First Law to Combat Campus Hazing Passes in Congress

December 14, 2024 TruthUSA

The legislation mandates that colleges and universities report hazing incidents as criminal activities.

After numerous unsuccessful efforts, the first federal bill aimed at addressing campus hazing is on the verge of becoming law.

The bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act passed the House in September and received unanimous support in the Senate on Wednesday. It is now awaiting the signature of President Joe Biden.

Should it be enacted, this bill will compel colleges and universities to document all hazing occurrences in their annual crime reports submitted to the federal government. Additionally, these institutions must establish programs to educate students on the risks and repercussions of hazing.

A significant aspect of the legislation is a requirement for transparency, obligating schools to disclose on their websites the identities of on-campus organizations with a history of hazing incidents. This represents the first instance where college students and their families will have access to comprehensive details about hazing activities at their institutions.

“This bill empowers students and their families to make informed choices regarding the schools they select and the groups they join. That knowledge could save lives,” expressed Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill.

From 1959 to 2021, at least one death related to hazing has occurred annually on an American college campus, according to a tracker maintained by Hank Nuwer, an independent journalist with four decades of experience in investigating hazing.

The details surrounding some of these tragic incidents remain unclear. One such case is the 2014 death of Tucker Hipps, a 19-year-old sophomore at Clemson University and fraternity pledge, whose body was discovered floating under a bridge. To date, no one has stepped forward with information concerning the circumstances of Tucker’s death, nor have any arrests or charges been made, despite his parents believing he fell to his death after being coerced to walk the bridge railing as a form of punishment.

“With the Senate’s passage of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, we are one step closer to preventing tragedies like that of Tucker Hipps and other students who have lost their lives due to suspected hazing incidents,” stated Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), who co-led the bill in the House. “I commend my colleagues as we honor Tucker’s memory.”

The bill has garnered support from the families of various hazing victims, including Julie and Gary DeVercelly, whose son Gary Jr., died in 2007 from acute alcohol poisoning during a fraternity hazing event at Rider University. The DeVercellys have become advocates for reforming campus hazing policies.

“We set out to ensure that what happened to our son would never occur again,” said the DeVercellys in a statement from the Clery Center, a campus safety advocacy group that backed the bill.

“This legislation will save lives and create a meaningful impact in the battle against hazing.”

Organizations involved in Greek life, such as the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), have also expressed their support for the legislation, committing to increased transparency and accountability.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act is not the inaugural effort to address the issue of campus hazing at the federal level. In 2021, McBath, along with Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), reintroduced the 2019 Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act in both congressional chambers. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the REACH Act did not progress out of committee.

Forty-four states and the District of Columbia currently have anti-hazing laws. However, the particulars of these laws—such as the protections afforded, accountability measures, and prohibited behaviors—differ significantly from one jurisdiction to another.

Prior to Wednesday’s vote, Congress prohibited hazing at the U.S. Naval Academy and mandated that the superintendents of the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) and U.S. Air Force Academy establish regulations to prevent the practice.

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