Federal Anti-Hazing Law: Stop Campus Hazing Act

While laws are not the panacea for interpersonal violence, they are a key component of primary prevention and integral to a comprehensive approach to prevention. The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) is federal legislation signed into law in December 2024.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act

The SCHA improves hazing reporting and prevention on college campuses. This evidence-informed law is supported by national campus safety experts, national fraternity and sorority trade associations, and the parents of hazing victims.

What does it do?

  • Improves hazing reporting by requiring colleges to include hazing incidents in their Annual Security Report (“Clery Report”);
  • Prevents hazing by establishing campus-wide, research-based hazing education and prevention programs; and
  • 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.

Read the Law:

cover photo of the SCHA signed into law
First page of the Stop Campus Hazing Act signed into law.
Download the law text

Why is it a strong law?

It calls for the three clear items outlined above and does not require institutions to reinvent the wheel or call for substantial funding. Institutions have the infrastructure in place for the ASRs and will simply add hazing incidents to it. The simple inclusion of hazing incidents as a Clery Act crime is a giant leap forward in providing more accountability and transparency both at individual institutions, and nationally.

SCHA includes a comprehensive hazing prevention programming component because while policy is important, it is not sufficient. Effective prevention of harmful behavior also includes education and skill-building strategies to help keep students safe. Educating students and institution stakeholders about harmful behaviors, warning signs, and how to intervene as a bystander, have proven effective in other arenas such as the prevention of sexual violence and alcohol and other drug misuse. 

This federal policy is important for creating a shared and universal definition for hazing, providing transparency to consumers, helping educators track and intervene in harmful patterns, and educating students and campus stakeholders to be informed about hazing, know how to report it, and possess skills to help prevent it. The SCHA strengthens campus safety and promotes educational environments where students can participate in clubs, organizations, and teams without the mental, emotional, and physical abuse of hazing.

Why is federal law necessary?

  • State laws are uneven or absent
  • Standardization at Federal Level
  • Support for prevention

Federal anti-hazing law helps to: 

  • Shift societal norms and structures that contribute to campus environments where hazing is more likely to occur. 
  • Provide the public with more reliable information about hazing incidents and trends at an institution and nationwide. 
  • Support colleges and universities in taking an evidence-based approach to campus hazing prevention. 
  • Keep students safe. 

Other Information about the SCHA:

Blogs about SCHA:

StopHazing Resources & Supports:

  • Membership – exclusive resources and consulting
  • StandUp to Hazing – online course
  • Policy Support Packages
  • Policy development resources
  • Website development resources
  • Transparency report development resources
  • Coaching and consulting
  • Hazing Prevention Consortium (HPC) membership

No-cost resources are available here.

We recommend accessing Clery Center resources and supports for implementation of the law as well.

*Suggested citation:

StopHazing. (n.d.). Federal Anti-hazing Law: The Stop Campus Hazing Act, StopHazing Consulting. https://stophazing.org/policy/reach