August 10, 2021
30+ National Organizations Endorse the REACH Act
Last month over 30 organizations joined Clery Center, StopHazing, and Safe Campuses, LLC, in signing a coalition letter urging Congress to prioritize the REACH Act. The breadth of organizations represented in this letter underscores not only the vast support for the REACH Act, but the intersection of hazing with other campus safety concerns such as sexual assault and mental health.
Fifty-five percent of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing.1 Hazing is a threat to the health and safety of students due to its intimidating, harassing, and often violent nature2, and at extremes, hazing is lethal. In March of 2007, Gary and Julie DeVercelly’s son, Gary DeVercelly Jr., died as a result of hazing at Rider University. As Clery Center board members, they have been tireless advocates to ensure no parents have to experience this unbearable—and preventable—loss. Tragically, hazing continues to have a lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities across the country.
The REACH Act, a bipartisan and bicameral bill, would make hazing a Clery reportable crime and require evidence-informed prevention education at institutions of higher education. This legislation will help to:
- Shift societal norms and structures that contribute to campus environments where hazing is more likely to occur.
- Provide the public with more reliable information about hazing incidents and trends at an institution and nationwide.
- Support colleges and universities in taking an evidence-based approach to campus hazing prevention.
- Keep students safe.
Despite the global pandemic requiring many institutions of higher education to operate remotely last academic year, hazing continued. In 2021, three more young lives have been tragically lost due to alleged hazing incidents and countless more have been negatively impacted. As we look to the beginning of a new academic year with continued unprecedented challenges, institutions are preparing for a potential surge in risky and harmful behaviors, including hazing, as students eagerly return to in-person interactions and events.
As we have said many times before—federal legislation to address hazing is long overdue, and while we wait, lives continue to be lost. Please support the REACH Act by contacting your senators and representatives today using this form. If your organization would like to join the growing list of supporters and endorse the REACH Act, click here.
For more information about the REACH Act, including a concept paper on why it’s an important initiative, visit StopHazing.
1Allan, E. J., & Madden, M. (2008). Hazing in view: College students at risk. https://stophazing.org/research/national-hazing-study-hazing-in-view/
2StopHazing Research Lab. (2020, December). Hazing: The Issue. StopHazing Consulting. https://www.stophazing.org/intersections
The following organizations, along with StopHaizng, Clery Center, and SAFE Campuses, LLC, have signed-on as endorsers of the REACH Act:
- AHA! Movement
- American Association of Suicidology
- America’s Promise Alliance
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
- Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors
- Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors
- Bolster Collaborative, Inc.
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
- End Rape On Campus
- It’s On Us
- National Association of People Against Bullying
- National College Athlete Honor Society, Inc.
- National Council for Mental Wellbeing
- National Education Association
- National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA)
- National Women’s Law Center
- NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation
- Positive Coaching Alliance
- Public Justice
- Robert D Champion Drum Major for Change Foundation
- Soteria Solutions
- Stop Bullying Now Foundation Inc.
- The Jed Foundation
- The Youth Mental Health Project
- Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform
- Tyler Clementi Foundation
- Ujima Inc: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community
- VTV Family Outreach Foundation, Inc.
- ZeroNow
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January 12, 2022
60 Minutes Hazing Segment Follow-up: Q & A with The Fierberg National Law Group
Late last year, 60 Minutes aired a segment about fraternity hazing at the University of Washington that resulted in the tragic death of Sam Martinez. This Q & A serves to dig deeper into the realities of hazing from the perspective of Douglas E. Fierberg, Esq., of The Fierberg National Law Group (TFNL Group), the legal team representing families, survivors, and others in lawsuits involving fraternity hazing, and more. The TFNL Group represents the Martinez family and numerous other families who have experienced loss and harm due to hazing.
For those who may be new to this topic, can you describe your firm’s experience with hazing and hazing cases?
The firm handled its first fraternity hazing case way back in the mid-1990s, which involved a brutal hazing of a young man at the University of Maryland. The case went to trial after our client rejected an offer of $5,000 and the jury awarded $375,000 in damages. After that came a sorority hazing case involving two women who were branded with lit cigarettes during an initiation ritual at DePauw University. That case was also resolved favorably. We learned in the process of handling these two cases just how prevalent hazing is, as well as how little fraternities have done to make the organizational changes necessary to reduce and/or eliminate these dangerous traditions (sororities have done more, though not enough). We also learned how important it is to represent young people and their families in these types of cases because, often, it is their first direct contact with the civil justice system, and we endeavor to make that as understandable, empowering and successful as possible. For many families, it’s about imposing reforms on the Greek industry so that their loss can help protect others. With our experience, we know enough about the problems in the Greek industry to help insist upon and obtain meaningful reforms.
Can you define the term “Greek Industry” or explain why the firm uses it?
We use this term because it properly describes how fraternities operate in this country. There are numerous national fraternities operating on the vast majority of college campuses across the country. National fraternities generate significant revenue from a number of sources, including from recruiting new undergraduate members, rental income from housing owned and/or controlled at prime college locations, and gifts and donations from alumni. They often create and operate through a number of affiliated corporate entities that benefit from tax-exempt status, with some holding title to and managing real estate located on campuses. Many of the national fraternities have annual revenues in excess of a million dollars, and have net worths of tens of millions of dollars.
Do you think there needs to be more accountability of national fraternity and sorority organizations related to hazing incidents? If so, what should that look like?
The fraternities have the greatest ability to make reforms across the country, and this is where the change must originate. The blame for failing to make such change is with the fraternities and their trade groups. By one simple example, fraternities could end the concept and process of “pledging” tomorrow. Adults in this country can join meaningful organizations without going through 8 weeks of a secret process to learn the “truth” about an organization and demonstrate one’s merit to belong. It’s a ridiculous notion, and a number of studies have documented its interference with academic performance. African American fraternities banned pledging back around 1990, and, from personal experience, it’s had an obvious impact on the number of deaths and the severity of injuries. There are a number of other obvious reforms that could and should be implemented by fraternities, immediately.
What is the significance of ‘willingness to participate’ or the consent component of hazing when holding students, organizations, and institutions accountable?
It’s very important because it is essentially codifying the reality that hazing involves an imbalance/abuse of power and coercion. Among many things, it uses and/or distorts concepts of family, friendship, advancement and, often, normal insecurities to compel people to engage in dangerous activities. After that dangerous misconduct results in injury or death, a statute or school policy that renders consent irrelevant can help with the civil and criminal litigation that results because it can preclude the wrongdoer from blaming the victim, which is often the primary strategy used by wrongdoers to evade legal responsibility. For example, in many types of cases involving civil justice, the consent of the victim precludes and/or limits a lawsuit against others for damages. It has a similar effect to cases involving statutory rape, whereby, given the age of the victim, the perpetrator cannot evade responsibility by claiming that the victim consented. It’s a way of ensuring that justice is served given the nature of the wrongdoing and public policy.
How might federal legislation, the REACH Act, help to prevent hazing and additional hazing tragedies at colleges and universities?
One of the most important provisions of the law requires disclosure by universities of incidents and findings of hazing, which will help people understand the problem and, likely prevent students from joining organizations that are dangerous. Institutions and organizations that are revealed as being dangerous may suffer drops in enrollment and membership and may be incentivized to change.
In your opinion, how could the transparency of hazing at institutions and amongst organizations be increased?
It starts with universities telling the full truth about the risks, in addition to the promotion of fraternities that they’re currently doing. The full truth doesn’t mean snippets of information. It means detailed descriptions of the fraternity/sorority incidents that threaten or cause serious risk, injuries and death. It also needs to be required of fraternities/sororities either by law or as a condition of obtaining status as a recognized student organization (and obtaining the benefits of such status). Only then will concerned students, families and administrators be able to see the incidents across the country, as requiring disclosures by universities will create silos of information and keep people from knowing how poorly managed and/or dangerous a fraternity/sorority is when the misconduct of all chapters is considered. That is important for a student/family considering fraternity membership at a particular university, even if there have been no incidents of wrongdoing at that specific school.
What can local and campus police investigators do to ensure hazing investigations are comprehensive?
It starts with understanding the law and discarding the age-old notion that the alcohol-related death of a young student at a fraternity house is just a par-for-the-course example of someone who bears the blame for the tragedy because they voluntarily consumed the alcohol and didn’t know their limits. Police should also immediately seize cell phones, other technology and gain/access passwords to chat groups because fraternities and fraternity members begin covering up the truth immediately. Without gaining access to this type of information, investigations are irrevocably hindered by the oaths of loyalty members take towards each other and other efforts to prevent the truth from being discovered. Virtually every family that has lost a child to hazing has seen evidence of cover-ups and lies to obfuscate the truth and prevent justice.
What is a piece of advice you would give to students and their family members as they consider joining a student organization, club, or team at school?
Knowledge is power. Do the research on the organizations, locally and nationally. Go to and demand information from the Office of Greek Affairs, and ask if there is other information from different offices involving claims of sexual assault and misconduct causing injuries.
Google information locally and nationally using search terms as: [Insert fraternity name] and death; [Insert fraternity name] and hazing; [Insert fraternity name] and alcohol; [Insert fraternity name] and injury; [Insert fraternity name] and suspension; [Insert fraternity name] and sexual assault; and, [Insert fraternity name] and rape. That’s a start.
Take Action Now!
It is clear more needs to be done to prevent hazing. You can help put an end to these senseless acts and behaviors that result in harm and tragedy by supporting the REACH Act — federal legislation that can help prevent hazing at colleges and universities through transparency, consistent reporting structures, and education on the issue.
Complete this quick form to send your representatives a message urging them to cosponsor the REACH Act, preventing hazing and helping keep students safe at school.
For more information about Clery Center & StopHazing’s hazing education and prevention work and resources, visit clerycenter.org/hazing and stophazing.org.
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October 20, 2021
How to Talk About Campus Safety with the College Student in Your Life
By: Jessica Mertz, Executive Director of Clery Center
As children grow up, they usually learn about safety from parents, loved ones, and friends, constantly telling them things like don’t talk to strangers, don’t post personal information on social media, don’t get into a car with someone who has been drinking, etc. And for parents, safety fears for your child never end and can be triggered by the latest warning in your local Facebook group or an unimaginable tragedy making national headlines. However, this combination rarely builds a foundation for the personal, more nuanced conversations parents should have with their children about safety while they are away at school.
A recent College Safety Survey1 conducted by Clery Center and ADT found that 82% of college students are concerned about their personal safety as they return to school this fall and 97% consider their personal safety while on campus, yet only 70% have talked to their family about ways to be safe while attending school. This demonstrates that if you have a college student in your life, safety isn’t just a topic you have a responsibility to raise, it’s one students want to talk more about. With the additional stressors of COVID-19 related health concerns, and the reality that many students are beginning or returning to college after over a year of online learning, there is likely increased uncertainty about how to navigate a new environment.
As you approach this important topic, try to avoid making assumptions about what safety concerns the student has or those you think they should have. Instead, ask questions like: “Are you worried about your personal safety when you go to school?” Or, “What do you think will be different on campus than it has been for you at home?”. Create an open dialogue so they know their perspective is important. You can also share some practical, easy to follow, safety tips that empower them rather than scare them. ADT and Clery Center have compiled tips to help you provide useful advice to students, like recommending they always carry essential items like a phone, ID, and medical cards, knowing how to recognize an unhealthy relationship, and familiarizing themselves with their campus and surrounding areas.
Conversations about personal safety should happen throughout a student’s school journey, not just as a pre-college warning. In fact, the College Safety Survey found that concerns about safety were consistent regardless of whether they were a first-year or a fourth-year student. While students will hopefully grow more familiar with and comfortable on their campus, they may also become more aware of harmful behaviors and crimes through their lived experiences and have much different concerns than they did as freshmen.
Institutions of higher education have taken greater responsibility for student safety over the past 30 years, and college students’ rights and access to resources have improved thanks to federal laws like the Clery Act. The Clery Act requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to disseminate a public Annual Security Report which includes crime statistics for the preceding three years, plus details about which efforts are taken to improve campus safety, like prevention programs.
While 74% of students surveyed said they trust their institution to provide a supportive response if they experience a harmful or dangerous situation, students reported that they are most likely to call a family member or a friend if they feel unsafe. So even if you are far away, your role is still an important one. If they do reach out for support, respond with empathy and avoid questions that may imply judgment or blame for their actions.
Remember, the toughest conversations to have are often the most important ones. The relationship you have built with the student in your life, and your consistency in showing you care, is likely to be the thing that makes them feel safest of all.
Clery Center Tips for Student Safety:
- Familiarity is Key: Start familiarizing yourself with your new campus, like identifying key buildings such as the health center or campus police, and surroundings areas, such as where the nearest hospital is or areas where crimes are more common. Once on campus, parents can help students by doing a dry run of how to get to buildings they will frequent and learning about other means of transportation like campus shuttles or the local subway system.
- Carry the Essentials: You will likely always have your phone with you but it’s important to have an In Case of Emergency or ICE contact clearly labeled. Check your phone’s settings, too, ensure that this information can be accessed even if your phone is locked. Always carry your student ID, government ID and any medical cards.
- Get to Know Your School: Each institution publishes an annual security report (ASR) that provides information about campus safety, like where to report a crime, rights and options afforded to victims of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, plus campus crime statistics for the previous three calendar years. Reviewing this information along with bias incident policies, amnesty policies and reporting policies is essential. Look at what kind of law enforcement is present on your campus to better understand how you may interact with them. For example, some institutions have sworn and/or armed law enforcement with arrest authority, while others work with local police.
- Create a Safety Plan: Families or trusted adults can play an important role in helping you safely prepare for campus life by working with you to create a safety plan. Loved ones should start by talking with students about their specific worries and validating their feelings and concerns and then thinking through a plan of action for each event. These conversations can center on who to call for help and support, when it’s right to escalate to emergency services, and how to find safe shelter. Look for bystander intervention programs that teach strategies for addressing concerning behaviors on campus. These safety plans are great to establish with friends, too, to encourage an open dialogue around safety.
- Know How to Recognize an Unhealthy Relationship: There has always been education around stranger danger, but in the case of incidents like hazing, dating violence, and sexual assault, the person causing harm is often someone the person knows and likely even trusts. Knowing how to identify abusive behaviors can help students stay safe. Warning signs include controlling behavior, jealousy, manipulation, isolation, belittling, guilting and volatility. Understanding and recognizing these signs can be key to interpreting your relationships, whether with a partner or friend.
- Be an Active Bystander: Creating a safer campus needs to involve everyone who is a part of it. Attend programs to learn strategies for how to speak out against concerning behaviors and how to support a friend who is being harmed. Most schools have amnesty policies, which encourages students to seek help in dangerous situations without fear of getting in trouble for other policy violations like alcohol use.
Check out Clery Center’s Recommended Resources for Students and Families.
About the author: Jessica Mertz is the Executive Director of Clery Center, a national nonprofit that works with institutions of higher education to improve their campus safety practices. Jessica was the founding Director of Penn Violence Prevention at the University of Pennsylvania and has served in various roles helping communities prevent and respond to interpersonal violence.
1 Engine Insights survey of 1,002 college students identified from a demographically representative sample of the U.S. population, conducted in September 2021.
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Five ways "We Don’t Haze" can impact your campus
Although 2022 just began, national headlines continue to highlight the realities and dangers of hazing within our campus communities. Institutions nationwide have banned student organizations for hazing practices, students have been suspended for engaging in hazing, and lawsuits have been filed against campuses from students or families who’ve experienced harm.
As you work with student organizations and campus professionals to increase awareness about hazing, the short film We Don’t Haze and the We Don’t Haze Companion Guide, newly updated in 2022, are useful tools to help students and employees identify hazing behaviors and establish traditions that promote a safer, more positive team-building experiences.
Five ways We Don’t Haze can impact your campus:
1. The We Don’t Haze Companion Guide incorporates the latest research.
The We Don’t Haze Companion Guide was updated in 2022, incorporating all the latest research and strategies for hazing prevention. The Prevention Brief discusses the issue of hazing, why it is a problem we should all care about, and research-based strategies to prevent hazing and its harm. This brief allows for users to take a deeper dive into the research and understand hazing and its prevention more comprehensively.
2. The Companion Guide includes FOUR action-based programming guides.
These detailed, strategic, research-based guides will support you in implementing hazing prevention programming:
- The two Discussion Guides walk through activities, questions and answers, and statistics geared specifically for student and faculty and staff audiences.
- The Bystander Intervention Guide outlines the stages of bystander intervention, the warning signs and spectrum of hazing behaviors, skills and methods for safe intervention, and how to take action to prevent and stop hazing.
- The Workshop & Activity Guide details activities on how to recognize hazing, power and control dynamics, and positive organization and team values in order to build healthy, hazing-free environments on campus
Level-up the award-winning film by utilizing the We Don’t Haze Companion Guide programming to develop hazing awareness, skills to prevent hazing, and build healthy groups and teams free of hazing on campus.
3. We Don’t Haze changes how students view hazing and makes them more willing and able to intervene.
Findings gathered from more than 250 students across multiple universities and types of student groups indicated that students who viewed We Don’t Haze had significant shifts in their perceptions of hazing and their willingness to intervene. They indicated that they held attitudes less supportive of hazing and perceived increased ability to intervene and provide support to peers who had experienced hazing. These changes were not observed in a control group that viewed a general leadership video. (StopHazing Research Lab, 2022)
4. We Don’t Haze demonstrates the real-life impact of hazing.
As one student participant stated: “The real-life experiences that were shown in the film brought so much perspective and light to what a horrendous thing hazing really is.”
It may be easy for your community to think that hazing isn’t something that will impact them, perhaps especially if they or a loved one are not in college or joining a fraternity, yet we know hazing occurs across a range of student groups and ages, and has far reaching ripple effects for the survivors as well as their families, communities, and beyond.
It is important to also remember the real-life impacts of hazing don’t solely occur when tragedy strikes — although true — hazing impacts many through its hidden harm too, such as mental health concerns like anxiety and depression or unanticipated life changes like moving and transferring, etc.
5. We Don’t Haze is completely free and available to all.
We Don’t Haze was developed in collaboration with a number of partners including Clery Center, StopHazing, and families who lost loved ones to hazing. The film and companion materials have been made available at no cost to ensure everyone, on every campus, has open access to research-based tools and resources to prevent hazing.
Are you already using the film on your campus? We’d love to hear more about your work! Please connect with us by emailing [email protected].
Clery Center & StopHazing (2022) Five ways We Don’t Haze can impact your campus |
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