Recognizing & Reporting Hazing

Signs of Hazing

  • Change in Personal Appearance or Attire
  • Changes in behavior/values
  • Tiredness
  • Risk-taking (e.g. pranks)
  • More drinking
  • Restricted friendships
  • Restricted communication

For medical practitioners, the following may be indicators that hazing has taken place:

  • Infected brands
  • Sexual assaults
  • Suicide attempts
  • Drug Overdoses
  • Beatings: hematoma
  • Broken knuckles/bones
  • Broken blood vessels in eyes
  • Shaming
  • Branding
  • Tattoos
  • STD’s
  • Goggle marks
  • Wrist burns
  • Not being able to sit
  • Suicide ideations
  • Mental trauma/Breakdowns
  • Sleep deprivation

Reporting Hazing (Confidentially)

The Office of the Dean of Student Life encourages student participation in athletics, Greek fraternities and sororities, and other student organizations. Such involvement enriches the university experience and can contribute significantly to the social and leadership development of Johns Hopkins University undergraduates. Antithetical to that experience and to the mission of the university is the practice of hazing, which is a violation of university policy and of state law.

Students, faculty, staff, and parents should acquaint themselves with the information and links on this page so that they may identify possible occurrences of hazing and understand consequences of such behavior. If you suspect that someone is being hazed, you are encouraged to contact the Johns Hopkins Compliance Line (1-844-SPEAK2US), an independently administered toll-free hotline that allows for anonymous reporting about serious concerns or violations.

Johns Hopkins student organizations and teams foster lifelong friendships, offer educational support, and contribute to a positive university experience. The Office of the Dean of Student Life expects that participants will act with integrity and according to the values of the university in all activities. Questions or concerns may be directed at any time to the Office of Student Life.

Report an Incident

Resources

Submit an online report to Johns Hopkins Compliance Line or call 1-844-SPEAK2US (1-844-773-2528)

  • Contact a university staff or faculty member. Students can remain anonymous when calling to make a report, if desired.

Discuss concerns about a specific group:

Discuss concerns about any group:

Additional resources and references include:

Examples

What information is helpful to report? Great question! Time, day, date, place or venue, and all the details you can provide.

No detail is too small. Nothing is unimportant. Color of clothing…if someone was wearing glasses…tone of voice…coat or jacket, type of shoes, were some of the people you observed dressed in similar fashion? Ribbons, pins, “colors”—everything you can recall is important. Backpacks being worn? If so, in random fashion or in identical fashion? Hats, head coverings. Posture.

Think in terms of triangulation—the concept of three lines coming together at a certain point. If one was plotting the flight of an aircraft, one would do so using latitude, longitude and altitude along with speed. The same concept works with reporting hazing except that we use as many lines as possible.

When confronted, the hazing team, club or chapter members usually deny that any hazing is occurring—that is the first response. If you can provide detailed information most but not all leaders will realize that they have been outed.

Example One

“I observed a group of young men standing in front of the Alpha Beta Gamma chapter house at 11:56 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13th, 2018. There were eleven men and they were dressed in t-shirts and jeans, standing outside the house in a line. The temperature was 34 degrees. Several people inside the house were yelling things at the men standing outside. I heard profanities and obscenities used. I heard one person inside the house yell, “You (expletive deleted) pledges aren’t getting in until you recite it right”. Most of the individuals standing outside had red books in their hands. I overheard one of the individuals standing outside say, “This is stupid” as I walked by. I observed the individuals standing there from 11:56 p.m. to 12:08 a.m. Most of them had their arms folded in front of them as if for warmth.”

This information provides the triangulation—day/date, place, time, and activities. Other details—what type of lighting was available outside of the house? Where in relation to the front door or porch of the house were the men standing? Weather: precipitation? Wind? Can you describe the red books—small, textbook size or large? Soft bound or hard bound?

Example Two

“I was walking through the Mattin center at 11:50 a.m. today. My attention was attracted to a group of women sitting together but in “pods” in the dining/study area of the SC. Each pod contained about 10 women. I didn’t have time to count but I believe there were about 30 women. As I approached I was passed by a young woman—she looked like a student—who appeared to be in a hurry. She was carrying three plastic plates of food in her hands—one plate in either hand and the third balanced between the two. It was my impression that the food came from the food court area behind us. As she passed me she stumbled and several of the women in one of the pods yelled at her. I couldn’t hear the exact words but the tone was angry.

As the woman with the plates approached the pod I overheard one of the women who was seated say, “It’s about time—you’ve just wasted half of my break.” It reminded me of a scene from a movie in which a waiter was trying to serve a group of demanding diners. I stopped walking and stood at one of the raised counters along the south side of the area—there are stools that can be used to sit although those are usually in high demand around noon. As I stood there I saw two more women, who appeared to be older than the woman with the plates, approach another pod. As they did so a younger woman scrambled out of her chair and recited several verses or passages that she had apparently committed to memory. After she finished some of the women who were seated gave a “thumbs down” gesture and the younger woman recited the words again. This was repeated at least four times.”