Hazing Prevention and Response at WSU
Being a Coug means being part of a respectful, safe community that welcomes and includes everyone. Hazing hurts individuals and our entire campus community by creating environments of fear and discrimination.
WSU has created policies, practices, services, and programs based on the foundations of the following laws.
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Sam's Law
Sam's Law requires all public colleges and universities in the state of Washington to establish a hazing prevention committee to increase transparency about hazing education and intervention (see below). It also increases the penalties for hazing: under Sam's Law, hazing is a gross misdemeanor instead of a lower-level misdemeanor, and incidents involving death or “substantial bodily harm” could be charged as a felonies.
The law is named after Sam Martinez, a first-year WSU student who died in a hazing-related incident in 2019. For more information about Sam's Law, visit the Washington State Legislature website.
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Stop Campus Hazing Act
The Stop Campus Hazing Act requires higher education institutions to include hazing incidents in their Annual Security Reports starting in 2025. Colleges must implement evidence-based hazing prevention and education programs and make related policies publicly available. The law also mandates the creation of a publicly accessible Hazing Transparency Report, updated twice a year, listing student organizations found responsible for hazing. These requirements aim to increase transparency, promote student safety, and strengthen campus-wide hazing prevention efforts.
Hazing awareness is crucial to prevent hazing behaviors and report concerns at WSU.
All incoming students and employees are required learn about the signs of hazing and how to report it.
State and federal law requires WSU to maintain a report of any hazing violations over the past five years.
We’ve developed a variety of resources for both students and employees, impacted by hazing.
The state of Washington has a no-tolerance hazing law that requires specific consequences for hazing.
Tell others- Cougs don't Haze.
Download a PDF version of the Hazing Prevention Handout. We also have graphics you can use on social media, zoom, and email: square, vertical story/reel, and banner image.
