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By participating in hazing, you erode the foundation of quality, integrity, honor, and standard for excellence that hundreds of thousands of men have worked tirelessly to erect.

- Alpha Phi Alpha  

Hazing has a long and unfortunate history within many organizations, both in and out of academia. Athletics teams, fraternities and sororities, military units, and other student organizations are common examples of educational organizations that often have history rooted in misguided traditions meant to build loyalty or prove commitment. Over time, what may have once been framed as harmless initiation has too often escalated into dangerous, degrading, and sometimes deadly behavior. High-profile tragedies—such as the death of Timothy Piazza at Pennsylvania State University and the decades-long documentation of hazing-related deaths by Hank Nuwer—have brought national attention to the persistent risks associated with these practices. These incidents reveal that hazing is not about unity or tradition; it is about power, coercion, and the normalization of harm under the guise of belonging.

The effects of hazing can be profound and long-lasting. Physically, hazing has led to severe injuries, alcohol poisoning, and loss of life. Psychologically, it can cause trauma, anxiety, depression, and a diminished sense of self-worth. Organizationally, hazing erodes trust, damages institutional reputation, and undermines the very values groups claim to uphold. Hazing prevention is therefore not just about compliance with laws and policies—it is about cultivating cultures of dignity, accountability, and authentic belonging. Officers and members have an ethical and often legal responsibility to be proactive in abolishing hazing by setting clear expectations, modeling appropriate behavior, intervening when concerns arise, and reporting suspected incidents through proper channels. Silence and inaction enable harm; leadership and courage prevent it. By prioritizing education, bystander intervention, transparent reporting processes, and a shared commitment to member safety, organizations can replace harmful traditions with meaningful rites of passage that build connection without causing harm.

Who is responsible for preventing hazing in student organizations?

The responsibility for preventing hazing in student organizations is a collaborative process between students and the university. Prevention responsibility generally falls into three categories:

Organization Leaders

The leaders of a student organization hold the primary responsibility for preventing hazing within the organization. Leaders should utilize available resources to educate members, work to root out any hazing culture in the organization, and ensure they set a good example of anti-hazing behavior to all members.

Missouri S&T

The university has many available resources to support organizations in hazing prevention. The university holds a responsibility to ensure resources are available, accessible, educational, and effective in preventing campus hazing, as well as conducting fair hazing investigations and accurate reporting metrics.

Organization Members

Organization members hold a responsibility to ensure they do not haze others while also holding others accountable for hazing prevention. Organization members should understand what hazing looks like, how to report hazing, and how to ensure that their peers are promoting healthy behaviors in the organization.

The University of Missouri System follows the below standard of hazing:

Hazing, defined as any intentional, knowing or reckless act committed (whether individually or in concert) against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate, that:

  1. Is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with or the maintenance of membership in a group or organization; and
  2. Causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the University or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury, including:
    • whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body or similar activity;
    • causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics or other similar activity;
    • causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs or other substances;
    • causing, coercing or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts;
    • any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;
    • any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal or Federal law; and
    • any activity that induces, causes or requires another person to perform a duty or task that involves a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal or Federal law.

Failure by a group or organization’s executive officers to intervene to prevent, discourage and/or report hazing of which they are aware or reasonably should be aware also will be deemed a violation of this policy.

Note: The University of Missouri System has adopted this definition from the federal definition of hazing: Collected Rules and Regulations, Section 200.010: Standard of Conduct. Hazing is also defined and prohibited under state law (RSMo 578.365, SB 160, otherwise known as Danny's Law). Student and organizations must comply with both institutional policies and applicable laws.

Learn more about what constitutes hazing

The Stop Campus Hazing Act is a federal law amending the Clery Act to mandate that colleges receiving federal aid report hazing incidents in annual safety reports, adopt research-based prevention programs, and publicly disclose violations. It aims to increase transparency, accountability, and student safety via standardized definitions and policies.

Missouri S&T has numerous resources available to victims of hazing looking for support. Visit Missouri S&T's Hazing Resources and Support page for more information.

Missouri S&T has a robust system of hazing prevention and education programs designed to remove hazing from student organizations and campus activities. For a full list of available hazing prevention resources, please visit S&T's Hazing Prevention and Education page.

Report Hazing

If you have been hazed, have witnessed hazing, or suspect that someone you know has been hazed, please report the incident(s) via Missouri S&T's Hazing Reporting Tool.