About Hazing

At the University of Maryland, hazing is defined in the University’s Policy and Procedures on Hazing (V-1.00(K)). “Hazing” means 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: 

• is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization or student group; and
• causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the University or student organization or student group (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of: 
  • physical or psychological injury, including: 
    • whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;
    • causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, 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, alcohol, 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;
    • any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law; and
    • any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to perform a duty or task that involves a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law;
  • other emotional distress, humiliation, or degradation;
  • harm from unreasonable requirements, which interfere with a student’s ability to function as a student, including financial requirements outside of membership dues; 
  • diminished physical or mental capacity, meaning reduced ability to perform mental or physical tasks due to drugs, alcohol, or physical or mental trauma; or
  • any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to violate any University regulation.

Hazing is a criminal violation under Maryland state law. Maryland law provides that “A person may not recklessly or intentionally do an act or create a situation that subjects a student to the risk of serious bodily injury for the purpose of an initiation into a student organization of a school, college, or university.”  A person convicted of hazing is subject to a fine and/or imprisonment. The implied or express consent of a student to hazing is not a defense. See Md. Code Ann., Crim. § 3-607 (2025).

A bystander is anyone who observes a situation where someone else might be in danger or at risk of being hazed. Bystanders have the power to intervene and prevent hazing from occurring or continuing.

If you believe you have observed hazing, please report the situation. If there's an immediate threat to health or safety, call 911 right away.

While bullying and hazing both involve harmful behaviors that can cause significant damage to victims, they differ in important ways:

Bullying typically involves targeting individuals with the goal of excluding them. Bullying behaviors are often random or spontaneous, and the perpetrator generally has no intention of accepting the victim as a peer or group member.

Hazing, by contrast, specifically targets new or prospective members of a group with the ostensible goal of including them as members after they have "proven themselves." Hazing activities are typically planned, systematic, usually involve group participation or approval, and occur within specific organizational contexts. The connection to group acceptance or participation is what primarily distinguishes hazing from other forms of mistreatment.