Rule 3362-3-25 | Anti-hazing policy.
(A) Purpose
(1) Shawnee state university is committed to a safe and respectful campus environment that aligns with our institutional values. Hazing can cause irreparable harm to victims, victims' families, and the university community. From a legal perspective, hazing is a crime. From the university's perspective, hazing is antithetical to the ideals and values of our learning community. Prevention of hazing is the responsibility of every member of the university community, including students, student organizations, teams, employees, volunteers, and alumni.
(2) Members of the Shawnee state university community who are expressly prohibited from engaging in hazing include students, staff, faculty, volunteers, guests, and individuals or members of recognized groups, such as student organizations, teams, or associations.
(B) Definition
"Hazing" is defined as committing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to commit any act of initiation into any student or other organization or any act to continue or reinstate membership in or affiliation with any student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person, including coercing another to consume alcohol or a drug of abuse. This definition was enacted to comply with section 2903.31 of the Revised Code; to the extent the definition in the Revised Code is modified, this policy definition shall be deemed similarly modified.
(C) Policy scope
(1) This policy applies to students, student organizations, groups and teams, coaches, and employees. This policy also applies to volunteers and alumni acting in an official capacity who advise or coach student organizations and/or student groups and who have direct contact with students.
(2) Shawnee state university has jurisdiction over this policy whether the conduct occurs on or off-campus.
(3) The following factors do not prevent conduct from being considered a violation of this policy:
(a) Expressed or implied consent; or
(b) The conduct not being part of an official event or otherwise sanctioned or approved by a student organization or student group.
(4) Hazing does not include either of the following:
(a) Reasonable and customary organizational training, contests, competitions, or other events that are explicitly relevant to the mission of the organization; or
(b) Lawful expressive activities that are protected under the first amendment to the United States Constitution, section 11 of Article I of the Ohio Constitution, or sections 3345.0211 to 3345.0214 of the Revised Code.
(D) University resources
(1) The university will have processes and resources in place to protect students, employees, and visitors from prohibited hazing and to ensure the following:
(a) Compliance with applicable state and federal laws that address hazing;
(b) Complaints of hazing are adequately investigated and resolved; and
(c) Training and educational programs on hazing, including hazing awareness, prevention, intervention, and reporting.
(2) The president is authorized to enact procedures to carry out the objectives of this policy, which shall include matters including but not limited to duties to report hazing, methods to enforce this policy, and sanctions for violations.
Last updated December 24, 2021 at 1:14 AM
Supplemental Information