Stop Campus Hazing Act

i. Hazing includes, but is not limited to, pressuring or coercing a student into violating state or federal law, any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, exposure to the elements, forced consumption of any food, liquor, drug, or other substance, or other forced physical activity that could adversely affect the physical health or safety of a student, and also includes any activity that would subject a student to extreme mental stress, such as sleep deprivation, forced exclusion from social contact, forced conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment, or other forced activity that could adversely affect the mental health or dignity of a student. 

ii. Hazing does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competitions, or any activity or conduct that furthers a legal and legitimate objective. 

iii. University student groups (e.g. registered student organizations, intramural and athletic teams, and other student groups) and individual students are prohibited from hazing. 

a. Allegations of Hazing – Any person having knowledge of any activity or conduct which may constitute hazing should contact the Office of Community Standards or Public Safety. 

b. Self-Reporting of Incidents - Student organization/team members and officers/captains should immediately report any hazing incidents that occur within their organization to the Office of Community Standards, providing a detailed description of the events that have transpired, the names of any individuals involved, and a description of any actions taken by the organization. Upon receiving the report, the Office of Community Standards will investigate and the organization president and advisor/coach will be notified. The organization president should immediately report any hazing incidents that occur within their organization to the Office of Community Standards, providing a detailed description of the events that have transpired, the names of any individuals involved, and a description of any actions taken by the organization. The investigation and adjudication will proceed related to the regulation violations by the individual(s) implicated in the report, unless evidence discovered in the investigation proves the incident to have been sanctioned by the organization. If the incident appears to have been sanctioned by the organization, a follow-up investigation into the organization’s role may be undertaken. If the student organization is affiliated with a national organization, the national headquarters may be contacted depending on the severity ofthe incident, the organization’s involvement in the incident, and the organization’s cooperation in the investigation. 

c. Investigation of Allegations-Upon receiving a report of alleged hazing, the Office of Community Standards will assign the case to an independent investigator. As part of the investigation, the University will: 

i. Make contact (if possible) with the individual(s) bringing forward the allegations of hazing; 

ii. Make contact with the individual(s) alleged to have perpetrated the hazing. If the conduct is organizational in nature, the investigator will also contact the advisor and president of the organization under investigation; 

iii. Conduct interviews with all parties, including victims, the accused student(s) and any witnesses. The investigator may, at their discretion, recommend interim action (as described in the Code of Community Standards) to the Office of Community Standards at any point during the investigation. 

d. The investigator may, at their discretion, require students, or a select group of students (i.e. all new members of an organization) to participate in an investigatory meeting at a pre-determined time and location and may exercise discretion regarding the communication of students during the investigation process. 

e. The investigator may, at their discretion, request students to undergo a physical examination by a campus health center staff member, particularly when allegations of physical abuse are part of a hazing investigation. The results of these physical examinations will be protected by applicable health privacy laws, but a summary of any physical signs of hazing (i.e. bruises, burns, etc.) will be provided to the investigator by the medical professional conducting the examinations. 

f. The investigator will provide a written investigative report to the Office of Community Standards. Upon receipt of this report, the Office of Community Standards will determine if allegations are warranted. If allegations are warranted, the Office of Community Standards will allege the individual student(s), the involved student group(s), and/ or the President or other responsible officers of the involved student group(s) or any other complicit bystanders in accordance with the Code of Community Standards. 

g. Adjudication and Sanctioning – Adjudication and sanctioning shall be conducted pursuant to the Code of Community Standards 

i. It is not a defense of hazing that: 

1. Any or all participants consented 

2. The conduct was not part of an official organizational event or otherwise sanctioned or approved by the student group or 

3. The conduct or activity was not done as a condition of membership to or affiliation with a student group 

h. The University will, on a case-by-case, basis, determine whether any violations of policy are individual or organizational in nature. In determining whether or not a violation is organizational in nature, the University will University will consider the following: 

i. How many members were present when the alleged violation occurred or had specific knowledge of the alleged violation? 

ii. What knowledge the appropriate chapter officers and/or advisors had of the alleged violation? 

iii. What action the appropriate chapter officers and/or advisors took in addressing/preventing the alleged violation? 

iv. Were chapter members acting in concert, or did the individual’s membership in the chapter serve as an impetus for the alleged violation? 

v. Did the violation arise out of a chapter sponsored, financed or endorsed event? 

vi. Is there a pattern of individual violations that have occurred without proper action by the chapter?