What is hazing?
Hazing is any action performed by a person or group, regardless of whether the victim consents, that is intentional, knowing, or reckless, and:
- is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in a Student Organization; and
- causes or creates a risk of physical or psychological injury or degradation.
Examples of hazing include, but are not limited to:
- Whipping, paddling, or striking a prospective new member
- Compulsory alcohol or drug consumption
- Scavenger hunts that compel new members to commit a criminal act such as shoplifting or theft
- Extreme calisthenics such as making new members do “wall-sits” while passing heavy objects
Hazing violates UMBC Policy and it may also constitute a misdemeanor crime in Maryland. Hazing does not promote belonging or well-being–in fact, it promotes the opposite. Hazing is strictly prohibited at UMBC and both individual students and student organizations are held accountable for violations.
Hazing Policy
The UMBC Hazing Policy was updated in Fall 2025 reflective of the requirements of the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act.
Campus Hazing Transparency Report
The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require colleges and universities to disclose hazing incidents in their annual security reports. It mandates institutions to define hazing, compile statistics on reported cases, and establish transparent policies for reporting and prevention.
One of the requirements of the SCHA is that colleges and universities must create a Campus Hazing Transparency Report, listing organizations found responsible for hazing, and detailing violations, sanctions, and key investigation dates.
There have been no findings of responsibility for hazing violations from July 1, 2025 to December 23, 2025.
Reporting Hazing
Hazing can also be reported 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by contacting UMBC Campus Police at 410-455-5555. Any Campus Security Authority who becomes aware of hazing is required to make a report to UMBC Campus Police.
Hazing should also be reported directly to Student Conduct and Community Standards via the link below:
Hazing Prevention and Awareness Programs
The President, Vice President, and Treasurer of each recognized Student Organization at UMBC (as further defined in the Policy), including Club Sports, are required to review a recorded hazing awareness tutorial as part of their annual organizational renewal. In 2025 – 2026, 196 recognized organizations fulfilled their compliance with this requirement. Student Organizations that have not completed the required hazing awareness tutorial are and will remain subject to restricted privileges until the training is completed.
Student Conduct and Community Standards and Campus Life-Engagement partnered during National Hazing Prevention Week for a viewing and discussion of the critically acclaimed documentary titled Hazing.
The Peer Health Educators have a hazing prevention workshop titled Big Dawgs Don’t Haze, which was presented twice during Spring 2025.
Green Dot Bystander Intervention Training offers UMBC students, faculty and staff the opportunity to develop skills to safely and effectively stop power-based personal violence before it starts. Green Dot is UMBC’s primary prevention tool to address hazing.