As a senior undergraduate student, I’m writing this reflection blog to share my perspective on the significance of hazing prevention education and how one implementation strategy in particular, an online course, could be an impactful education tool. Note: I am an intern at StopHazing, however, this reflection is a true representation of my own thoughts and takeaways about the course. My experiences as a student leader involved in clubs and organizations in my campus community allows me to think critically about the application of this course. 

Ultimately, I wish I had had training on hazing prevention because it would have made me a more successful leader in my campus organizations.

Charlotte Allen

My Perspective On An Online Course for Undergraduate Students

As students navigate new environments and social situations, knowing the signs of healthy and unhealthy groups, and learning about activities that build group cohesion, sense of belonging, and support leadership development can help us learn how to form our own healthy groups on campuses, or help alter narratives in unhealthy groups we may be a part of. 

As a senior undergraduate student, hazing training like StandUp to Hazing could have positively impacted my experience and the experience of others at my institution. Similarly, had we been educated by my college on what hazing is, the harms that come from it, and skills to intervene, we would have been better prepared for handling situations where hazing occurs or help support peers who may have had this experience. Ultimately, I wish I had had training on hazing prevention because it would have made me a more successful leader in my campus organizations. This is because I would have developed the skills to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy groups, and empower others in my campus organizations to practice healthy group habits. 

About the Course

In 2023, StopHazing launched its self-guided, online hazing prevention course after hearing from campus professionals, educators, and others about their need for engaging and accessible hazing prevention resources. This demand prompted the development of StopHazing’s research-informed StandUp to Hazing prevention course, an online, mobile-friendly, educational hazing prevention tool. Campuses use this 20-minute course to educate about hazing and its prevention, bystander intervention, ethical leadership development, and the differences between healthy and unhealthy groups while also gathering data about student learning, attitudes and perceptions of campus hazing through interactive assessments and an evaluation at the end of the course. The StandUp to Hazing course is unique to other online trainings or courses because it is rooted in StopHazing’s research, is affordable, and is more efficient than other available options. 

Built by Leading Researchers and Experts

Informed by Allan & Madden’s (2008) National Study — Hazing in View: College Students at Risk — and StopHazing’s work with the Hazing Prevention Consortium (HPC), StandUp to Hazing was developed in collaboration with eLearning experts. Stills, vignettes, and copy were developed that would become the course, and during the pilot phase, StopHazing sought feedback from campus professionals and students. This feedback focused on whether the material and delivery resonated with participants, reflected their campus cultures, and overall user experience. 

The efficacy of the StandUp to Hazing course is measured through the post-evaluation and 10-question quiz assessment results. The post-evaluation survey measures student perceptions of their ability to recognize hazing, familiarity with the institution’s policy and state laws, how to report, and access to prevention resources. Further, Likert scales measure bystander intervention skills as well as perceptions and attitudes toward hazing. Initial results from the randomized control trial suggest that, as a result of completing StandUp to Hazing, students are more likely to view themselves as bystanders who can make a difference in situations where hazing is occurring and have attitudes and perceptions less supportive of hazing. 

The data from participant evaluations at the end of the course and assessment results are offered to institutions shortly after completion, which can help inform other strategies for hazing prevention efforts. For instance, if a common theme from the post-evaluation is that students do not know how to report hazing, this could mobilize institutions to create more accessible hazing reporting resources and communicate about it more visibly and regularly. Additionally, if the in-course quiz reveals that many students perceive an activity cannot be hazing if someone agrees to participate, this might inform campus-wide messaging to help educate students about the coercive power dynamics present in hazing situations.

The StandUp to Hazing course objectives include: 

  1. Define hazing and describe three components of hazing
  2. Identify types of harm that can result from hazing 
  3. Recognize a range of behaviors and scenarios 
  4. Differentiate healthy and unhealthy group behaviors
  5. Demonstrate familiarity with non-hazing activities that build group cohesion, sense of belonging, and support leadership development
  6. Be familiar with skills needed to intervene in situations where hazing occurs or  is likely to occur
  7. Explain why learning about hazing is essential to well-being and belonging 

The Impact of the Course

StopHazing Operations Manager, Meredith Stewart, is “hopeful [that through the StandUp to Hazing course] students lean into leadership development and building healthy groups and teams… if we can help students build healthy groups and communities and ethical leadership skills, then hazing won’t be happening in those spaces.” 

Participating in the StandUp to Hazing course benefits students because it helps them have conversations within their groups and teams. This may have positive effects on “productive peer interactions, reporting, denormalizing certain types of hazing, and giving students vocabulary to talk about hazing,” says Dr. Dave Kerschner, StopHazing Postdoctoral Fellow for Research and Evaluation. Both Stewart and Kerschner described the process of creating this course as an exciting opportunity to create something new that is grounded in research and meets the needs of students and campus professionals.

Implementing the Course

The StandUp to Hazing course is unique in its scalability for campuses. This flexible tool can support campuses in educating their communities in ways that meet them where they’re at. The course can reach a large range of audiences due to its affordability and efficiency. Or, it can also be used to target certain higher-risk groups, such as athletics or fraternity and sorority life. The scalability of the course makes it a practical solution to deliver a dose of hazing prevention education and serve campuses in a practical, affordable way. 

For campuses not already delivering research-informed hazing prevention training and education, a new federal law, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, requires this education to be available. In December 2024, the Stop Campus Hazing Act was signed into law by President Biden. For institutions not already delivering campus-wide prevention education, StandUp to Hazing can be a good option, especially as the demand for accessible and affordable training increases. Additionally, future directions for the StandUp to Hazing course will include refresher/booster courses or courses specific to certain groups (e.g., athletics, FSL, faculty and staff) to help target the specific needs of the institutions. Ultimately, hazing prevention should be part of ongoing, intentional conversations and plans to shift campus culture. StandUp to Hazing can serve as a great starting point for many institutions to begin this type of interpersonal violence prevention work. 

I hope that institutions that haven’t yet engaged in hazing prevention begin having intentional conversations about hazing prevention. Interventions, like StandUp to Hazing, can help students like me learn how to keep our communities and groups safe and healthy. 

Guest Author: Charlotte Allen

Research-to-Practice Intern & Undergraduate Student at Allegheny College