Lesley University prohibits hazing by students, faculty, staff, and student organizations. Hazing is a crime under Massachusetts law, M.G.L. c. 269, sections 17, 18, and 19 (provided in their entirety below), and is prohibited by the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act (relevant portions provided below).
Hazing generally means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act or conduct that endangers the physical or mental health of another person or causes or creates a risk of physical or psychological injury of another person in connection with initiation into, affiliation with, or maintenance of membership in a student organization regardless of location or consent of participants. (See below for the full definitions of hazing under Massachusetts law, M.G.L. c. 269, section 17, and the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act.)
Student organization is defined under this policy as an organization (such as a group, club, society, association, athletic team, band, or student government) in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at Lesley University, whether or not the organization is part of the university, established or recognized by the university, permitted to use Lesley’s name or facilities, or is known to exist as an unaffiliated student group, team, or organization.
Students, faculty, and staff must report incidents of hazing to the Dean of Student Life and Academic Development and Lesley’s Public Safety office immediately. Hazing reports can also be made through the EthicsPoint reporting hotline, which is a third-party hotline that gives individuals the option to submit a report anonymously. Under Massachusetts law, individuals who know that another person is a victim of hazing and are at the scene of the hazing must report to law enforcement as soon as reasonably practicable. Failure to report incidents of hazing is a violation of this policy and may be a violation of Massachusetts law.
Hazing allegations will be reviewed in accordance with applicable Lesley policies, which may include Lesley’s Student Life Conduct Procedure; Community Standards of Conduct; Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Violence policy; Acceptable Use of Technology policy; and student and employee handbooks. Hazing allegations against students will be reviewed and investigated by the Dean of Student Life and Academic Development; hazing allegations against faculty and staff will be reviewed and investigated by Human Resources.
If any individual or student organization is found to have engaged in hazing, the individual or student organization may be sanctioned and the sanctions may include disciplinary suspension, dismissal, or termination of employment.
Lesley prohibits retaliation against any person who reports hazing allegations or cooperates with the investigation of hazing allegations.
Massachusetts Hazing Law
The following is the Massachusetts law on hazing, M.G.L. c. 269, sections 17-19:
M.G.L. c. 269, section 17 HAZING ORGANIZING OR PARTICIPATING; HAZING DEFINED
“Section 17. Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing, as defined herein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.
The term “hazing” as used in this section and in sections eighteen and nineteen, shall mean any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health of any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section to the contrary, consent shall not be available as a defense to any prosecution under this action.”
M.G.L. c. 269, section 18 FAILURE TO REPORT HAZING
“Section 18. Whoever knows that another person is the victim of hazing as defined in section seventeen and is at the scene of such crime shall, to the extent that such person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report such crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable. Whoever fails to report such crime shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars.”
M.G.L. c. 269, section 19 ISSUANCE TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT GROUPS, TEAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS; REPORT
“Section 19. Each institution of secondary education and each public and private institution of post-secondary education shall issue to every student group, student team, or student organization which is part of such institution or is recognized by the institution or permitted by the institution to use its name or facilities or is known by the institution to exist as an unaffiliated student group, student team, or student organization, a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen; provided, however, that an institution’s compliance with this section’s requirements that an institution issue copies of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to unaffiliated student groups, teams, or organizations shall not constitute evidence of the institution’s recognition or endorsement of said unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations.
Each such group, team or organization shall distribute a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to each of its members, plebes, pledges, or applicants for membership. It shall be the duty of each such group, team, or organization, acting through its designated officer, to deliver annually, to the institution an attested acknowledgement stating that such group, team, or organization has received a copy of this section and said sections seventeen and eighteen, that each of its member, plebes, pledges, or applicants has received a copy of sections seventeen and eighteen, and that such group, team or organization understands and agrees to comply with the provisions of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.
Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post-secondary education shall, at least annually, before or at the start of enrollment, deliver to each person who enrolls as a full time student in such institution a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.
Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post-secondary education shall file, at least annually, a report with the regents of higher education and in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, certifying that such institution has complied with its responsibility to inform student groups, teams, or organizations, and to notify each full time student enrolled by it of the provisions of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen, and also certifying that said institution has adopted a disciplinary policy with regard to the organizers and participants of hazing, and that such policy has been set forth with appropriate emphasis in the student handbook or similar means of communication the institution’s policies to its students.
The board of regents and, in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, shall promulgate regulations governing the content and frequency of such reports, and shall forthwith report to the attorney general any such institution which fails to make such report.”
Federal Stop Campus Hazing Act
Under the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act, Lesley is required to track reports of hazing, publicly disclose findings concerning student organizations established or recognized by the university found to be in violation of this hazing policy, and implement hazing prevention and awareness programs. The Stop Campus Hazing Act defines hazing as follows:
“[A]ny 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–
(I) is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and
(II) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury including —
(aa) whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;
(bb) causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity;
(cc) causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances;
(dd) causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts;
(ee) any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;
(ff) any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law; and
(gg) 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.”
Updated June 23, 2025