Hazing Policy
Statement of Purpose
Hazing is a violation of Wellesley College policy and Massachusetts law. Wellesley College is committed to providing an environment of well-being, learning, and accountability for its members. To this end, the Wellesley College Hazing Policy is grounded in three community standards derived from the Honor Code that applies to both individuals and groups.
- Compliance with governing law and College policies;
- Respect for this community, through the prevention/ zero tolerance of hazing;
- Accountability for reporting
This policy informs students of their individual and community responsibilities regarding hazing, the college's response to Hazing Policy violations, and the resources available for addressing concerns related to hazing or suspected hazing. Wellesley Campus Police and the Division of Student Life have primary responsibility for enforcement of this policy. The Dean of Students and/or her designee will impose or modify sanctions for violations of this policy, as they deem appropriate in their sole discretion. This policy applies to all Wellesley students whether they are on or off the Wellesley campus.
Community Standards
The community standards establish the basis for what constitutes a violation of the Hazing Policy.
Students are expected to comply with all governing laws, including, but not limited to the Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law (Mass. Gen. Laws. Chapter 269, §§ 17, 18, 19) and College policies.
Under the Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law, hazing includes any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation. Violations of Mass. Gen. Laws, Chapter 269, § 17 are punishable by fine and/or imprisonment. A person’s consent to a hazing activity does not serve as a defense to the prohibited conduct.
Wellesley College expects that its students and community members will not engage in conduct that is defined as hazing under the Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law and as otherwise determined by the College.
The College evaluates an incident of suspected or reported activities in the context of a continuum. At one end of the continuum are group activities that, if designed and carried out properly, can serve the intended purpose of positive group building and do not constitute hazing activities. At the other end of the continuum, are severe forms of activities that may result in severe psychological trauma or injury, or death, and do constitute prohibited hazing. Along this continuum there are a range of activities that present varying degrees of severity and risk of physical or emotional harm.
Where a given activity falls on the continuum (as determined by the College) is not simply a function of what the act looks like to an observer because hazing impacts people differently. Therefore, the College does not evaluate for hazing just by looking at the activity, but also by the impact on the recipient. An act that one person might experience as mildly humiliating may be experienced by another person as severely humiliating. In other words, evaluation of activities to determine if hazing occurs involves objective and subjective realities, both of which are taken into consideration by the College.
Below are some questions you may ask yourself to help determine if an activity is hazing. If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, the activity, particularly in the context of group membership or affiliation, is likely to be deemed hazing or otherwise inappropriate by the College:
- Would you have reservations about describing the activity to a college official?
- Would you have reservations about describing the activity to your parents?
- Does the activity involve alcohol and/or other drugs?
- Does the activity involve mental distress, such as humiliation or intimidation?
- Does the activity involve physical abuse (including, but not limited to, sleep deprivation or forced exercise)?
- Is there a question of safety involved with the activity or a significant risk of injury?
- Would you be worried if the activity appeared in the evening news or in the newspaper?
(Adapted with permission from www.hazing.cornell.edu)
It is impossible to list all possible hazing activities. The Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law contains some examples of activities that constitute hazing. The list below, which is not exhaustive, provides other examples of activities that Wellesley views to constitute hazing.
Behaviors that emphasize a power imbalance between new initiates/members or prospective members and other members of a group or team. These behaviors may include, but are not limited to:
- Encouraging or facilitating stunts, including but not limited to, acts of reckless behavior, and the wearing of apparel that is degrading or demeaning.
- Activities involving interrogation or verbal abuse.
Behaviors that cause emotional anguish or physical discomfort in order to feel like a part of the group. These behaviors may include, but not limited to:
- Creating any situation that is uncomfortable due to temperature, noise, air quality, or other threatening conditions.
- Encouraging or expecting an individual to carry items that have no immediate personal utility.
- Activities that cause psychological stress, including, but not limited to, any deception designed to convince a student that he/she will not be initiated, will be removed from the group, or will be injured during any activity.
Behaviors that have the potential to cause physical and/or emotional, or psychological harm. These behaviors may include, but not limited to:
- Activities or events that facilitate rapid drinking, drinking games, intoxication or impairment.
- Actions taken or situations created which may foreseeably cause pain, injury, undue physical stress, or fatigue, including, but is not limited to, paddling, hitting, slapping, pushing, shoving, burning, shocking, tackling, and excessive physical activity.
- Activities including any type of confinement, restraint, kidnapping, blindfolding, or transportation and abandonment.
Students are responsible for reporting incidents of hazing and suspected hazing. Failure to report an incident of hazing will be viewed by the College as compliance (through passive participation) in the hazing activity and is a violation of the Hazing Policy. Failure to report an incident of hazing may also constitute a violation of state law. Students should report hazing or suspected hazing to:
- PERA Coaches, or student organization advisors
- Office of Student Involvement
- Office of Residential Life
- Campus Police (students are expected to contact campus police immediately if someone is at risk of physical harm)
If you would like to seek guidance regarding positive team or community building activities, please contact:
- PERA Coaches, or student organization advisors
- Office of Student Involvement
- Office of Residential Life
- Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
If you have questions regarding hazing or this policy, please contact:
- Melinda Mangels, Associate Athletic Director, PERA
- Megan Jordan, Associate Director, Office of Student Involvement
- Kristine Niendorf, Assistant Dean and Director, Office of Residential Life