APPENDIX K

Hazing Prevention Policy

FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

Introduction
Northern Arizona University promotes student organizations and the opportunities they
provide for students. The University respects the right of each student organization to set
its own criteria for membership and to establish its own procedures for selecting
members as long as these policies are non-discriminatory and abide by University and
Board of Regents Policy. The University stands ready to assist in any of these areas
and/or in providing leadership training for student organizations and their members in an
effort to make student organizations a more positive and enriching experience for student
members.

Northern Arizona University cannot and will not tolerate, however, any act of hazing
associated with registered student organizations, groups of students affiliated with the
university, or individual students. Incidents defined as hazing by this policy are not only
violations of the Student Code of Conduct but are also violations of the Arizona Revised
Statutes, Section 15-2301. Acts of hazing are antithetical to the idea of student
organizations on a college campus. Student organizations exist for a variety of reasons
including but not limited to enhancing the educational pursuits of members, assisting
with personal/social growth and development, increasing leadership potential, creating an
atmosphere of belonging, providing services to others, providing recreational
opportunities, providing religious and spiritual opportunities and the provision of a
variety of special interest concerns. The individual, the organization, and the university
suffer when organizations/groups create and maintain hazing activities as part of their
membership procedures. These activities serve no constructive purpose related to the
reasons student organizations exist at the University.

When you plan membership activities for your organization and when you are a
participant in new membership orientation activities, we ask that you consider whether or
not the activity could be viewed as hazing according to the definition stated below. It may
be helpful for you to consider the following questions regarding the organizational
activity in question.

1. What is the purpose of the activity?
2. How does the activity contribute to the new member's respect and love for the
organization and/or him/herself?
3. Would you be willing to implement or participate in this activity in front of
university administrators, alumnae, your parents or the parents of the new
member?
4. Would you be proud to have photographs of this activity in the campus or
community newspaper?
5. Would you be able to defend this activity in a court of law? The following

The following information provides additional clarification regarding Northern Arizona
University's hazing prevention policy including procedures for responding to hazing
violations:

 

1. Hazing is prohibited. "Hazing" means any intentional, knowing or reckless act
committed by a student, whether individually or in concert with other persons, against
another student, and in which subsection A and either subsection B or C of the following
apply:
a. the act was committed in connection with an initiation into, an affiliation with the
maintenance of membership in any     organization that is affiliated with a university.
b. the act contributes to a substantial risk of potential physical injury, mental harm or
degradation or causes physical injury, mental harm or personal degradation.
c. the act discourages the student from entering or remaining registered in an educational
institution, or may be reasonably expected to cause the student to    leave the organization
or institution rather than submit to the act. Hazing includes, but is not limited to, paddling
in any form, physical or psychological shocks, late work sessions that interfere with
scholastic activities, advocating or promoting alcohol or substance abuse, tests of
endurance, submission of members or prospective members to potentially dangerous or
hazardous circumstances or activities which have a foreseeable potential for resulting in
personal injury, or any activity which by its nature may have a potential to cause mental
distress, panic, human degradation or embarrassment.

2. Any solicitation to engage in hazing is prohibited.

3. Aiding and abetting another person who is engaged in hazing is prohibited.

4. It is not a defense to a violation of this policy that the hazing victim consented to or
acquiesced in the hazing activity.

5. All students, faculty and staff must take reasonable measures within the scope of their
individual authority to prevent violations of this policy. Violations of this policy should
be reported to the Office of Student Life for investigation/ adjudication using a written
referral form available in the Office of Student Life. Written referrals will be investigated
by Student Life staff according to the Student Disciplinary Procedures used for
adjudicating student conduct violations. (See the NAU Electronic Student Handbook for
a complete review of the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Disciplinary
Procedures, Appendix C).

6. Violations of this policy or interference in an investigation under this policy by
students or student organizations are subject to sanctions under the Student Code of
Conduct. The Office of Student Life is responsible for enforcing the Student Code of
Conduct and implementing the Student Disciplinary Procedures, Appendix C).

7. Registered student organizations, as well as their members, may be held collectively
and/or individually responsible for violations of the Student Code of Conduct and/or
Hazing Policy. The Office of Student Life can take action according to the Code even
though a student organization and/or its governing body has already implemented its own
disciplinary process and/or sanctions. If it is determined that a student organization,
group or member did violate this Hazing Policy or the Student Code of Conduct, the
following sanctions may apply:
        1.  suspension of the organization as a registered student organization
        2.  loss of campus privileges for the student organization
        3.  restitution for damages that may have resulted from the incident (student
organization and/or individual)
        4.  a statement of warning may be issued (student organization and/or individual)
        5.  a probationary period may be implemented (student organization and/or
individual)
        6.  an individual may be suspended from the university
        7.  an individual may be expelled from the university

8. Any university employee who knowingly permitted, authorized or condoned the
hazing activity is subject to disciplinary action by the university.

9. If  Northern Arizona University receives a report or complaint of hazing involving
physical injury, threats of physical injury, intimidation, harassment or property damage,
or other conduct that appears to violate Arizona law, NAU will report the conduct
incident to the NAU Police Department.

10. This policy is not intended to prohibit or sanction the following conduct:
a. Customary public athletic events, contests or competitions that are sponsored by a
university;
b. Any activity or conduct that furthers the goal of a legitimate educational curriculum, a
legitimate extracurricular program or legitimate military training program.

11. For the purpose of this policy,
a. "Organization" means an athletic team, association, order, society, corps, cooperative,
club, student organization, fraternity, sorority or other similar group that is affiliated with
a university and whose membership consists primarily of students enrolled at that
university. "Organization" includes a local chapter, unit or other local division consisting
primarily of students, regardless of the nature of the membership of the larger public or
organization.
b. "Student" means any person who is enrolled at a university, any person who has been
promoted or accepted for enrollment at a university or any person who intends to enroll at
or be promoted to an Arizona university within the next twelve calendar months. The
hazing prevention policy of the university where a person has been accepted for or
promoted to enrollment, or where a person intends to enroll or be promoted to within the
next twelve calendar months, shall be the effective policy. A person who meets the
definition of a student for purposes of this paragraph shall continue to be defined as a
student for purposes of this section until the person graduates, transfers, is promoted or
withdraws from the university.