Federal Anti-hazing Legislation: The 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

The Stop Campus Hazing Act would improve hazing reporting and prevention on college campuses. This bipartisan, evidence-informed legislation is supported by national campus safety experts, national fraternity and sorority trade associations, and the parents of hazing victims.

What does it do?

• 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; 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.

Why is it a strong bill?

It calls for the three clear items outlined above and does not require institutions to reinvent the wheel or call for substantial funding. Institutions already 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 will be a giant leap forward in providing more accountability and transparency both at individual institutions, and nationally.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act 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. 

The bill is a clear, concise, and evidence-informed bipartisan piece of legislation. 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 Stop Campus Hazing Act will help strengthen campus safety and promote educational environments where students can participate in clubs, organizations, and teams without the mental, emotional, and physical abuse of hazing. The more time passes before legislation is enacted, the more likely it is that students will be emotionally and physically harmed and even killed by these senseless acts. 

Learn more about the Stop Campus Hazing Act:

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Support the Stop Campus Hazing Act

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*Suggested citation:

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