To combat hazing during Greek organizations’ pledges and parties, the Stony Brook University has launched a new program that will allow students to go scot-free if they report hazing incidents.
Earlier this week, the university added a hazing amnesty program to the Code of Student Responsibility that will keep students reporting hazing away from the purview of disciplinary sanctions.
The latest initiative comes on top of various training and education programs being started by the university’s Division of Student Affairs to aware and prevent the incidents of hazing.
“If you in good faith are trying to help someone, we are trying to remove part of that barrier for you,” said Samantha Thompson, Associate Director for the Department of Engagement and Student Activities.
A study conducted by the University of Maine researchers has found that nearly 55 percent of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing which includes alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep- deprivation, and sexual acts.
In 2016, a Stony Brook sophomore Nicholas Holt died following an off-campus Alpha Phi Delta fraternity party, which was later attributed to excessive drinking.
Since then, the university has taken various measures to regulate the Greek life on campus. The university requires all the returning and new members to undergo online hazing prevention Red Watch Band training. It also enforces a Good Samaritan policy to encourage reports of unsafe drinking or other drug related emergencies.
Other universities are also cracking down on policy violations by various Greek organizations. In May, Swarthmore College passed an order that Greek organizations will no longer exist on its campus, denying them any leased space following a report which found serious violations of rules and school policies.
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