WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal bill moving through the United States House of Representatives is looking to increase transparency around campus hazing by requiring universities to report the incidents in the college’s annual Clery Report and create education and prevention programs.
H.R. 5646, the “Stop Campus Hazing Act,” advanced in the house after a 28-2 vote by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The piece of legislation was shaped by the efforts of a Penn State student’s parents after he was killed as the result of a hazing incident.
Next for the bill is a full House vote.
The “Stop Campus Hazing Act” calls for the creation of a comprehensive program to prevent hazing in universities and colleges. The programs implemented by institutions are to bring awareness and education around hazing. Requiring reporting hazing incidents to each university’s Clery Report or Annual Security Report, streamlines reporting requirements across all institutions.
The bill also provides a legislative definition of hazing intended to hold perpetrators accountable and protect victims.
“The term ‘hazing’ means any intentional knowing or reckless act committed by a person, whether individually or in concert with other persons, against a student regardless of that student’s willingness to participate that was committed in connection with or the maintenance of membership, in an organization and causes or is likely to contribute to a substantial risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization, of physical injury, mental harm or degradation,” the legislation outlined.
Currently, while some local and state-level laws are in place, there is no federal requirement for hazing to be reported as a campus crime statistic on the annual reports that are required by the Clery Act.
The bill has gained bipartisan support since its introduction in September last year, now with 53 co-sponsors including U.S. House Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Howard). Thompson is on the committee that recently voted on the bill and has continuously supported efforts against hazing such as introducing a similar bill, the “End All Hazing Act,” in 2019.
“Hazing is simply not an acceptable behavior and one that can lead to great bodily harm, even death, leaving families struggling with the loss of their loved one, changing the trajectory of their lives forever,” Thompson noted.
The legislation Thompson introduced in 2019 also sought to increase transparency and accountability from student organizations on campuses and passing the current “Stop Campus Hazing Act” would include provisions from the “End All Hazing Act.”
Both pieces of legislation have been shaped by the efforts of the parents of Timothy Piazza, Evelyn and Jim Piazza.
“The legislation I offered will bring about much-needed transparency and accountability, but most importantly, it will help protect students nationwide in an effort to ensure that no one will have to experience what the Piazza family has over these past seven years. My heart goes out to Evelyn and Jim Piazza and my sincere appreciation for their perseverance and continued advocacy,” Thompson said.
Timothy Piazza died at Penn State University in 2017 as the result of a hazing incident at his fraternity on campus. His parents have advocated for raising awareness and preventing more hazing incidents which ultimately led to the development of the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State. The research from the center shaped the legislation currently moving through the U.S. House and even led to the passage of Pennsylvania’s state anti-hazing laws — which are reported to be some of the strongest nationwide.
“We are extremely grateful for Rep. Thompson’s longtime support of anti-hazing legislation at the federal level and the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s passage of the Stop Campus Hazing Act,” Evelyn and Jim Piazza said in a statement. “We have worked tirelessly for several years with other families from the Anti-Hazing Coalition to bring this legislation forward.
“No parent should have to experience what our family experienced after the death of our son Tim due to fraternity hazing at Penn State. This important legislation would help end hazing for good by providing much-needed transparency by universities, similar to what is already in place in Pennsylvania and some other states, for future generations of parents and students seeking to join student organizations on campus.”
In addition to the bipartisan support from lawmakers on the “Stop Campus Hazing Act,” the bill has been supported by the National Panhellenic Conference, the North American Interfraternity Conference, the Clery Center and the Anti-Hazing Coalition.
