[Students] Student Notice: Student Hazing

[A&M-Commerce Students]

Dear Lions,

We hope your fall semester is going well. 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 over 140 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 the number 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 doubles the amount lost or expenses incurred because of the injury, damage, or loss. Under the Texas Education
Code, persons acting in good faith reporting hazing to the appropriate university officials may be exempt (see Sec. 37.155 Immunity from Prosecution).

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 for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization if the act:

Is any type of physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electrical shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or similar activity;

Involves 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;

Involves consumption of food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, liquor, drug or other substance other than described in the next paragraph, that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk or
harm or which adversely affects the mental or physical health of the student;

Is any activity that induces, causes, or requires the student to perform a duty or task that involves a violation of the Penal Code; or involves coercing, as defined by Section 1.07,
Penal Code, the student to consume a drug; or an alcoholic beverage or liquor in an amount that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the student is intoxicated, as defined by
Section 49.01, Penal Code.

Hazing Violations in the Past Three (3) Years: One

A report on hazing incidents committed on or off campus by a registered or recognized TAMUC organization can be found at http://www.tamuc.edu/CampusLife/CampusServices/studentRights/HazingPolicy.aspx

Find more information on this topic in the Student Guidebook at http://www.tamuc.edu/student_guidebook/Student_Guidebook.pdf on page five.

If you have questions about hazing please contact Stephen Hirst, Associate Dean for CLSD at Steve.Hirst at tamuc.edu<mailto:Steve.Hirst at tamuc.edu>.

If you need to make a report of any hazing activity, past, present, or in the planning stages, please contact Stephen Hirst at Steve.Hirst at tamuc.edu in the office of Student Rights &
Responsibilities or the University Police Department to file your report per state law.

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

Sincerely,

Judy Sackfield
Interim Vice President for Student Success
& Dean of Students
Campus Life & Student Success
McDowell Administration Building Rm 296
P.O. Box 3011
Commerce, Texas  75429
903-886-5171





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