Rule 3364-30-20 | Policy on hazing.
(A) Policy statement
No employee, student group, student organization, individual student, team, or alumnus may conduct or condone hazing activities.
(B) Under Ohio law "hazing" is defined as "doing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation into any student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person."
(C) Hazing:
(1) Is a misdemeanor criminal offense under Ohio law,
(2) May subject any participants in the hazing to personal civil liability for damages arising from the hazing,
(3) May subject any organization whose local or national directors, trustees, or officers authorized, requested, commanded, or tolerated the hazing to civil liability, and
(4) May subject any local or national director, trustee, or officer of the organization who authorized, requested, commanded, or tolerated the hazing to personal civil liability for damages arising from the hazing; and
(5) May result in discipline up to an including termination for employees, or sanctions up to and including expulsion for students.
(D) No employee, student group, student organization, individual student, team, or alumnus may participate in the hazing of another as defined in paragraph (C) of this rule. No administrator, employee, or faculty member may permit the hazing of any person.
(E) For purposes of this policy, hazing is any act or situation, which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition of continued membership, regardless of one's willingness to participate. Hazing may occur if an individual or group causes or attempts to cause physical injury or other harm to a person emotionally, or engages in conduct, which presents a threat to the person's health or safety, engages in an action or activity, which is intended to demean, disgrace, humiliate, or degrade a person, engages in conduct that by design or intent interferes with or attempts to interfere with a person's academics, or causes, pressures, or requires a student to violate the law.
(F) When an employee, student group, student organization, individual student, team, or alumnus has engaged in a hazing activity, the university has the authority to initiate conduct or disciplinary proceedings regardless of the location of the activity. Such action shall be conducted in compliance with normal student code of conduct proceedings or applicable employment policies for university staff.
(G) Any employee who is aware of, should be aware of, or suspects hazing is occurring should stop the activity if possible, and must report the situation promptly to the office of student conduct and community standards in the division of student affairs.
(H) Any student who may be the victim of hazing, is aware of hazing, or suspects hazing is occurring should report the situation promptly to the office of student conduct and community standards in the division of student affairs.
Last updated June 27, 2021 at 12:51 PM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 3364
Prior Effective Dates: 11/2/2018