LAWS AND POLICIES

Hazing is not an acceptable practice at Auburn University, nor is it legal in Alabama. In the state of Alabama, hazing is a crime and individuals committing acts of hazing can be found guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Hazing can also create civil liability. Additionally, an individual or organization participating in hazing or knowingly permitting hazing forfeits entitlement to public funds, scholarships, awards, and grants. A hazing misdemeanor on record can prevent an individual from practicing law, obtaining a professional license, or gaining employment.

Alabama is one of six states that has a "Duty to Report" clause in its anti-hazing statute. To be aware of hazing and failing to report it is illegal in Alabama.

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Alabama Hazing Statute

16-1-23. Hazing

  1. Hazing is defined as follows:No person shall engage in what is commonly known and recognized as hazing, or encourage, aid, or assist any other person thus offending.

    • Any willful action taken or situation created, whether on or off any school, college, university, or other educational premises, which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health of any student, or
    • Any willful act on or off any school, college, university, or other educational premises by any person alone or acting with others in striking, beating, bruising, or maiming; or seriously offering, threatening, or attempting to strike, beat, bruise, or maim, or to do or seriously offer, threaten, or attempt to do physical violence to any student of any such educational institution or any assault upon any such students made for the purpose of committing any of the acts, or producing any of the results to such student as defined in this section.
    • The term hazing as defined in this section does not include customary athletic events or similar contests or competitions, and is limited to those actions taken and situations created in connection with initiation into or affiliation with any organization. The term hazing does not include corporal punishment administered by officials or employees of public schools when in accordance with policies adopted by local boards of education.
  2. No person shall engage in what is commonly known and recognized as hazing, or encourage, aid, or assist any other person thus offending.

  3. No person shall knowingly permit, encourage, aid, or assist any person in committing the offense of hazing, or willfully acquiesce in the commission of such offense, or fail to report promptly his knowledge or any reasonable information within his knowledge of the presence and practice of hazing in this state to the chief executive officer of the appropriate school, college, university, or other educational institution in this state. Any act of omission or commission shall be deemed hazing under the provisions of this section.

  4. Any person who shall commit the offense of hazing shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor as defined by Title 13A.

  5. Any person who participates in the hazing of another, or any organization associated with a school, college, university, or other educational institution in this state which knowingly permits hazing to be conducted by its members or by others subject to its direction or control, shall forfeit any entitlement to public funds, scholarships, or awards which are enjoyed by him or by it and shall be deprived of any sanction or approval granted by the school, college, university, or other educational institution.

  6. Nothing in this section shall be construed as in any manner affecting or repealing any law of this state respecting homicide, or murder, manslaughter, assault with intent to murder, or aggravated assault.

(Acts 1981, No. 81-824, p. 1466, 1-6.)

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Auburn University Hazing Policy

Auburn University is committed to providing a safe and healthy campus environment for its students, faculty, staff and visitors. With the Auburn Creed as its foundation, the university promotes obedience to law, mutual helpfulness and respect. In accordance with the Alabama State Hazing Statute, Auburn University prohibits all forms of hazing. The purpose of this policy is to define hazing and outline the procedures for reporting and adjudicating instances of hazing that may occur within the university community or between members of the university community.

Auburn University seeks to ensure that hazing is not permitted as part of the experience of being a student, a member or potential member of an organization, an advisor, athlete, volunteer or person otherwise affiliated with the university community. The following principles apply to this policy and the procedures herein:

  1. Students, university employees, student organizations, and individuals associated with student organizations (e.g., chapter advisors, volunteer coaches, club team coaches, etc.) are prohibited from hazing.

  2. Anyone with knowledge about a hazing incident is expected to report the incident to the Office of Student Conduct and/or local law enforcement officials.

  3. Responsibility for hazing can fall to individual member(s) of the university community and/or to organizations that are part of the university community.

  4. If a student or student organization is found responsible for violating this policy and a local, state, or federal law, any conduct finding will not be subject to change because criminal or civil charges arising out of the same fact pattern were dismissed, reduced, or resolved in favor of or against a student or student organization.

  5. Individuals who are victims of hazing and who truthfully report the activities shall not be individually charged with a violation of this policy.

  6. Retaliation in any manner against an individual who reports hazing, an individual about whom hazing was reported, or an individual who participates in a hazing investigation is strictly prohibited.

  7. Making an intentionally false accusation of hazing is prohibited. Student violators are subject to disciplinary action per the Code of Student Conduct.

This policy is effective on December 1, 2016.

  1. Applicability All Auburn University students and student organizations are subject to this policy:

    1. The term “student” includes persons:
      • taking courses at the university (on campus, off campus and/or online) who are full-time or part-time in undergraduate, graduate, transient, or professional studies;
      • who are not officially enrolled for a particular term but who have a continuing relationship with the university (i.e. enrolled for spring semester and registered for fall semester courses but are not enrolled for summer courses);
      • who have accepted their offer of admission to the university;
      • who are conditionally admitted or taking non-academic credits as part of a sponsored university program (i.e. English as a Second Language, Auburn Global, etc.).
    2. The term “student organization” means an organization comprised primarily of students which is recognized by the university, and/or substantively involved in campus life at the university (i.e. registered student organizations, athletics teams, club sport teams, musical/theatrical ensembles, ROTC, student groups supporting academic/administrative units, etc.). Approval for recognition is granted by the Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA), Athletics Department and other academic/administrative departments per the applicable policies.
  2. Applicability Conditions

    1. Individual Violations – a person commits a hazing violation under this policy if that person does one or more of the following: engages in hazing; b. solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another engaging in hazing; c. condones or is negligent in allowing hazing to occur;

    2. Student Organization Violations – an organization commits a hazing violation under this policy if an officer or any combination of members, new members, prospective members, guests, volunteers, alumni or advisors:

      • engages in hazing;
      • solicits, encourages, directs, aids or attempts to aid another engaging in hazing;
      • condones or recklessly allows hazing and/or does not take reasonable steps to prevent hazing
    3. General Terminology

      • The term “university official” includes any person employed by the university, performing assigned administrative or professional responsibilities or who is otherwise considered by the university to be an official.

      • The term “member of the university community” includes any person who is a student, faculty member, university official, or any other person employed by the university.

Responsible Office: Division of Student Affairs
Responsible Executive: Vice President for Student Affairs
Responsible Officer: Director of Student Conduct

  1. A. Auburn University defines hazing as any group or individual conduct, action or activity, regardless of location of incident or consent of participants, that by design, negligence, or recklessness:

    • Occurs in the context of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition of continued membership in a group or organization and;
    • Inflicts or intends to inflict physical or mental harm, excessive fatigue, or distress or which may demean, disgrace, humiliate or degrade a reasonable person;
    • Presents a threat to a student’s health or safety, including but not limited to any brutality of a physical nature, or physical activity that could adversely affect the physical and/or mental health or safety of a student;
    • Unreasonably interferes with a student’s ability to succeed in an academic environment; such activities would include but are not limited to creating excessive fatigue and not allowing reasonable preparation time for academic pursuits;
    • Causes, induces, pressures, coerces or requires a student to violate any federal, state, or local law and/or Auburn University policy.
  2. Examples of behavior in the context of the above include but are not limited to:

    • Consumption of food, alcohol, drugs or any other substance;

    • Testing/quizzing on meaningless information with no constructive or educational purpose;

    • Creating a situation that is distressing due to temperature, noise, size or air quality;

    • Prohibition of use of personal vehicles, bicycles, university transportation (Tiger Transit, bicycles, shuttles, etc.);

    • Preventing interaction with active members, officers, or any other member or potential member;

    • Wearing of apparel which is conspicuous and/or inappropriate;

    • Social isolation;

    • Branding, piercing, tattooing;

    • Creation of unnecessary fatigue including but not limited to acts that stem from physical activity such as calisthenics and other exercise as well as deprivation of sleep;

    • Deprivation of food;

    • Wall-sits, squats, bows and toes, etc.;

    • Placement of an undesirable substance on or in the body;

    • Beating, whipping, restraining, or paddling in any form

    • Berating; yelling; non-purposeful questioning;

    • Physical and psychological shocks;

    • Personal servitude (driving, driving programs, cleaning individual rooms, serving meals, picking up laundry, washing cars, purchasing items on another’s behalf, etc.);

    • Carrying items for others for no constructive purpose (lighters, cigarettes, pocket knives, bricks, etc.);

    • Kidnapping or abandonment;

    • Unreasonable exposure to weather;

    • Lewd conduct; nudity;

    • Subservient behavior (not permitted to make eye contact with an active member, etc.);

    • Any activity that would be viewed by a reasonable person as subjecting any person to embarrassment, degradation or humiliation;

    • Restriction of privileges entitled to active members or students unless activity is sanctioned as an initiation ritual by the national organization or a university official.

  1. Reporting Options for reporting a suspected violation of this policy include:

    1. In emergency situations, call 911;

    2. Call the Auburn University Hazing Hotline 1-866-294-4871 (secured by Ethics Point)

    3. Call the Office of Student Conduct at 334-844-1305

    4. Submit a report online (secured by Ethics Point)

  2. Self-Reporting Individuals and student organizations are encouraged to self-report hazing violations. An organization or group that self-reports must notify the Office of Student Conduct of the names of those individuals responsible for the hazing behaviors and the details of the hazing incident. In addition, the organization must disclose any actions taken by the organization to address the behavior. Such actions will be taken into consideration by the appropriate decision-making body when determining what, if any sanction(s) should apply.

  3. Procedures Students and/or student organizations believed to have violated this policy will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for review and referral, per the procedures outlined in the Code of Student Conduct.

Auburn University students and/or student organizations alleged to have violated this policy are subject to review through the Office of Student Conduct and/or referral to other applicable university disciplinary processes. The sanctioning of individual members of a student organization in no way precludes the sanctioning of that organization (or vice versa). Any conduct outcome listed in the Code of Student Conduct or other applicable policies may be imposed upon a student or student organization found responsible for violating this policy including but not limited to warning, loss of privileges, educational sanctions, fines, loss of university recognition, suspension or expulsion.

The anti-hazing policy is not intended to prohibit the following conduct:

  1. Customary public athletics events, contests, or competitions that are sponsored by the university or the organized and supervised practices associated with such events.

  2. Any activity or conduct that can be demonstrated to further the goals of a legitimate educational curriculum, co-curricular or military training program as defined and approved by the university.

Interpretations and/or questions related to this policy must be directed to the Vice President of Student Affairs or his/her designee. The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs is located in Suite 3248 of the Auburn University Student Center and he/she can be reached via phone at 334-844-1304.

This policy will be reviewed annually and revised at the discretion of the Vice President for Student Affairs and/or her or his designee.

Last updated: 12/08/2023