[Students] FW: Student Hazing Notification

[Ricia Montgomery]

Dear Lions,

Welcome to the Fall 2013 semester at Texas A&M University-Commerce!
Research shows that campus involvement increases a chance for a
student's success in college.  We invite you to take the next few weeks
to consider involvement in one of the approximately 116 registered
student organizations on campus.  We also hope you will attend one of
the many activities offered on campus. 

We want all of our student organizations to provide positive experiences
for our students. In an effort to assure that our students are informed,
we are sharing this information about hazing and its prevention to help
you make good decisions about student organization involvement. This
message provides a summary of the Texas statutes related to hazing, as
well as a list of registered student organizations sanctioned for hazing
during the last three years.

Prohibition of Hazing

Under state law (sections 37.151 through 37.157 and 51.936, Texas
Education Code), individuals or organizations engaging in hazing could
be subject to fines and charged with a criminal offense.

According to law, a person can commit a hazing offense not only by
engaging in a hazing activity, but also by soliciting, directing,
encouraging, aiding or attempting to aid another in hazing; by
intentionally, knowingly or recklessly allowing hazing to occur; or by
failing to report in writing to the Office of Campus Life and Student
Development firsthand knowledge that a hazing incident is planned or has
occurred. The fact that a person consented to or acquiesced in a hazing
activity is not a defense to prosecution for hazing under the law.

The penalty for failure to report hazing activities is a fine not to
exceed $2,000, or up to 180 days in jail, or both. Penalties for other
hazing offenses vary according to the severity of the injury that
results; they range from individual fines of $4,000 and/or up to one (1)
year in jail, to individual fines of up to $10,000 and/or a state jail
term of not less than 180 days or more than two (2) years.
Organizational penalties include fines of not less than $5,000 or more
than $10,000. If the organizational hazing activity resulted in personal
injury, property damage or other loss, the penalty is a fine of not less
than $5,000 or more than double the amount lost or expenses incurred
because of the injury, damage, or loss.

The law defines hazing as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act,
occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one
person alone or acting with others, directed against a student that
endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the
purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding
office in, or maintaining membership in any organization whose members
are or include students at an educational institution. 

 

Hazing includes, but is not limited to:

A. any type of physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, striking,
branding, electrical shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the
body, or similar activity;
B. any type of physical activity, such as sleep deprivation, exposure to
the elements, confinement in a small space, calisthenics or other
activity that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm or
that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the
student;
C. any activity involving consumption of food, liquid, alcoholic
beverage, liquor, drug or other substance which subjects the student to
an unreasonable risk or harm or which adversely affects the mental or
physical health of the student;
D. any activity that intimidates or threatens the student with
ostracism; that subjects the student to extreme mental stress, shame or
humiliation; that adversely affects the mental health or dignity of the
student or discourages the student from entering or remaining registered
in an educational institution; or that may reasonably be expected to
cause a student to leave the organization or the institution rather than
submit to acts described in this section;
E. any activity that induces, causes or requires the student to perform
a duty or task which involves a violation of the Penal Code.

Hazing Violations in the Past Three (3) Years:

None

 

Find more information on this topic in the Student Guidebook at
(http://www.tamuc.edu/CampusLife/documents/studentGuidebook.pdf
<http://www.tamuc.edu/CampusLife/documents/studentGuidebook.pdf> )on
page 46.  If you have questions about hazing as it pertains to Greek
Life, please contact Zach Shirley at zach.shirley at tamuc.edu
<mailto:zach.shirley at tamuc.edu> .  If your questions are about student
organizations on campus, please contact Josh Hardman at
joshua.hardman at tamuc.edu <mailto:joshua.hardman at tamuc.edu> .

 

If you need to make a report of any hazing activity, past, present, or
future, please contact Robert Dotson, robert.dotson at tamuc.edu
<mailto:robert.dotson at tamuc.edu> , or John Kaulfus,
john.kaulfus at tamuc.edu <mailto:john.kaulfus at tamuc.edu> , at the Campus
Life and Student Development office to file your report per state law.  

 

Thank you for your cooperation and we hope you all have a safe and
engaging Fall semester.

Sincerely,

Campus Life and Student Development

Engage * Educate * Empower

 

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