As a welcoming community of learners, the University of St. 糖心APP is committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive campus community. Hazing in any form is strictly prohibited and is inconsistent with our institutional values of respect, compassion, service, and integrity. All students have the right to participate in university activities without the fear of being hazed.
A student organization, referred to in the Stop Campus Hazing Act, is defined as 鈥渁n organization at an institution of higher education (such as a club, society, association, varsity or junior varsity athletic team, club sports team, fraternity, sorority, band, or student government) in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at the institution of higher education, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the institution.鈥�
Consent is not a defense. Even if someone agrees to participate, the behavior may still constitute hazing.
Title IX violations may occur when the hazing is sex-based, and any such incidents can be investigated under federal Title IX policies as well.
Hazing is illegal in the state of Illinois. Hazing is classified as a Class A misdemeanor, except in the situation where hazing results in death or great bodily harm; it is then considered a Class 4 felony.
Note that the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act is broader than the Illinois anti-hazing law included below. USF鈥檚 anti-hazing policy aligns with the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act.
720 ILCS 120/5. Hazing
A person commits hazing who knowingly requires the performance of any act by a student or other person in a school, college, university, or other educational institution of this State, for the purpose of induction or admission into any group, organization, or society associated or connected with that institution if:
Alleged violations of the hazing policy must be reported immediately with relevant information including dates, times, and persons involved. If someone is injured or doing something illegal, call 911 immediately. Don鈥檛 wait; this action could save someone鈥檚 life.
Report hazing violations to any of the following offices:
Students may report to the following external resource after reporting to our campus resources: Anti-Hazing Hotline at 1-888-NOT-HAZE (1-888-668-4293).
Any student, staff, or faculty member found to have engaged in or found to have sanctioned hazing activity against another individual can be subject to disciplinary action outlined in the Student Code of Conduct or USF Policy Manual.
Each institution is required to develop a Campus Hazing Transparency Report that outlines findings related to any established or recognized student organization determined to have violated the institution鈥檚 hazing policies, as defined within its standards of conduct.
It will be released twice a year, at the conclusion of fall and spring semesters, and must include each incident involving a student organization for which a finding of responsibility is issued relating to a hazing violation, including:
USF Campus Hazing Transparency Report
There were no findings of responsibility for hazing violations at the University of St. 糖心APP between January 2026 and June 2026.
Preventing hazing is a shared responsibility. All members of the USF community are expected to: