Hazing Policy

Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in hazing, as defined below, may be sanctioned under this policy. The policy applies to students, employees, and any individual affiliated with Smith College. This policy applies to conduct occurring both on and off Smith’s campus.

Hazing includes any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate, that

1. is committed in the course of an initiation or admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a College student organization (e.g., a club, student government, athletic team), and
2. endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, or
3. causes, is likely to contribute to, or creates, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the College or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team):
   1. a risk of or actual physical injury, or
   2. mental or physical distress or discomfort, or
   3. a risk of embarrassment, ridicule, or intimidation, or
   4. damage to or destruction of property, or
   5. a violation of College policy or any applicable law.

Examples of hazing include, but are not limited to:

• whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body,
• causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation or rest or extended isolation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity,
• causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, beverage, alcohol, liquor, drugs, or other substances,
• causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts,
• any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct, branding, exposure to the weather, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of a person, or which subjects a person to extreme mental stress.

Consent is not available as a defense to charges of Hazing.

A student organization is an organization at the College (such as a house community, club/organization, society, association, varsity or junior varsity athletic team, club sports team, band, or student government) in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at the College, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the College.

Alleged hazing may be reported to the Office of Student Affairs via a community incident report or by contacting a member of the student affairs team.

In an emergency, report hazing instances to Campus Safety or local law enforcement by calling 911. To reach Campus Safety, dial 5555 from any campus phone or call 413-585-5555.

All employees, including student employees, are required to report potential allegations of hazing to the Office of Student Affairs immediately upon learning about them. The Office of Student Affairs will inform law enforcement to the extent necessary under federal and state laws.

Under state law, if a person knows that another person is the victim of hazing and is at the scene of the hazing, they should report the hazing to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable, to the extent they can do so without danger or peril to themselves or others.

Upon receiving a report of potential hazing by students, the College will utilize the procedures described in the Code of Student Conduct. Any charges of hazing will be adjudicated by the College Community Standards Board as described in the Student Handbook.

Upon receiving a report of potential hazing by employees, the College will utilize the misconduct procedures described in the applicable handbook for that employee.

The College shall issue to every student group, student team and student organization which is part of the College or is recognized by the College or permitted by the College to use its name or facilities or is known by the College to exist as an unaffiliated student group, student team or student organization, a copy of this section and sections 17 and 18. The College’s compliance with this section’s distribution requirements to unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations shall not constitute evidence of the College’s recognition or evidence of any unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations.

Each such group, team or organization shall distribute a copy of this section and sections 17 and 18 to each of its members, plebes, pledges and applicants for membership. It shall be the duty of each such group, team or organization, acting through its designated officer, to deliver annually to the College an attested acknowledgment stating that such group, team or organization has received a copy of this section and sections 17 and 18, that each of its members, plebes, pledges or applicants has received a copy of sections 17 and 18, and that such group, team or organization understands and agrees to comply with the provisions of this section and sections 17 and 18.

The College shall, at least annually, before or at the start of enrollment, deliver to each person who enrolls as a full-time student a copy of this section and sections 17 and 18.

The College shall file, at least annually, a report with the regents of higher education and in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, certifying that the College has complied with its responsibility to inform student groups, teams or organizations and to notify each full-time student enrolled by it of the provisions of this section and sections 17 and 18 and also certifying that the College has adopted a disciplinary policy with regard to the organizers and participants of hazing, and that such policy has been set forth with appropriate emphasis in the student handbook or similar means of communicating the College’s policies to its students.

The College will publish findings of Hazing Violations committed by an established or recognized College Student Organization in a Campus Hazing Transparency Report starting on December 23, 2025, for the period beginning July 1, 2025, and updated bi-annually thereafter. Bi-annual updates will only be made to the report when new Hazing Violations have occurred. The report will be published on the College website.

The Office of Student Affairs will coordinate the publishing of this report.

For each incident where an established or recognized Student Organization was found to have committed a Hazing Violation, the report will include details of that incident, including the name of the organization, the date(s) of the Hazing Violation, and a description of the violation. The report will not include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Beginning on October 1, 2026, the College will include statistics about Hazing in its Annual Security Report.

The College is required to file a report with the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education annually certifying that the institution has complied with the requirement “to inform student groups, teams or organizations and to notify each full time student enrolled” about the Massachusetts Hazing Laws §§ 17-18, and also certifying that the institution has a disciplinary policy to address incidents of Hazing. The Office of Student Affairs is responsible for completing this certification.

The College has developed research-informed campus prevention and awareness programs related to hazing.

Records related to compliance with this Policy must be retained for seven calendar years.

This policy will be reviewed at least annually, or as needed to reflect changes in laws, regulations or major changes in college operations.