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November 14, 2023 | Last week, the University of Maine shared Family channels grief into gift to support UMaine’s hazing prevention research, detailing a generous gift from Jolayne Houtz and Hector Martinez, establishing the Samuel Martinez Hazing Prevention Fund at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, in honor of their son, Sam Martinez, who died as a result of hazing.

The gift, as Houtz described, will supercharge the research that scholars and partners at the University of Maine will continue to lead. Dr. Allan, StopHazing Principal, and Professor of Higher Education at the University of Maine will oversee and lead, and StopHazing will continue to develop high-impact research-based resources, programs, and initiatives to prevent hazing. 

Additionally, StopHazing and UMaine will collaborate with the family and the University of Washington Information-School to develop a database to increase transparency about hazing incidents, organization and institution cultures and hazing trends so the public, and in particular, students considering joining or participating in groups, can make informed decisions. 

Stay tuned for more information about the database developments and other announcements from StopHazing related to this generous gift. 

Read the full article from the University of Maine here.