It’s the age-old excuse: “Everyone was doing it.” Whether it’s buying into trends, becoming the apathetic bystander or participating in weekend shenanigans, science has been proving that when surrounded by other individuals, people may act in ways contrary to their normal behavior.

As social beings, we are easily “corrupted” by others’ likes, dislikes, prejudices and stereotypes. According to clinical psychologist Marc Oster, college students are especially susceptible to the consequences of group mentality.

“The impact on any young person who is still developing in their sense of themselves and how they relate to others can be significant,” Oster says. “They fail to learn to think critically and for themselves. They learn, as both our contemporary political and advertising climate shows, that truth or fact is what you say it is – regardless of the evidence.”

Enter Greek life. “We tend to choose to belong to groups where people seem similar to us,” says Marie Welborn, a clinical psychologist. “And since we as humans have a need for affiliation, we often are willing to conform rather than risk rejection.” Simply put, social groups like sororities and fraternities can stifle individuality.

And hazing? According to Welborn, if it means going along with the group norm, people will often do whatever they are asked in order to enhance status within the group. Even if it means going against some of their values.

Thus students are more willing to participate in uncomfortable activities in order to fit in and “bond” with other members. Many members even find hazing fun and a “good way to get to know the other guys.” In fact, psychological research has proven that the more difficult it is to gain entry into a group (that is, the worse the hazing), the more a person will enjoy and value the group after joining.

But psychologists are not only interested in why students would be willing to participate in hazing activities, but also why students are willing to haze younger or newer members. Some psychologists turn to research indicating there is a diffusion of responsibility in a group, which allows no single member to take the blame.

“We look to the others in the group to guide our behavior and if ‘everyone seems to be doing it, then it must be okay.’ Then we don’t feel responsible,” Welborn says.

Many states have passed legislation prohibiting hazing and Northwestern University has strict rules in this arena. According to Northwestern, hazing is very broad, from “forced consumption of alcohol,” to “treasure hunts outside the confines of the University.” If a violation is made, fraternities and sororities can expect strict school punishments and potentially state punishments as well.

Individually, people may not naturally fall into certain behaviors, thoughts and opinions, but in a group setting, all three can be altered. “If the group norm or behavior is cruel, then the members are cruel or become outcasts and maybe even targets of the cruelty,” Oster says.

But, the impacts of group mentality can also be positive. While college is considered a prime environment for group conformity, it can offer beneficial results for students.

“Group norms and structure are very helpful in settings or situations where people learn to grow and evolve as social units,” Oster says.

“It’s when people who are incapable of independent thought… can take the healthy structure of such groups and expand it into ‘law,’” Oster says, “a situation where there is only one right way and there is no tolerance for anyone or anything different from themselves. Then it becomes a problem.”

The university will participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill which will team up private universities with the government to help veterans pay for college, said Associate Provost Michael Mills.

Under the new GI Bill, which was passed last year and will go into effect on Aug. 1, veterans who have served at least three years of active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, are qualified for the government to cover their tuition for an amount that meets the highest cost of the most expensive public school in the given state. That’s $5,126.50 per term in Illinois, according to provisional data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Northwestern, of course, costs a lot more than that. But under the Yellow Ribbon Program, the university can pay for up to 50 percent of the remaining expenses, and the government will match the University’s contribution.

The program, created by the Department of Veterans Affairs, is voluntary for all private universities. The administration doesn’t yet know how much it will be giving each veteran, or if there will be a limit on the number of veterans who will receive money.

“It’s a very worthwhile program, and we are happy to take in as many veterans who qualify for admissions as there are out there,” Mills said.

Veteran students do get some money from the government under the old GI Bill still in effect. According to Mills, about 25 undergraduates at Northwestern receive veterans’ benefits. But there are more veterans in the graduate programs, law school and medical school.

Brian Skouse is a 13-year Marine veteran and first-year student at the Kellogg School of Management. He will begin receiving benefits from the post-9/11 GI Bill next fall. Skouse believes the program will draw more undergraduate veterans.

“When guys are in the military and they’re looking to use the GI Bill to go to school, they are going to look at schools where the GI Bill is going to cover most of the cost,” Skouse said. “Northwestern is expensive. It’s a private school, so that’s why there’s nobody here. They can’t afford it.”

“If Northwestern decides to help out with this Yellow Ribbon Program, then it really makes it more affordable,” Skouse added. “Depending on how much they contribute.”

In August, Northwestern met with then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel and other Chicago-area universities — including City Colleges of Chicago, the University of Illinois-Chicago, the University of Chicago, Loyola University and DePaul University — to talk about improving policies for veterans attending their schools under the new GI Bill.

“Rahm Emanuel is a real proponent of the new GI Bill,” Mills said. “We were there to talk about how excited we are about this.”

Skouse has been working with Kellogg to decide what approach the graduate school will take towards the Yellow Ribbon Program, since Kellogg (and the other graduate schools at Northwestern) will now be participating as separate entity from Northwestern.

“Kellogg’s endowment isn’t as large as Northwestern’s,” Skouse said. “But also, [the school] hadn’t budgeted for this at all. They hadn’t planned and set aside money for this. But anything helps.”

However, Kellogg remains interested since the Yellow Ribbon program has become a recruiting tool among schools.

“Kellogg is competing with other graduate programs like University of Chicago and Harvard who are trying to entice veteran MBA students with large sums, so Kellogg wants to be competitive with that,” Skouse said.

Some private institutions have chosen not to participate. Princeton University is among them. According to Cass Cliatt, spokesperson for Princeton, the university will not be participating due to their need-based financial aid program.

“We meet the full assessed need of all qualifying students through a generous no-loan program in which grants don’t have to be repaid,” Cliatt said. “This is a tremendous benefit to any student, including any veterans who might apply.”

Matt Dougherty, co-chair of Kellogg’s Veterans Association and a Marine Corps veteran, feels that Northwestern’s agreement to participate shows the school’s dedication to its veterans.

“In these economic times it is very encouraging for veterans to have schools step up financially,” Dougherty said. “This shows a commitment to veterans.”

Northwestern is meeting with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities to answer legislative questions, including whether or not to cap the number of veterans who get money. All schools have been given until May 15 to confirm their participation in the program and until June 1 to have details confirmed including amount of contribution.

“If we want to get people with incredible leadership and different backgrounds into our classrooms, this new GI Bill is something that is going to make this happen,” Skouse said. “Depending on the degree of participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, it could really help make it happen if this will help offset the cost.”