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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Please send message below on Thursday, February 30, 2014 to all students per state mandate. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Monotype Corsiva"'>John Kaulfus<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Assistant Vice President/Dean of Students<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Texas A&M University-Commerce<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>903-886-5171 (office)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0070C0'><a href="mailto:john.kaulfus@tamuc.edu"><span style='color:blue'>john.kaulfus@tamuc.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0070C0'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Engage*Educate*Empower<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='border:none;padding:0in'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Dear Lions,<br></span></b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>Welcome to the Spring 2014 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 105 registered student organizations on campus. We also hope you will attend one of the many activities offered on campus. <br><br>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.<br><br><b><u>Prohibition of Hazing<br></u></b><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hazing includes, but is not limited to:</span></u></b><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br></span></b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br><b>A</b>. any type of physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electrical shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or similar activity;<br><b>B</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;<br><b>C.</b> 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;<br><b>D.</b> 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;<br><b>E.</b> any activity that induces, causes or requires the student to perform a duty or task which involves a violation of the Penal Code.<br><br><b><u>Hazing Violations in the Past Three (3) Years:</u></b><br><br>None<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Find more information on this topic in the Student Guidebook at <span style='color:#1F497D'>(</span></span><a href="http://www.tamuc.edu/CampusLife/documents/studentGuidebook.pdf"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>http://www.tamuc.edu/CampusLife/documents/studentGuidebook.pdf</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>) on page 46. If you have questions about hazing as it pertains to Fraternity & Sorority Life, please contact Zach Shirley at </span><a href="mailto:zach.shirley@tamuc.edu"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>zach.shirley@tamuc.edu</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>. If your questions are about student organizations on campus, please contact Josh Hardman at </span><a href="mailto:joshua.hardman@tamuc.edu"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>joshua.hardman@tamuc.edu</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>If you need to make a report of any hazing activity, past, present, or future, please contact Robert Dotson, </span><a href="mailto:robert.dotson@tamuc.edu"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>robert.dotson@tamuc.edu</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>, or John Kaulfus, </span><a href="mailto:john.kaulfus@tamuc.edu"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>john.kaulfus@tamuc.edu</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>, at the Campus Life and Student Development office to file your report per state law. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Thank you for your cooperation and we hope you all have a safe and engaging spring semester.<br><br>Sincerely,<br><br>Campus Life and Student Development<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Engage * Educate * Empower<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>