On September 24, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA, H.R. 5646) by voice vote under suspension of the rules. The bill had previously been approved by the Committee on Education and the Workforce by a vote of 28-2.
The SCHA adds three requirements to the Clery Act (Sec. 485(f) of the Higher Education Act) related to hazing. First, institutions must include hazing incidents in the annual security report required by the Clery Act. Colleges would need to start collecting data on hazing incidents starting the first calendar year after the SCHA is enacted. The bill defines hazing as an intentional, knowing or reckless act against a person or group of people that is committed in connection with an initiation into a student organization that creates an unreasonable risk of physical or psychological injury. The definition includes examples such acts, including beating, whipping, causing sleep deprivation and forcing alcohol intake, among others.
In addition to hazing statistics, the annual security report would also need to include a statement regarding the college’s hazing policies, including how to report hazing, the procedures by which hazing is investigated, and the hazing awareness and prevention programs offered by the institution.
Finally, the SCHA would require institutions to develop, publish and update semiannually a Campus Hazing Transparency Report. This report must summarize each hazing incident for which a student organization was found to be in violation of the school’s code of conduct. The summary must include the name of the student organization, a general description of the hazing incident and important dates such as when the incident occurred and when the investigation into it began and was concluded.
The American Council on Education, on behalf of four other higher education associations, wrote a letter to the Committee on Education and the Workforce expressing support for the overarching purpose of the SCHA but expressing a desire to continue working with the committee to refine some of its provisions. It is unclear whether the SCHA or similar legislation will be taken up in the Senate, though the leadership of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has expressed some interest.
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David Baime is senior vice president of government relations and Jim Hermes is associate vice president of government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges.