National Hazing Prevention week
Dear students,
This week begins the start of National Hazing Prevention week. I write to reinforce to all Rams that hazing is antithetical to VCU’s values and has no place within our university community. Since my message in May 2022, a team of student affairs professionals, along with dedicated volunteers across the university, have been working diligently to provide new training addressing hazing prevention and bystander intervention for those interested in joining, new members of, and current members of selective organizations at VCU.
At VCU, selective organizations are student organizations for which upon invitation for membership, individuals do not automatically become members of the organization and have a period of time between invitation for membership and being initiated into membership. We expect members of selective organizations to inform potential new members of the requirement to attend a hazing prevention program before extending an invitation to join their student group. A list of selective organizations can be found in the Resources sections of the Hazing Prevention RamsConnect Group page.
For those interested in joining a selective organization, you must attend training addressing hazing prevention and bystander intervention. Hazing prevention and bystander intervention training for current members of selective organizations will be held in October 2022. All students who want to attend this training must register before the session by visiting the Hazing Prevention Group in RamsConnect.
I also wanted to share with you a new VCU webpage that aims to increase transparency around hazing and other conduct violations by student organizations, as prohibited by both the Student Code of Conduct and Hazing Prevention and Discipline Policy. More information about the nature of the violations can be found on the Registered Student Organization Conduct Report page. The report will be updated before the fall and spring semesters and with timely updates to the list of organizations that are unauthorized to operate due to suspension or lost recognition.
Finally, the VCU community continues to mourn the tragic death of Adam Oakes. We will release a revised FSL website soon that includes information about hazing and a link to the Love Like Adam Foundation. We also plan to create a linked webpage that celebrates the life of Adam Oakes and includes information about the circumstances of his death.
I ask that all students, faculty, and staff recognize the importance of hazing prevention education and take seriously their role in ending hazing at VCU. Should you wish to report any potential violations of the Hazing Prevention and Discipline policy, or any other university policy, we encourage you to do so using the Incident Reporting Form.
Questions, concerns, ideas, or suggestions can be directed to preventhazing@vcu.edu.
Categories Fall 2022 - Spring 2023