On April 11th, 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed an anti-hazing bill in honor of Virginia Commonwealth University freshman, Adam Oakes. Oakes was pledging the Delta Chi fraternity when he died from alcohol poisoning after a fraternity hazing event in February of 2021. Adam's law requires all Virginia universities to implement a hazing…

The Piazza Center Horizontal Hazing Model conceptualizes the ways in which hazing transitions from pre-college environments into higher education and across student constructed spaces such as student organizations or sorority and fraternity chapters. Hazing is multi-tiered, occurring at individual, organizational, and community levels. This model…

Hazing is a longstanding tradition within student groups at American middle schools, high schools, and colleges. The pursuit of acceptance leads young adults to endure physical, mental, or emotional abuse through tolerated behaviors. In this article, we define hazing in the context of the secondary and college setting, exploring some of the…

Student hazing activities on American college campuses have resulted in numerous deaths reported in the news media. Despite regular reports on hazing-related fatalities, no research has examined how these deaths are reported. The current study aims to bridge this research gap by analyzing articles covering hazing deaths in the U.S. between 1994…

Hazing is motivated by numerous psychosocial phenomena embedded in the broader cultural milieu. The identification and deconstruction of these motivators presents an especially unique pathway to eliminating harmful and dangerous behaviors. The application of situational strength to hazing prevention offers a robust and applicable framework to help…

Hazing, a type of abusive behavior that can harm students and undermine university missions, has implications that extend beyond those individuals, groups, and communities directly involved. Our investigation drew on critical whiteness studies (CWS) to explore intersections of hazing and white supremacy. Campus hazing climate interviews (n = 345)…

Hazing is a growing concern in US middle schools, high schools, and colleges. As more is understood about the complex phenomenon, so are strategies to prevent its occurrence and the cultures supporting it. This article reviews and critiques prevention strategies in four case studies set in high school, college, and student organization settings. A…

Some collegiate anti-hazing programs are employing anti-hazing messaging that consists of exaggerated, misleading, or dubious claims. These claims are typically phrased in a way that is either a poor representation of the overall state of the research literature on hazing or oversells the findings from a single study. The failure to prioritize…

Hazing is a significant concern on college campuses, especially as students continue to die following hazing incidents in student organizations. Fraternities, particularly historically White fraternities (HWFs), have been the site of many recent hazing deaths. However, fraternity and sorority life leaders and advocates often argue that the…

This study examines the hazing motivations and anti-hazing training needs of fraternal chapter advisors at two, large, public institutions in the Midwest of the United States. Research has found that when hazing is happening with undergraduates, advisors and coaches are in the room over 40% of the time (Allan & Madden, 2008) and a new state…

As institutions implement more comprehensive hazing prevention efforts, assessment is a necessary strategy for ensuring that programs and services for students are achieving their intended outcomes, especially as hazing behaviors change and evolve. Using a multi-stage student learning and development outcomes cycle, this article outlines steps to…

Hazing prevention and education efforts continue to evolve in response to changing student behavior. The organic and anomic nature of hazing is deeply embedded in higher education, permeating across campus reinforced by cultural norms and institutional practices. While numerous approaches attempt to disrupt hazing, public health approaches,…

This investigation explored the concept and practice of organizational commitment to hazing prevention in higher education. Using Bolman and Deal's four frames we analyzed qualitative data from written materials and interviews with 16 campus professionals at eight U.S. universities. Findings revealed structural, human resource, political, and…

Objective: The present report describes a comprehensive, public health approach to hazing prevention on a university campus and evaluates its impact over time. Participants: Two different surveys (PULSE and MASCOT) were administered to college undergraduate students, in April 2013 (PULSE n = 6,190; MASCOT n = 3,117) and March 2015 (PULSE n =…

Students' integration into the environment of the higher education institution (HEIs) is a shared concern found in the literature. This notion of integration is particularly relevant in the first year in higher education, when students face increased difficulties of adapting to a new environment, being the year when a higher number of students…