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President Joe Biden has signed into law the bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act.
The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Louisiana Republican Dr. Bill Cassidy.
“When parents send their kids away to college, they expect they will get a good education and make new friends. They don’t expect them to be harassed and hazed. Unfortunately, hazing is a dangerous—and at times deadly—reality that students are confronted with,” says Senator Klobuchar. “After years of effort from parents, students, advocates and lawmakers, our bipartisan legislation to improve hazing prevention efforts on college campuses has now been signed into law, and I’ll keep working to stop this abuse and keep students safe.”
Klobuchar says the new law will require colleges to include hazing incidents in their annual campus safety report and establish a campus-wide, research-based program to educate students about the dangers of hazing. In addition, the bill will increase transparency and accountability by providing parents and students with better information about a student organization’s history of hazing incidents.
The bill was championed In the U.S. House of Representatives by Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath and South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan.
“I am pleased the Stop Campus Hazing Act has passed and support this effort to promote a safe environment where all UMN students may participate in campus activities and student organizations free of hazing. The bill will provide greater transparency and awareness around incidents of hazing and be an important tool in helping to support healthy student engagement and involvement. I appreciate Senator Klobuchar’s leadership and advocacy on this important campus issue,” says Calvin Phillips, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Minnesota.
The National Study of Student Hazing found that more than half of college students involved in extracurricular clubs, athletic teams, and organizations experience hazing. Since 2000, there have been more than 50 hazing-related deaths.
This Stop Campus Hazing Act was cosponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Casey (D-PA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), James Lankford (R-OK), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Angus King (I-ME), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Mark Warner (D-VA).