Hazing

The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) amended the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) to require colleges and universities to maintain and publish statistics concerning hazing committed by student organizations. This policy defines hazing at UWM and establishes requirements for hazing education, reporting, and response in accordance with the SCHA. 

Hazing, in any form, by a student organization or its members or any person is prohibited. Any student organization or person found responsible for hazing is subject to appropriate disciplinary action. In addition, any person, including the officers and members of a registered or other student organization, found guilty of hazing can be subject to fines and/or imprisonment under Wisconsin Statutes sec. 948.51. 

Annual Security Report: a report required by the Clery Act to report campus crime data and outline safety related policies and procedures. The ASR is published by October 1 each year. 

Campus Hazing Transparency Report: a report under the SCHA that summarizes findings concerning any officially recognized student organization found to be in violation of an institution’s standards of conduct relating to hazing, as defined by the institution. 

Hazing

Stop Campus Hazing Act: 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:  

• is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and  
• causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), 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. 

Wis. Stat. § 948.51 and UWS 17.09(5): intentional or reckless acts which endanger the physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization operating in connection with a school, college or university. Under those circumstances, prohibited acts may include any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, forced consumption of any food, liquor, drug or other substance, forced confinement or any other forced activity which endangers the physical health or safety of the student. “Forced activity” means any activity which is a condition of initiation or admission into or affiliation with an organization, regardless of a student’s willingness to participate in the activity. 

Registered Student Organization (RSO): at UWM, student groups registered through Student Involvement and meeting student organization registration requirements. 

Student organization: under the SCHA, 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. 

A. Reporting Hazing

Known or suspected hazing incidents should be reported to the Dean of Students Office using the Report It form or to the UWM Police Department (414-229-4627, non-emergency) or via 911. 

The UWM Dean of Students Office investigates allegations that student organizations or students have engaged in hazing. Athletics and/or UWM may also investigate hazing allegations under NCAA regulations and the Student-Athlete Code of Conduct. Hazing allegations against non-students may be investigated by another UWM unit, including but not limited to the UWM Police Department and/or Human Resources, depending upon the individual’s UWM affiliation. 

B. Data collection

The Dean of Students Office, in collaboration with other campus departments, will collect information with respect to hazing incidents at the institution as defined both under State law and the SCHA. 

C. Annual Security Report (ASR)

1. By October 1 each year and using the ASR, UWM will publish statistics for hazing incidents for the previous three calendar years. ¹
2. The ASR statistics will include only hazing incidents occurring within Clery Act geography and reported to Clery Act Campus Security Authorities and/or the police. 
3. The ASR statistics will include only hazing incidents using the SCHA definition of “hazing.” 
4. The ASR will include incidents involving student organizations as defined by the SCHA. 
5. The ASR will also include a statement of policy regarding prevention and awareness programs related to hazing. 

1. Colleges and universities were only required to collect hazing information starting in 2025. Statistics will first appear in the ASR in 2026 and will include three years of statistics starting in 2028. ↩︎

D. Campus Hazing Transparency Report (CHTR)

1. The CHTR will be publicly available on the Dean of Students Office website. 
2. At least twice each year, the CHTR will be updated to include, for the period beginning on the date on which the CHTR was last published and ending on the date on which such update is submitted, each incident involving a student organization for which a finding of responsibility is issued relating to a hazing violation, including— 
   1. the name of such RSO; 
   2. a general description of the violation that resulted in a finding of responsibility, including whether the violation involved the abuse or illegal use of alcohol or drugs, the findings of the institution, and any sanctions placed on the student organization by the institution, as applicable; and 
   3. the dates on which the incident was alleged to have occurred; the investigation into the incident was initiated; the investigation ended with a finding that a hazing violation occurred; and the institution provided notice to the student organization that the incident resulted in a hazing violation. 
3. The Report will include only incidents involving RSOs. 
4. The Report shall not include any personally identifiable information, including any information that would reveal personally identifiable information, about any individual student in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.  
5. UWM will not develop the CHTR until it has a finding of a hazing violation. 
6. UWM will not update the CHTR if it does not have a finding of a hazing violation for any reporting period. 

E. Hazing Prevention and Awareness Programming

UWM will make available research-informed hazing prevention and awareness training to students, faculty, and staff. This training will include information about this policy and related policies, how to recognize and report hazing, and prevention strategies.