Congress is Failing to Take Action on College Student Safety
Today student safety on college campuses revolves around the COVID-19 pandemic. But we cannot forget the dangers that our students faced before the pandemic and continue to face today. Since the 1950s there has been at least one hazing-related death almost every year. A recent 60 Minutes segment brought national attention to the issue by telling the tragic story of the 2019 hazing death of Sam Martinez, who died from alcohol consumption while pledging a fraternity. Yet our federal government has failed to enact hazing prevention legislation and protect our students.
Congress can act now on current legislation to curb hazing and protect college students. H.R. 2525/S. 744, the “Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act,” is a bipartisan bill with the goal of educating students about hazing and promoting student safety. The REACH Act would create a standardized, nationwide definition of hazing, require universities to include hazing incidents in their Annual Security Reports (ASRs), and require universities to implement educational programming on hazing. While the REACH Act has been introduced in three Congresses, this Congress has yet to act upon it.
Hazing is most commonly defined as “any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them regardless of a person’s willingness to participate.” This can include beating, paddling, branding, sexual assault, and the forced consumption of alcohol and drugs. At its extreme, hazing is lethal. In 2021 alone four students lost their lives to hazing.
Hazing remains prevalent as it is seen as a traditional part of campus culture. The negative effects of hazing are very clear and widespread though. Research has found that 55 percent of college students involved in clubs, teams, and student organizations that were surveyed experience hazing. Sixty-nine percent of students were aware that hazing occurred on their campus. An overwhelming number of college students are being affected by hazing.
The risks that hazing poses to student safety extends beyond the hazing incident itself. Students often suffer from adverse mental health effects after hazing incidents occur. This ranges from struggling academically to struggling with suicidal thoughts. To protect the physical and mental safety of our students, Congress needs to pass hazing prevention legislation now.
While 44 states have anti-hazing laws, the provisions in most of those laws are inadequate. Only a handful of states have more stringent provisions such as treating hazing as a felony, requiring school policies against hazing, and developing a robust definition of hazing similar to the one outlined above. The REACH Act has a similar definition of hazing. States with weak laws usually have few enforcement mechanisms in place.
With varying policies across the states, many college students are left unprotected. The federal government needs to step in and create a national hazing prevention standard. A student should be protected against hazing regardless of what state they attend college in. The REACH Act has many of the provisions that stronger state laws have. There is no reason that every state should not be governed by these provisions.
It is not uncommon for Congress to act to promote safety on college campuses. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics (Clery) Act of 1990 required universities to disclose campus safety information. Congress has updated the act several times since its passage to include provisions addressing dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault. Considering the risks to student safety and the deaths that are occurring, Congress needs to again amend the Clery Act to include hazing. The REACH Act would allow Congress to do just that.
The REACH Act would put in place measures to prevent hazing from occurring. By requiring universities to include hazing incidents in their security reports, students and parents would have the tools to know the prevalence of hazing on their campus. A research-based education program will ensure that all students, staff, and stakeholders are properly educated about hazing and hazing prevention. A structured program would move beyond the simple “hazing is not tolerated” framework and give students the tools to prevent hazing before it occurs.
The REACH Act has broad bipartisan support. In July 2021, a coalition of over 30 national organizations signed a letter in support of the bill. The letter urged members of the House and Senate education committees to send the REACH Act to the floor for a vote. With overwhelming bipartisan support, there is no reason for Congress to not pass the REACH Act.
Students are dying. It is past time for Congress to take action to prevent hazing before more lives are lost.
