an unhealthy power dynamic and hazing can lead to physical and mental abuse including, objectification, humiliation, degradation, and even assault, and
- the various liabilities of hazing, which can have a life changing impact.
