Hazing
Ohio State's Commitment to a Hazing Free Environment
As part of The Ohio State University’s commitment to promoting a safe and healthy campus environment, members of the university community have the right to be free from all forms of hazing. The university has strict policies that forbid all forms of hazing and require members of the university community to conduct themselves in a manner that supports a hazing-free environment.
What is Hazing?
The Ohio Revised Code, Section 2903.31 defines hazing as:
doing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation into any student or other organization or any act to continue or reinstate membership in or affiliation with any student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person, including coercing another to consume alcohol or a drug of abuse, as defined in section 3719.011 of the Revised Code.
The Code of Student Conduct further defines hazing. Section 3335-23-04 (L) of the Code of Student Conduct prohibits hazing, which is defined as:
Doing, requiring or encouraging any act, whether or not the act is voluntarily agreed upon, tied to initiation, continued membership, or participation in any group, that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm or humiliation. Such acts may include, but are not limited to, using alcohol, creating excessive fatigue, and paddling, punching, or kicking in any form. Failure to intervene, prevent, or report acts of hazing may constitute a violation of this section.
Reporting Hazing
To create a community free of hazing, it’s imperative to report hazing when we experience it, see it or suspect it. Ohio State students, employees, and registered student organizations are all required to report hazing. Specifically, Collin's Law: The Ohio Anti-Hazing Act Sec. 2903.311 (B) states:
No administrator, employee, faculty member, teacher, consultant, alumnus, or volunteer of any organization, including any primary, secondary, or post-secondary school or any other public or private educational institution, who is acting in an official and professional capacity shall recklessly fail to immediately report the knowledge of hazing to a law enforcement agency in the county in which the victim of hazing resides or in which the hazing is occurring or has occurred.
If you are a university employee and have questions about your reporting obligations under Ohio law, please contact the Office of Legal Affairs at 614-292-0611. If you are a student and have questions about your reporting obligations under Ohio law, please contact Student Legal Services at 614-247-5853.
Go to https://stophazing.osu.edu/reporting for information and instructions on how to report hazing to the university and to law enforcement. If anyone is experiencing harm or is in imminent danger, please call 9-1-1.
For on-campus reports, call OSUPD at 614-292-2121. To report off-campus behavior, call the Columbus police at 614-645-4545 or visit Law Enforcement Contacts for All Campuses to get the contact information for a law enforcement office near one of the regional campuses.
Hazing Violations
Hazing is a serious offense, and Ohio State has zero tolerance for it. Therefore, violations of this policy are subject to the full range of sanctions (formal reprimand, disciplinary probation, suspension, and dismissal). Educational activities may also be sanctioned.
Dismissal or a recommendation to the Board of Trustees to revoke a conferred degree will be the minimum conduct sanction assigned to a student for any violation of this policy that causes death, serious physical harm, or substantial risk of serious physical harm. This includes coerced consumption of alcohol or drugs of abuse that causes death, serious physical harm, or substantial risk of serious physical harm. A registered student organization found in violation under the same circumstances will have their registration revoked.
Collin’s Law requires universities to regularly report hazing violations. Check out our Violations page for up-to-date organization and individual incidents of hazing from the last five years.
Anti-Hazing Training
All students who plan to participate in a registered student organization, as well as all employees and volunteers who work directly with registered student organizations, are required to participate in anti-hazing education.
An easy and accessible option for completing this requirement is to take the Collin’s Law Anti-Hazing Education training available on BuckeyeLearn. Live workshops can also be requested for groups through the Risk Reduction Workshop Request Form.
Prevention and Resources
Throughout the year, Ohio State offers events, programs, and workshops related to hazing prevention. For more information about hazing prevention and resources please visit https://stophazing.osu.edu/prevention or email [email protected].