Educational Block 1 | 10:20-11:20 a.m.

Michigan State launched its student organization conduct role in late Fall 2022, shortly after multiple significant hires occurred to fill vacancies in our Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) office. In this presentation, we want to share our blueprint for success, how we have navigated growing pains and how we continue to work together to support and supplement each other's roles in the positive development and growth of student organizations rooted in meaningful purpose.

Like sexual violence, we know hazing often includes abuse of power. But what about the power dynamics created by social systems? Or the roles of systemic oppressions like sexism and racism? Can illuminating the intersections of sexual violence, a sense of belonging and personal well-being lead to deeper prevention partnerships, targeted programming and thriving campus communities devoid of hazing occurrences? We say yes!

Join us as Cincinnati-based Vector Solutions delivers unique insights from its Campus Prevention Network of ~10M learners and hear from peers who are deepening campus efforts during a lively facilitated discussion.

College student-athletes report the highest incidence of hazing of any college student population. Nearly half of college students were hazed in high school, frequently on their athletic teams and some students report athletic hazing before age 13. This session will explore the unique challenges associated with hazing on athletic teams and the underlying factors that contribute to its persistence. You will learn the crucial role administrators, athletics departments and coaches have in effectively preventing hazing in sports. By examining best practices and evidence-based strategies, you will leave equipped to address and mitigate hazing behaviors within your athletic programs, fostering safer and more inclusive team environments.

This one-hour session will provide practical strategies for addressing hazing conduct that also falls under other institutional policies (Title IX, Discrimination and Harassment, Student Code of Conduct, etc.). It is crucial to identify overlapping procedures and legal obligations to ensure that participants understand the investigation process in order to make informed choices about how they participate. Early communication and clarity about participant rights and steps in the process help to maximize transparency and build rapport.

This program will examine dissertation research that focuses on the impact of relational aggression on belonging and connection within groups. The program will provide professional education on understanding how relational aggression and digital conflict collide to create negative experiences and more likely result in women's aggressive behavior. This topic provides groundbreaking research to contribute to a massive trend experienced by almost all of us as we communicate more and more digitally but also explores a literature gap on women's hazing motivations and behaviors.

While Ohio’s anti-hazing requirements amply regulate student organizations and prevention education with peer-to-peer harm reduction in mind, current definitions omit a major perpetrator population: faculty and staff. The inherent power dynamic and presence of employee-initiated hazing, including academic hazing (Favero et al., 2020) and the presence of employee-specific guidance in other harm reduction law and policy demonstrate a need and an opportunity to expand anti-hazing efforts beyond basic compliance. In this session, presenters will discuss strategies for going beyond basic anti-hazing policies and prevention education to help employees understand their own risks and roles in addressing dynamics of power and harm.

Higher education institutions have developed and implemented various hazing prevention policies and programs with various goals in mind. Over time, staff and administrators must assess their efforts to ensure that students are aware of existing programs and policies and that these efforts are achieving their desired goals. Then, institutional leaders can determine where to revise their approaches to reach students more effectively. Join representatives from the Piazza Center to learn how fraternity and sorority members at the six institutions from the first cohort of the What Works for Fraternity and Sorority Success and Safety Study report the impacts of hazing prevention programs and policies on their attitudes and behaviors. This session will explore which programs change students’ attitudes about hazing, make them more likely to intervene in a hazing situation and make them more likely to report hazing.

Hazing is a serious issue in higher education as it has impacted student well-being and campus culture. Wittenberg University has established an Anti-Hazing Prevention Taskforce to combat this problem. This session highlights the importance of such committees in safeguarding student welfare and creating a positive campus environment. This committee consists of campus stakeholders dedicated to raising awareness, educating and creating culture change to ensure a safe space. By taking a comprehensive approach, we prioritize student safety. During the presentation, we will cover key priorities achieved over the years, including amending policies, updating reporting options, gaining stakeholder buy-in and education and training philosophy. Ultimately, the establishment of an Anti-Hazing Prevention Committee reflects a commitment to safeguarding the well-being and dignity of all individuals within a campus community. By eradicating hazing, institutions send a strong message that such practices have no place in institutions that value inclusivity, personal growth and mutual respect.