7 Ways to Participate in National Hazing Awareness Week (NHAW)
Participate in National Hazing Awareness Week 2024! NHAW is right around the corner, and this year, StopHazing is excited to offer a range of impactful events and resources designed to combat hazing and promote a culture of safety and respect on campuses nationwide. From informative webinars to film screenings and new resource releases, we have a multitude of ways to get involved that caters to students, families, and campus professionals.
Below we will share more information about our line-up of events and resource releases, but first, we want to encourage you to reflect on the following questions and access our collection of resources as you prepare for National Hazing Awareness Week (NHAW) 2024:
- What long-term strategies do you use or can you develop to sustain the hazing awareness momentum beyond National Hazing Awareness Week?
- How can you leverage campus and community partnerships to enhance the impact of your hazing awareness initiatives?
- How can you ensure that your messaging is inclusive and accessible to diverse populations within your community?
- What are the key outcomes and goals you hope to reach through NHAW 2024 initiatives?
- Who are the key stakeholders, partners, or community members that need to be involved in your NHAW 2024 activities? How can their participation enhance the overall impact of your efforts?
7 Ways to Engage in NHAW 2024:
1 – Organize a viewing of the film HAZING for your campus community.
StopHazing is proud to partner with the Media Education Foundation to provide free access to view the award-winning film, HAZING. Participants may follow the link to receive complimentary access to view the film between September 23 – September 29, 2024. This film provides a powerful exploration of the impact of hazing and is a crucial resource for raising awareness and sparking important conversations.
2 – Attend HAZING Film Live Q&A with Byron Hurt on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 7pm EST/ 4pm PST.
Join us for a live Q&A with Byron Hurt, the filmmaker of HAZING. This event provides an opportunity to dive deeper into the film’s themes and discuss strategies for addressing hazing. The link to register for the Q&A can be found here
3 – Support hazing prevention legislation – the Stop Campus Hazing Act!
You can help pass this federal hazing prevention legislation by contacting your representatives and asking them to cosponsor the Stop Campus Hazing Act! You can use this SCHA Social Media Kit to post and share graphics on your own channels, urging your followers to contact their representatives and vote YES on the bill.
This bipartisan bill will:
- Help students and their parents make informed decisions about joining organizations on campus by requiring colleges to publish on their websites the institution’s hazing prevention policies and the organizations that have violated them.
- Improve hazing reporting by requiring colleges to include hazing incidents in their Annual Security Report (“Clery Report”)
- Prevent hazing by establishing campus-wide, research-based hazing education and prevention programs
4 – Use the Student Action Guide to Initiate Campus Hazing Prevention
Use the Student Action Guide to lead initiatives on your campus that address hazing. Start by familiarizing yourself with the guide’s definitions and importance of hazing awareness. Implement the provided strategies to engage students and campus leaders in active discussions and preventive measures against hazing. For example, you could draft a letter to campus leadership asking them to more seriously prioritize hazing prevention on campus.
5 – Use the Bystander Intervention Supporting Resource for Trainings and Workshops
Integrate the Bystander Intervention Supporting Resource into your educational programs for students, faculty, and staff. Begin by watching the HAZING film and using the accompanying Hazing Viewing Guide, developed by StopHazing and filmmaker, Byron Hurt, to facilitate discussions on bystander intervention and its role in preventing hazing. Encourage participants to reflect on the film and apply the intervention strategies in real-life scenarios.
Note: this resource will be released the week of September 23rd! In the meantime, we have other bystander intervention resources – infographic and We Don’t Haze Bystander Intervention Guide.
6 – Launch a Social Media Campaign to NHAW and/or to Support Legislation!
Launch a social media campaign to increase hazing awareness and share resources with a broader audience. Post about anonymous reporting options, campus safety services, and leadership workshops. Highlight medical and reporting amnesty policies to reassure students. Use our pre-made social media graphics and guidance to develop a campaign! You can also check out our other digital tools and downloads and remember to tag us and use #StopHazing in your posts to amplify your message.
7 – Plan a Tabling Event for National Hazing Awareness Week with a New Tabling Resource!
Utilize the NHAW Tabling Resources to organize engaging tabling events on your campus. Incorporate activities connected the 10 Signs of Healthy and Unhealthy Groups with hazing awareness. Use the free StopHazing resources provided to facilitate meaningful interactions and discussions that raise awareness about hazing.
ICYMI… Webinar Summaries From Earlier this Month!
HazingInfo’s webinar, Navigating College Hazing: What Do Parents and Families Need to Know Before Their Students Go to School? Featured guests Jolayne Houtz, Co-Founder of HazingInfo and Lisa Stephen, PhD., ACC, NBC-HWC highlighted important information that parents and families need to know for when their child begins college. Here are the sparknotes from what you missed on the live webinar:
- This webinar emphasized the importance of thoughtful responses to and transparency around campus hazing incidents. It highlighted the need for parents to manage their emotions in conversations about hazing and reflect on the messages they send, while understanding that the desire to belong is a normal developmental phase that can increase hazing risks. Parents were encouraged to educate themselves about hazing, create clear plans with their children, and not shy away from the topic. Additionally, key tips that were shared for families included: knowing campus policies, encouraging self-advocacy among students, and encouraging parents to provide detailed reports when reporting hazing incidents, while avoiding unnecessary escalation to higher administrative offices.
- HazingInfo.org is a resource with accessible information on anti-hazing laws and policies, campus hazing incident transparency reports, and campus reporting information for the states that currently require hazing incident transparency. Those states include: Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington.
- Developed in partnership with HazingInfo, this infographic is designed to help you interpret campus hazing incident reports. Many institutions are required by law to publicly post these types of reports, however, reports are not all created equally. Use this flowchart to reflect on the report and draw conclusions.
StopHazing’s webinar, Hazing Incident Transparency at Colleges and Universities: New Resources and Tools to Support Campus Professionals featured guests, Jolayne Houtz, Co-Founder of HazingInfo and campus professionals from William & Mary. The webinar highlighted HazingInfo.org, reviewed the information collected and transparency reports currently included in the database, and attendees received access to new resources and information on how to utilize HazingInfo.org to support their work.
- Developed in partnership with HazingInfo, this flowchart is designed to help you interpret campus hazing incident reports. Many institutions are required by law to publicly post these types of reports, however, reports are not all created equally. Use this flowchart to reflect on the report and draw you own conclusions. Remember, the proposed federal legislation, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, will require all institutions to develop a transparency report!
- HazingInfo.org provides access to campus hazing policies, state anti-hazing laws, and resources to interpret transparency reports. Be sure to utilize and access different hazing incident reports at colleges and universities nationwide. Be sure to reference these reports to get a good idea of what to include and not include when creating your own hazing transparency report!
- Campus professionals and liaisons to the Hazing Prevention Consortium (HPC) from William & Mary, share their perspectives on building and maintaining a campus hazing prevention website, updating their transparency reports, and tips and considerations when building (or enhancing) your campus websites for hazing prevention.
- Reach out to us to set up a meeting to discuss HazingInfo, developing transparency reports, hazing prevention websites, and any other questions you have that may arise!
Get Involved and Stay Informed Beyond National Hazing Awareness Week
National Hazing Awareness Week (NHAW) is a critical time to engage with your community, raise awareness, and take action against hazing. We encourage you to participate in these events, host your own, explore the available resources, and help us spread the word about the dangers of hazing.
Remember, hazing awareness doesn’t occur just one week out of the year. It’s year round and everyone has a role to play in creating safer and more inclusive communities.
For more information, visit StopHazing.org and follow us on social media for updates and additional resources. Together, we can work towards a safer and more respectful campus environment for everyone.
Guest Author: Molly Flynn (she/her), Graduate Student Research-to-Practice Intern