Reporting

The University encourages reporting of alleged hazing and violations of its anti-hazing policy. Allegations of hazing or retaliation by individuals or student organizations not under the jurisdiction of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) or National Panhellenic Council (NPC) will be referred to the Student Judicial Council (SJC); this includes our National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations. Allegations of hazing or retaliation by fraternities and sororities will be under the jurisdiction of the IFC or NPC.

Reporting Potential Violations of this Policy:

There are multiple avenues for students, parents, faculty, staff, and community members to report hazing. If you see or hear something that concerns you, please report it to support the health and safety of our students. The University is best positioned to respond to hazing concerns when we receive accurate, timely, and factual information. Please do not assume others have reported the concern - we would rather receive multiple reports than none at all.

While all cases of suspected hazing or retaliation should be reported to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, other ways to report a hazing or retaliation concern include:

If there is immediate concern for safety, please call 911 before taking any next steps.
Submit a report through Silent Witness or the Live Safe App [ Google Play | App Store ]
Contact Public Safety directly 540-458-8999
Talk with a member of the community who can assist you with reporting. Some of these people might include: a Student Affairs dean, adviser of your organization, coach, trainer, member of student affairs staff, RA or CA.

Retaliation is prohibited against any individual who, in good faith, reports allegations of hazing, or cooperates in an investigation or adjudication under the anti-hazing policy. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, physical, verbal, or written harassment, threats, or intimidation of any person(s) who in good faith reports an alleged violation of the anti-hazing policy or cooperates in an investigation or adjudication under the policy.

Immunity for Good Faith Reporting or Cooperation:

Individuals shall be entitled to immunity under the anti-hazing policy as set forth in Va. Code §23.1-821. Any bystander who, in good faith, reports hazing in advance of or during an incident that caused injury or is likely to cause injury to a person, will be immune from disciplinary action related to personal drug use, personal alcohol consumption, or hazing if the individual was not involved in the reported activity. This does not prevent the University from requiring the reporter to access services, including but not limited to inpatient or outpatient counseling for drug or alcohol use.

Any individual who reports and requests immunity under this policy may be liable for criminal and civil penalties that are beyond the University's control.

Institutional reports of hazing violations:

Pursuant to Virginia Code Section 23.1-822, the University provides a report of past hazing misconduct involving student organizations. The information below includes the name of the student organization, the dates (if known) of the hazing behavior, the date such behavior was reported to the University, the dates of investigation and when the organization was found responsible, and a description of the findings. Reports of hazing that did not result in a finding of responsibility are not included. The University will update this information at least ten calendar days prior to the start of each fall and winter term and will maintain the information for ten years following the date of initial disclosure.


Student Organization	Date(s) of Hazing Misconduct	Date Reported	Dates of Investigation	Date Organization was found Responsible	Description of Incident (charges, findings, and sanctions)
Pi Beta Phi	2/10/2023	2/16/2023	2/16/2023-3/6/2023	3/12/2023 (Panhellenic Council), 3/29/2023 (Upheld by University Board of Appeals)	Organization found responsible for allegations of hazing involving pressure to consume alcohol. Sanctions include: (a) Initiate internal member conduct process(es), (b) immediate initiation of new members (2023 and 2024), (c) critical probation until the conclusion of Winter Term 2024, and (d) implement future trainings and policies to guide alumni involvement.
Pi Kappa Alpha	2/9/2023	2/9/2023	2/10/2023-2/16/2023	2/28/2023 (Interfraternity Council)	Organization found responsible for allegations of hazing involving intimidation. Sanctions include: (a) Social probation for two weeks, and (b) educational workshop to specifically address allegations (at least 90% of chapter needs to attend).
Phi Zeta Delta	1/28 - 1/29/2023	1/29/2023	1/29/2023 - 2/10/2023	2/10/2023 (Interfraternity Council), 4/26/2023 (Upheld by University Board of Appeals)	Organization found responsible for allegations of hazing involving endangering the health and safety of new members. Sanctions include: suspension for five years, may apply in January 2027 to return for the 2027-2028 academic year.