Lamar James, associate director of Fraternity and Sorority Life within the Office of Campus Engagement and Leadership at UNC Pembroke, has been awarded the Harrison Kowiak Scholarship for 2019.

The scholarship, named for Harrison Kowiak who lost his life as a result of fraternity hazing during his sophomore year in college at the age of 19, will provide James with participation to the HazingPrevention.org Institute on the campus of Drexel University.



The institute provides participants with a framework for developing a prevention plan that fits their unique situation, in order to more clearly identify the risk and protective factors for hazing behavior. The two-and-a-half day program will analyze models for success that have worked on issues such as drinking and driving on college campuses.



Upon competition, James will leave with valuable tools for creating a plan of action to prevent hazing.



“I am extremely honored and humbled to attend the Hazing Institute this summer as a Kowiak Scholarship recipient. I look forward to working with my colleagues to develop a plan of action to combat hazing culture throughout college campuses in an effort create a safer and more inclusive environment for our students,” said James.

Lianne Kowiak, Harrison’s mother, reached out to James to congratulate him on receiving the scholarship and for his eagerness to prevent hazing. She mentioned that James’ application stood out because of his willingness to be proactive in combating hazing culture.



“I am so happy for Lamar, but I am not at all surprised he received this scholarship. He is dedicated to his profession and even though he has been with us for less than a year, he has joined Jade (Jones) and Brittany (Hunt) to make Fraternity and Sorority Life a dynamic branch of the CEL office. I predict this will be the first of many successes for Lamar as he continues his career in Student Affairs. We are excited he will be able to travel to Philadelphia and bring valuable information back to UNC Pembroke about hazing education and prevention,” said Abdul Ghaffar, director of Campus Engagement and Leadership.



There are currently 19 Fraternity and Sorority Life chapters at UNCP, with over 300 students actively engaged. Involvement in Fraternities and Sororities is considered to be the premier leadership experience on the college campus, and it provides an opportunity for lifetime membership in an organization committed to values-based leadership.