Starting July 1, all public colleges and universities in the state of Indiana will be required to publish information on hazing incidents that take place in their campus communities.
According to House Bill 1380, “a state educational institution must implement a policy to publish information concerning any act of hazing committed by a member of a group or organization that is adjudicated by the institution,” and “Requires an institution to publish a public report concerning certain information about an investigation that results in a finding that hazing was committed.”
The information will need to be posted on the campus website and include when the incident happened, the incident investigation’s findings, and how the participants were disciplined, reports Indiana Public Media.
The language in the bill was supported by the North American Interfraternity Conference and National Panhellenic Conference, in partnership with parents of children who died as the result of hazing.
Some Indiana institutions of higher education are already posting details of hazing violations, including Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus, which posts an online listing of organizations that have been sanctioned for hazing or violating other rules. Indiana University also has an online list of violations that have happened in its campus community.
For years now, experts on hazing prevention have been urging institutions of higher education to publish an online record of fraternities and sororities with hazing violations. 32 NCSI made such a recommendation back in 2015.
The organization also urged all colleges to offer students written enforcement procedures that spell out how administrators will respond to verifiable reports of this type of abuse. Additionally, 32 NCSI recommended institutions provide annual educational programs, as well as:
- Provide an anonymous reporting system
- Train students, faculty and staff on how to report hazing incidents
- Ban alumni found to have encouraged hazing from campus
- Develop clear-cut enforced sanctions for hazing ranging from a written warning up to expulsion and referral for prosecution.
Read the full article on how colleges and universities can put a stop to hazing deaths.
