Our Commitment to Hazing Prevention
Washington State University approaches hazing prevention as a shared, systemwide responsibility that requires both strong oversight and proactive, community‑centered action. Together, the Hazing Prevention Advisory Committee (HPAC) and the Commission on Hazing Prevention support a comprehensive strategy that pairs accountability and compliance with education, engagement, and culture change. Through coordinated leadership, transparent practices, and research‑informed prevention efforts, these groups work collaboratively to strengthen student safety, promote positive traditions, and foster campus environments where all students can belong and thrive without harm.
Hazing Prevention Advisory Committee (HPAC)
The Hazing Prevention Advisory Committee (HPAC) provides institutional oversight and guidance for hazing prevention efforts at Washington State University. The committee’s primary role is to ensure the university’s policies, practices, and reporting requirements align with state and federal law, including transparency and compliance obligations.
HPAC reviews hazing prevention activities across the WSU system, advises on policy and procedural improvements, and supports a consistent, coordinated institutional response. Through biannual meetings and ongoing consultation, HPAC helps ensure that prevention efforts are grounded in accountability, legal compliance, and shared responsibility across campuses.
Primary Focus:
Policy guidance, compliance oversight, transparency, and institutional accountability.
Commission on Hazing Prevention
The Commission on Hazing Prevention leads WSU’s proactive, action‑oriented hazing prevention efforts, with a focus on education, engagement, and culture change. This group will translate institutional guidance and national research into meaningful, campus‑level prevention initiatives that reduce harm and strengthen belonging across the WSU system.
The commission emphasizes prevention in practice, developing programming, elevating student voices, and promoting positive traditions. Through regular engagement and coordinated action, the commission helps advance evidence‑informed strategies that support student safety beyond policy requirements.
Primary Focus:
Action‑oriented prevention, education, engagement, and culture change.
National Partnerships and Research-Informed Prevention
Our approach to hazing prevention is grounded in research, collaboration, and continuous improvement. In addition to meeting state and federal requirements, the university actively engages with nationally recognized partners to help guide prevention strategies, strengthen education and assessment, and support long-term cultural change across the WSU system.
Through these partnerships, WSU aligns its hazing prevention efforts with evidence-based best practices and contributes to broader national conversations about student safety, accountability, and belonging.
StopHazing Hazing Prevention Consortium
Washington State University is an active participant in StopHazing’s Hazing Prevention Consortium (HPC) through a three‑year partnership spanning 2025–2028.
The Hazing Prevention Consortium is a national, research‑to‑practice initiative that supports institutions in developing comprehensive, evidence‑informed approaches to hazing prevention. Through this collaboration, WSU engages alongside peer institutions across the country to examine data, share strategies, and apply research findings to campus practice.
Participation in the Consortium strengthens WSU’s ability to move beyond compliance alone and focus on sustainable prevention that supports student well‑being and community safety.
Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research
(Penn State University)
WSU has also maintained a sustained partnership with Penn State University’s Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research, a leading national resource on fraternity and sorority culture, hazing prevention, and student safety.
This collaboration supports WSU’s use of data and research to better understand student experiences and group dynamics, particularly within fraternity and sorority life. Insights from this partnership have helped inform:
- Assessment practices related to hazing risk and prevention
- The development and strengthening of prevention programming
- Data-informed approaches to cultural change and student safety
Research‑Informed Education Modules
As part of its comprehensive hazing prevention strategy, Washington State University provides hazing prevention education to all incoming and transfer students, using 3rd Millennium Classrooms’ Hazing & Hosting course, which is designed to align with state law and the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act. The course reflects nationally cited hazing research showing that harmful behaviors are often normalized and under‑recognized within group settings.
The curriculum incorporates research‑informed prevention principles, including clear definitions of hazing, exploration of social and group dynamics, bystander intervention skill‑building, and guidance on reporting concerns and accessing support.
