Anti-hazing bill passed by Congress

The U.S. Senate last week passed the Stop Campus Hazing Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing hazing on college campuses nationwide. The legislation previously passed the House of Representatives, and has been sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The act requires colleges and universities to implement comprehensive hazing prevention programs and to publicly report incidents in their annual campus security reports, known as Clery Reports. It increases transparency for students and parents by requiring institutions to disclose their hazing prevention policies and any organizations found in violation of these policies.

University of Maine Professor of Higher Education Elizabeth Allan, founder of the research group StopHazing, served as a consultant to the members of Congress and their staff who crafted the Stop Campus Hazing Act.

"This research-backed hazing prevention legislation will shift societal norms and structures that contribute to hazing, provide the public with more reliable information about hazing incidents, and support colleges and universities in preventing hazing," said Allan. "It will also empower students to make informed decisions about their involvement in campus organizations. Clery statistics and transparency reports will help students and families make more informed decisions."

The passing of the Stop Campus Hazing Act by Congress follows the publication of a recent study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence by Allan and StopHazing postdoctoral fellow for research and evaluation David Kerschner, a 2021 graduate of UMaine's Ph.D. program in higher education, which confirms the effectiveness of a unique tool for mitigating hazing.

According to that study, college students who viewed a short documentary as part of a hazing prevention training gained a better understanding of hazing behaviors and displayed an increased willingness and ability to intervene in situations where hazing occurs.

"We Don't Haze" is a 17-minute video produced by the nonprofit Clery Center, featuring an interview with Allan, as well as information from the landmark 2008 National Study of College Student Hazing that Allan led with former UMaine colleague Mary Madden. Several former UMaine students were interviewed for the video about their experiences with hazing and how to create positive group behaviors.

For the study, Allan and Kerschner held training sessions with more than 300 students at three U.S. universities. All of the participants were either members of a leadership development program, resident advisors or club sport athletes. At each campus, one group of students watched "We Don't Haze," another group watched the video and participated in a facilitated follow-up discussion, and a third group viewed a general leadership development video.

The students who only watched "We Don't Haze" and those who viewed the video and engaged in the follow-up discussion significantly shifted their perceptions of hazing and indicated they were more likely to intervene and help others who are experiencing or have experienced hazing, compared to those in the third group.

"It's pretty promising that we found the video by itself, as well as the video and discussion together, were effective at increasing awareness of hazing and the likelihood of bystanders intervening," Kerschner said. "The video and the StopHazing discussion guide that we used in the trainings are available for free from the Clery Center and on StopHazing's website. So these resources have the potential to reach a range of institutions where they're at, while having a real impact with different groups of students."

The study adds to a growing body of research that shows the effectiveness of bystander intervention and public health approaches to hazing prevention. Allan says while trainings like the one used in the study are a great, cost-effective strategy, they work best within a comprehensive approach.

"It's just one piece. Schools also need data and transparency, so they can design evidence-based strategies, and so students know where, when and how often hazing occurs on their campuses," Allan said. "Ultimately, all stakeholders need to be involved in a comprehensive approach because our research shows that hazing isn't just limited to certain groups. It impacts a variety of clubs and organizations, so prevention is really about shifting the broader culture of the institution."

More information:
David J. Kerschner et al, We Don't Haze: Testing the Effectiveness of a Video-Based Hazing Prevention Training for College Students, Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2024). DOI: 10.1177/08862605241254140

Provided by University of Maine