Hazing Prevention and Education Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) is the first federal law specifically addressing hazing, signed into law on December 23, 2024. The SCHA amends the Clery Act, renaming it the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, and adds new anti-hazing requirements.

The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act) is a federal consumer protection law passed in 1990 following the death of Jeanne Clery, who was raped and murdered by another student at Lehigh University in 1986. The Clery Act aims to provide transparency around campus crime policy and statistics by requiring colleges and universities to:

• Record campus crimes in a daily log
• Publish an annual security report(ASR) each year by October 1 containing the three previous calendar years’ worth of Clery crime statistics and summaries of existing campus safety policies and procedures
• Identify campus security authorities(CSAs), individuals designated to receive and report information about certain crimes
• Compile statistics of crimes that occurred within the institution’s Clery geography that meet the definition of Clery crimes and were reported to a campus security authority
• Issue timely warnings when a Clery crime reported to a CSA occurs within Clery geography and poses a serious or ongoing threat 
• Issue an emergency notification when there is an immediate threat to health or safety on campus
• Conduct prompt, fair, and impartial disciplinary proceedings for dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases 
• Provide written explanations of one’s rights and options to victims of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking 
• Offer prevention and awareness programs on dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking to new and current students and employees on an introductory and ongoing basis

• Campuses must begin collecting hazing data on or before January 1, 2025
• Campus hazing policies must be in place on or before June 23, 2025
• Campus process for documenting violations must exist on or before July 1, 2025
• First Campus Hazing Transparency Report must be publicly available and updated at least twice annually December 23, 2025
• Campus hazing statistics must appear in the 2026 Annual Security Report (covering 2025 data) on or before October 1, 2026.

All institutions must:

• Include hazing statistics in the Annual Security Report (Clery Report).
• Have hazing policies, reporting mechanisms, and prevention/awareness programs.
• Publish a Campus Hazing Transparency Report summarizing any hazing violations by student organizations, including names, descriptions, dates, findings, and sanctions.

Hazing includes any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed against a student - regardless of willingness - that’s tied to initiation, affiliation, or membership in a student organization, and that causes or risks substantial physical or psychological harm beyond ordinary risk.

Student organizations include any group with two or more enrolled students, whether or not formally recognized (e.g., clubs, sports teams, fraternities, sororities, bands, student government, etc.).

Institutions participating in federal student aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 must comply. Foreign institutions are exempt.

Non-compliance, such as failure to include hazing in Clery Annual Security Report or failing to publish the Campus Hazing Transparency Report could lead to fines, jeopardize federal funding, and lead to an institution’s inability to offer federal financial aid.

The SCHA was enacted to set a national standard for institutions to gather data and report hazing incidents, enhance transparency, prevent hazing through education and accountability, and help students and parents make informed decisions by equipping them with information about security safety and security at the institution.

The Campus Hazing Transparency Report must be updated at least twice each year.

The Campus Hazing Transparency Report must include information about substantiated hazing incidents involving student organizations. Specifically, it should detail the organization's name, a description of the violation, the date of the incident and investigation, the institution's findings, and the sanctions imposed. It must not include any personally identifiable information about students.

The reports must be easily accessible on each institution’s website. The Annual Security Report is published on NC A&T’s Clery Act web page on the University Police Department’s website. The Campus Hazing Transparency Report is published on the Anti-Hazing web page on the Division of Student Affairs’ website.

Yes. North Carolina has had a hazing law since 1913. The General Assembly has amended the law several times, with significant revisions in 1969, 1993, 1994, 2003, and 2025. North Carolina’s hazing law is codified at N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-35.

Hazing is prohibited by law in North Carolina. The law in North Carolina that will be effective until November 30, 2025 says:

"It is unlawful for any student in attendance at any university, college, or school in this State to engage in hazing, or to aid or abet any other student in the commission of this offense. For the purposes of this section hazing is defined as follows: "to subject another student to physical injury as part of an initiation, or as a prerequisite to membership, into any organized school group, including any society, athletic team, fraternity or sorority, or other similar group." Any violation of this section shall constitute a Class 2 misdemeanor."

The potential criminal penalty for hazing in North Carolina is conviction of a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine. A judge can impose probation, community service, court costs, restitution, etc.

The General Assembly passed Harrison’s Law, which revised the existing hazing statute.  The law is named for Harrison Kowiak, a 19-year-old sophomore at Lenoir-Rhyne University who died on November 18, 2008 from a head injury caused by the hazing. The law unanimously passed in the North Carolina General Assembly. Governor Josh Stein signed Session Law 2025-73 on July 9, 2025. It will become effective on December 1, 2025.

Harrison’s law expands the definition of hazing by including “physical or serious psychological injury” as part of initiation or membership and introduces harsher penalties. It also explicitly set forth more significant punishment for school personnel, making their participation in hazing a felony. Beginning December 1, 2025, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-35 will read:

"It is unlawful for any student in attendance at any university, college, or school in this State to engage in hazing, or to aid or abet any other student in the commission of this offense. Any violation of this subsection shall constitute a Class A1 misdemeanor."

"It is unlawful for any school personnel, including, but not limited to, a teacher, school administrator, student teacher, school safety officer, or coach, at any university, college, or school in this State to engage in hazing or to aid or abet any other person in the commission of this offense. Any violation of this subsection shall constitute a Class I felony."

"For the purposes of this section, hazing is defined as subjecting a student to physical or serious psychological injury as part of an initiation, or as a prerequisite to membership, into any organized school group, including any society, athletic team, fraternity or sorority, or other similar group."

The potential criminal punishment for students will be a Class A1 misdemeanor charge, the most serious type of misdemeanor offense, with a maximum penalty of 150 days in jail and a fine to be determined at the judge’s discretion. The fine can exceed $1,000 and may be in addition to probation, community service, restitution, and other investigative and court costs.

The penalty for school personnel is more severe – a Class 1 felony. Class 1 felonies are the least serious felony classification, punishable by up to two years’ incarceration with the potential for probation, community service, restitution, fines, and investigative or other costs.

Consent is not a defense to hazing. Hazing is prohibited regardless of the target, recipient, or other participants willingness to participate.

Yes. Individuals, institutions, organizations, event planners, venues, etc. may be sued. Potential civil penalties include awarding monetary damages to the victim or party who brought the lawsuit and include:

• Compensatory damages – Monetary award to victim(s) to cover their losses due to hazing
• Medical expenses – Costs associated with physical or psychological harm caused by hazing
• Lost wages – Wages lost as a result of hazing if the victim was unable to work as a result of physical or psychological injuries
• Pain and suffering – Monetary compensation for the victim’s physical and emotional distress
• Wrongful death – Compensation awarded to victim’s family if the victim died, and may include funeral expenses, loss of financial support, emotional distress, etc.
• Punitive damages – Compensation awarded to punish individuals and/or organization and deter future hazing in cases where the hazing was egregious
• Organizations that failed to enforce anti-hazing policies or provide proper oversight can be found civilly liable.
  • Many national organizations create their own self-insurance companies but exclude coverage for members involved in hazing incidents. This generally leaves undergraduate members without protection while executives at the regional or national level are covered.
  • When incidents happen, some of these insurance companies file suits seeking declarations that they have no duty to defend members involved in hazing.
  • When a national organization’s insurance refuses coverage, individual members typically rely on their own or their parents’ homeowner’s insurance policies to pay legal defense costs, settlements, or judgments.

Universities may also be found civilly liable if they were aware of hazing practices and failed to take protective measures, or if they did not take sufficient steps to prevent hazing.

Potential criminal penalties include incarceration, restitution, fines, investigative costs, court costs, etc.

National organizations may impose sanctions such as probation, suspension of a chapter, revocation of its charter at the institution, expulsion of members, barring from membership potential members, termination of officers’ duties or membership, etc.

Some national organizations create their own self-insurance companies but exclude coverage for members involved in hazing incidents. This generally leaves undergraduate members without protection while executives at the regional or national level are covered. When incidents happen, some of these insurance companies file suits seeking declarations that they have no duty to defend members involved in hazing. When a national organization’s insurance refuses coverage, individual members typically rely on their own or their parents’ homeowner’s insurance policies to pay legal defense costs, settlements, or judgments.

The federal SCHA imposes reporting and policy mandates on institutions, while North Carolina law criminalizes hazing. They complement each other in that the federal law increases institutional accountability, while the state law enforces personal liability.

Yes. An organization or individual(s) may face criminal penalties under North Carolina law and also spark institutional sanctions or federal reporting obligations under SCHA.

Campus administrators and staff, guides and webinars from the Clery Center, StopHazing, Hazing Prevention Network, Anti-Hazing Coalition, Anti-Hazing Collaborative, individual fraternities and sororities, and others provide tools for compliance and training.

Yes. NC A&T complies with both the federal and state laws and prohibits hazing. Various policies address the prohibition of activities that could be hazing. University Policy 413, Hazing Prevention Policy, student handbooks, University Policy 209, Unlawful Harassment and Discrimination, Workplace Violence policy, and others prohibit conduct that could constitute hazing.

Absolutely not! Hazing is a crime in North Carolina, and the University will not tolerate hazing behavior. Although requirements and traditions vary among organizations, none of the requirements or traditions require or condone physical or psychological abuse. Anyone engaging in hazing is placing themselves, the University, and any affiliated organization at risk of civil and/or criminal liability and/or administrative discipline.

Hazing is a crime in North Carolina. If you or someone is injured, in danger of being injured or doing something illegal, call 911 immediately. This could mean the difference between life and death. 

If there is not an immediate emergency, you can remain anonymous and report the hazing externally online to the National Anti-Hazing Hotline or by phone to 888-NOT-HAZE (888-668-4293).

There are several ways to report hazing at NC A&T:

Online using the Hazing and Organizational Misconduct Reporting Form.

Online on the University Hotline or by phone 877-507-7313. You may remain anonymous.

University Police Department:

Online Police and Public Safety Form

Email: ncatupd@ncat.edu

Phone: 336-334-7675

Anonymous tip line: 336-334-7879

In person or by mail: 406 Laurel Street/Ward Hall, Greensboro, NC 27411

Dean of Students

Online Student Conduct Incident Report Form

Email: ncatdos@ncat.edu

Phone: 336-334-7791

In person or by mail: 1601 E. Market Street/Murphy Hall Suite 205, Greensboro, NC 27411

Office of Student Activities

Email: osa@ncat.edu

Phone: 336-285-4930

1601 E. Market Street/Student Center Suite 332, Greensboro, NC 27411

Office of Fraternity and Sorority Engagement

Email: greeklife@ncat.edu

Phone: 336-285-4930

1601 E. Market Street/Student Center Suite 332, Greensboro, NC 27411

Title IX Office

Online using the Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, and Intimate Partner Violence Report Form

Email: TitleIX@ncat.edu

Phone: 336-285-3770 or 336-500-1803

1601 E. Market Street/Sebastian Hall Suites 142-144, Greensboro, NC 27411

Division of Human Resources

Email: hr@ncat.edu

Phone: 336-334-7862

1020 E. Wendover Avenue, Suite 109, Greensboro, NC 27405