Stop Campus Hazing Act Signed Into Law
On December 23, 2024, the Stop Campus Hazing Act (S. 2901, H.R. 5646) (SCHA) was signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), mandates rigorous tracking and reporting of hazing incidents on college campuses, aiming to create a safer educational environment. The bill was passed by the House on September 24 and by the Senate on December 11.
The SCHA amends the Higher Education Act to require higher education institutions participating in Title IV programs (i.e., those receiving federal financial aid) to track and make data collected on hazing incidents publicly available. To achieve its goal of transparency, the SCHA created two new hazing incident reporting procedures for campuses: 1) a new “Campus Hazing Transparency Report” requirement and 2) a new mandate requiring institutions to include campus hazing incidents within their annual security reports (often referred to as “Clery Reports”), as well as information relating to the institutions’ hazing policies and campus-wide hazing education and prevention programming.
The SCHA, which established the first federal definition for “hazing,” now requires that institutions, as part of their 2026 Clery Reports, begin collecting hazing data and statistics as of January 1, 2025, and include, among other items, all hazing incidents that were reported to campus security officers or local law enforcement. The Campus Hazing Transparency Report, now required by the SCHA, must be made prominently available on an institution’s website.
“This bill empowers students and their families to make informed decisions about the schools they attend and the organizations they join,” Rep. McBath said in a statement. “That information could be lifesaving. Our bipartisan legislation helps make sure that schools have the tools they need to foster safe learning environments.”
The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) — of which Sigma Nu is a member — a leading advocate for the bill and a founding member of the Anti-Hazing Coalition — comprised of parents who lost their sons in senseless hazing-related deaths, the NIC, the National Panhellenic Conference, Hazing Prevention Network and other organizations — praised the legislation.
“The Stop Campus Hazing Act will bring transparency to make a lasting cultural change in student organizations and on university campuses,” said NIC President and CEO Judson Horras. “Our member fraternities firmly believe that hazing has no place in the fraternity experience and every student has the right to learn and thrive in a safe and healthy campus environment.”
The passage of this law marks a crucial milestone in the fight against hazing on college campuses. With 44 states already having anti-hazing laws, this federal standard emphasizes the growing national movement and increasing commitment to eradicating hazing nationwide.