On December 23, 2024, the Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) was signed into law. The SCHA amends the Clery Act and requires institutions to disclose statistics on hazing (to be included in the 2026 report), as well as other policies and procedures to support campus-wide anti-hazing efforts.
Defining Hazing:
Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) 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 student organization (e.g., a club, athletic team, fraternity, or sorority); and (2) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the IHE or the organization, 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.
For the purposes of classifying hazing as a Clery crime, a Student Organization is defined as an organization at an institution of higher education [such as a club, society, association, varsity or junior varsity athletic team, club sports team, fraternity, sorority, band, or student government] in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at the institution of higher education, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the institution.
The Student Code of Conduct prohibits students and student organizations from engaging in hazing. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville defines hazing in Section 4.10 of the Student Code of Conduct as,
“Any intentional or reckless act, on or off university-controlled property, by one (1) student, acting alone or with others, which is directed against any other student, which endangers the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that student, or which induces or coerces a student to endanger their mental or physical health, safety, or welfare. Hazing does not include customary athletic events or similar contests or competitions and is limited to those actions taken and situations created in connection with initiation into or affiliation with any organization regardless of the student’s willingness to participate.”
How to Report Hazing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Hazing incidents need to be reported when they occur, because there is no such thing as harmless hazing. Anyone who knows of hazing can file a report, and all reports are investigated. To file a report please complete the online reporting form or contact Student Conduct & Community Standards by calling 865-974-3171 or emailing studentconduct@utk.edu.
Designated Campus Security Authorities, or CSAs, are also required to report hazing to the Clery Compliance Coordinator via the CSA Form.
Process Used to Investigate Hazing Incidents
Student Conduct & Community Standards (SCCS) investigates all reports of hazing. After a report is filed, a written notice of an educational conference will be sent to the student or student organization. In this educational conference, the student and/or student organization representative(s) will have the opportunity to respond to the allegation(s) of hazing and ask questions. After this conference, SCCS may investigate further into the allegation to determine if there is sufficient evidence that hazing occurred. If there is sufficient evidence, the student or student organization may agree to a resolution agreement, alternative resolution, or be provided a formal hearing. For more details please review our detailed flow chart of this process.
The Vice Chancellor for Student Life may impose interim restrictions prior to the conclusion of the student conduct process when the vice chancellor has reasonable cause to believe that a student organization’s continued presence poses a significant risk of substantial harm to the health, safety, or welfare of others or poses an imminent or ongoing threat to the disruption of, or interference with, the normal operations of the university. Interim restrictions are confirmed by notice to the organization that explains the basis for the interim restrictions and will remain in effect until the conclusion of the student conduct process.
For students or student organizations interested in more information about the investigations for student organizations, SCCS has developed a guide to assist navigation of the student conduct process.
Campus Hazing Transparency Report
The Stop Campus Hazing Act requires increased transparency regarding organizations that have violated campus hazing policy through the publication of a Campus Hazing Transparency Report. In alignment with this law and to allow students to make informed choices about joining organizations, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville publishes a list of student organizations that have been found responsible for violating hazing.
Please visit studentlife.utk.edu/hazingprevention/campus-hazing-transparency-report/ to review the report.
Prevention and Awareness Programs Related to Hazing
In an effort to provide the campus community with reliable information and prevention strategies to stop hazing before it occurs, the university has developed prevention and awareness programs related to hazing. The following information is a description of research-informed campus-wide prevention programs designed to reach students, staff, and faculty. For more information on these programs, visit the hazing prevention website or contact the hazing prevention team by emailing hazingprevention@utk.edu.
As stated in the Tennessee Code, “Time shall be set aside during orientation to specifically discuss the [hazing] policy and its ramifications as a criminal offense and the institutional penalties that may be imposed by the higher education institution.” The University of Tennessee, Knoxville fulfills this requirement through a required online module on hazing.
In addition to this online module, the hazing prevention team provides a variety of different hazing prevention modules and trainings. Each fall, the Hazing Prevention Team hosts a variety of activities to promote education around hazing during the National Hazing Prevention Week. Activities typically include tabling, educational programs, and a passport event that is open to the campus community.
The Hazing Prevention Team hosts training programs for a variety of entities and has touchpoints with individuals across campus. Departments and student organizations can request programs through the Hazing Prevention Team’s website. While many programs are offered as one-off educational training opportunities, there are also some programs that occur on an annual or semester basis.
Here are some examples of the different training courses available:
Two different virtual modules cover the definition of hazing, hazing-related policies, signs of hazing, and how to report it. These are available year-round; one is targeted to all faculty and staff through K@TE, and the other is for all students in a non-academic Canvas course. Several in-person training sessions are also presented yearly as requested by various populations.
This is an in-person training that is facilitated by professional staff and peer mentors to all social fraternities and sororities each academic year. It is required for at least 80% of the membership to participate in the training, which includes hazing specific information and scenarios.