The state attorney general started an investigation and is expected to announce his findings Feb. 3. Few actions could stir emotions here as much as the elimination of Vermont hockey from the winter calendar. In its absence a reasoned but passionate debate has roiled the state, from the governor's office to the youth league rinks where children learn the game. The concept of team solidarity and the powerful hold it has on the Vermont players, even as some of them acknowledge individual doubts about it. The response of university officials to LaTulippe's initial complaints and subsequent lawsuit.
Critics say the university moved slowly and discreetly, trying to keep the incident quiet.
The intervention of Vermont's governor, Howard Dean, who demanded action by the university, and the state's attorney general, William Sorrell, who conducted an investigation. The team's players believe state and university officials are making an example of them. While the National Collegiate Athletic Association said it keeps no formal records on seasons canceled by hazing, Kent University canceled its 1988-89 hockey season when a preseason hazing incident left a player hospitalized with a reaction to alcohol. University of Vermont officials said they hoped that their experience this season would enlighten other schools about the dangers and consequences of hazing. But in the short term, some people are fearing for their jobs and worrying about criminal charges.