Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform

🌟 How do University Risk Managers and Insurance Carriers Help Prevent Hazing! 🌟

Today, we’re diving deep into how Campus Risk Managers, Insurance, and Compliance can be the driving force behind effective hazing prevention. 💪✨

With insights from Stevan Veldkamp and Patrick Biddix, we’re sharing vital knowledge on comprehensive prevention programs that engage the entire campus community. From clinical assessments to multi-strategy approaches, we’re paving the way for real change!

We are sharing:

🚀 Knowledge and Resources: Combating hazing requires a comprehensive understanding, actionable steps, and adequate resources.

🚀 Prevention Programs: Emphasis on developing a mix of prevention programs targeting students, fraternities and sororities, student organizations, and the entire campus community.

🚀 Clinical Assessment: It is crucial to regularly evaluate (and reevaluate) the effectiveness of implemented programs to ensure they are working.

🚀 Multi-Strategy Approach: A multi-strategy, multi-tiered, and data-driven approach is a must for effectively addressing hazing.

As we stand together for National Hazing Prevention Week with Hazing Prevention Network and StopHazing – please listen to Congressman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania speak on the House of Representatives floor. Join the Piazzas and all families to urge the U.S. Senate to pass the Stop Hazing Bill!

Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson Recognizes National Hazing Prevention Week Rep. GT Thompson recognizes National Hazing Prevention Week and highlights the Stop Campus Hazing Act.

✨ House members’ pass the Stop Campus Hazing Act, a monumental step towards safer campus communities! 🚀

A heartfelt thank you to the Anti-Hazing Coalition, Hazing Prevention Network, StopHazing, the dedicated parents of hazing victims, and Dr. Elizabeth Allan, whose relentless advocacy over the past decade has been a beacon of hope. 🌟 The Piazza Center is proud to have contributed to this vital legislation.

Together, we can create a culture of respect and safety! 💪💖

This morning, Good Morning America interviewed parents of hazing victims to discuss the importance of the Act which passed the House in Congress last night during . The Act will bring more transparency and education allowing students and parents to make more educated decisions when joining student organizations and teams. Next step for the bill is to go before the Senate.

Watch interview: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/News/video/house-passes-act-prevent-college-hazing-114069570

Kick off National Hazing Prevention Week with the Piazza Center on Monday!

Join J. Patrick Biddix, Ph.D. (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Kimberly R. Davis, Ph.D., (Penn State & Piazza Center), and Emily Perlow, Ph.D., (Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)) for New Directions and Strategies: Redefining Hazing Prevention.

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VlFQ1Bs5QPKgnsUkYGGneQ #/registration

Kick off National Hazing Prevention Week with the Piazza Center on Monday!

Join J Patrick Biddix (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Kimberly Davis (Penn State & Piazza Center), and Emily Perlow (Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)) for New Directions and Strategies: Redefining Hazing Prevention.

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VlFQ1Bs5QPKgnsUkYGGneQ #/registration

We are so thankful for our collaboration with Hazing Prevention Network and all the programming we've been able to provide the past week.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: New Directions and Strategies: Redefining Hazing Prevention. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Join the editors of the "New Direction for Student Services" hazing prevention book, "Understanding and Addressing Hazing: Contextual Perspectives, Prevention Strategies, and Case Studies," as they share valuable insights. This discussion will cover a newly proposed definition of hazing and provide....

ICYMI: watch the Survey Says: Student Insights on the Effectiveness of Hazing Prevention Initiatives webinar here:https://vimeo.com/1010704586

Key takeaways:

📣 Students reported that programs were more effective than policies at changing their attitudes toward hazing.

✋ In person bystander skill development training was rated the highest to increase student intervention.

🫂 Students recommended more intimate (smaller size) hazing prevention programs, streamlined systems for reporting hazing, and anonymous reporting when possible.

🔁 Students say chapter programs are more impactful than campus programs for changing their attitudes toward hazing, making them more likely to intervene in a hazing situation.

👍 Students indicated that programs and policies had similar levels of effectiveness for changing their intervention and reporting behaviors.

Thank you to our team of presenters:
Kimberly Davis, PhD, Penn State and Piazza Center Data Analyst
Dan Welter, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Washington State University, What Works Study participant

For more information about the What Works Hazing Prevention Study and Surveys please contact [email protected]. Thank you to Hazing Prevention Network for all your hard work on this webinar series!

We have programming all week in collaboration with Hazing Prevention Network! Join Kimberly Davis & Daniel Welter tomorrow for "Survey Says: Student Insights on the Effectiveness of Hazing Prevention Initiatives."

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p-YRNPI8SqKx2JREnjYwIw #/registration

In case you missed it, watch the Enhancing Safety in Student Groups and Fraternities and Sororities: Four Key Strategies to Combat Hazing and Hazardous Drinking webinar here: https://lnkd.in/gBnhQ4jD.

Dr. J Patrick Biddix and Dr. Stevan Veldkamp focused on evaluating the root causes of hazing and hazardous drinking to truly make an impact. They discuss the data-driven, four pronged approach:

💪 Developing individual skills through student development.Combating hazing and hazardous drinking requires learning, leading & intervening. Building leadership and learning capacity for students allows them to intervene in harmful behaviors. Career preparation and the building of transferrable skills is prevention work.

🌳 Comprehensive prevention education focused on root causes. As we’ve said before, alcohol misuse prevention is hazing prevention, and vice versa.

🛑 Accountability processes that complement prevention strategies and promote behavior change.

📚 Approaching compliance as the integrity of your development, prevention, and accountability programs.

Thank you to our partners at Hazing Prevention Network!

We have programming all week in collaboration with Hazing Prevention Network! Join Kimberly Davis & Daniel Welter tomorrow for "Survey Says: Student Insights on the Effectiveness of Hazing Prevention Initiatives."

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p-YRNPI8SqKx2JREnjYwIw #/registration

Watch the Expert Panel on Hazing Prevention Practices webinar here: https://vimeo.com/1010024284!

Do you want change student behavior in Athletics, Student Organizations, Fraternities and Sororities? Here is how!

Education and Awareness: Prioritizing education, awareness, and skill development for all stakeholders involved, including coaches, trainers, athletes, and organizational staff.

⚡ Empowerment: The campus or organization should focus on empowering groups by highlighting what they can do to prevent hazing, rather than just focusing on restrictions.

🤝 Engagement: Engaging students in the solution generation process to ensure their readiness to change.

🎯 Cultural Consideration: Recognizing and addressing both macro and micro cultural factors in the prevention strategies.

💡 Innovation: Embracing innovative public health interventions to modernize hazing prevention strategies (see [email protected] for support).

📣 Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration and coalition-building within the community to scale prevention efforts effectively.

🛑 Comprehensive Approach: The campus or organization must have a commitment to a comprehensive approach to hazing prevention, addressing multiple facets of the issue (see StopHazing and join their cohort).

⚖ Legal Compliance: Understanding and adhering to state laws regarding preventative education is crucial.

Thank you to our team of experts and our partnership with Hazing Prevention Network:
Chris Zacharda, PhD, Northwestern University and Piazza Center Scholar
Emily Perlow, PhD, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Will Frankenberger, PhD, Delta Zeta Sorority National

Webinar Today in collaboration with Hazing Prevention Network!!

Expert Panel on Hazing Prevention Practices in Athletics and Student Organizations with Chris Zacharda, PhD, Emily Perlow, PhD, and Will Frankenberger, PhD. Join us!

https://shorturl.at/R652w

Webinar Today in collaboration with Hazing Prevention Network!!

Expert Panel on Hazing Prevention Practices in Athletics and Student Organizations with Chris Zacharda, PhD, Emily Perlow, PhD, and Will Frankenberger, PhD. Join us!

https://shorturl.at/R652w

Join us for our programming in partnership with Hazing Prevention Network as we lead up to National Hazing Prevention Week!

There's a false assumption that hazing only happens at “those” schools!

Nearly half of high school students experience some form of hazing prior to arriving to college, with some experiencing hazing as early as age 9. Thus, hazing in engrained in the joining expectation of a large number of our students.

We need to be educating and supporting our students whose prior experiences might make them more susceptible to hazing victimization and perpetration.

Register now!

The Piazza Center, in partnership with the Assessment Institute, is a privileged to be involved in creating a platform where fraternities and sororities are recognized for their impact on student learning. With our third annual Fraternity & Sorority Life Track, we hope to provide a space for professional development for headquarters and campus professionals and engage in vital discussions to enhance learning within higher education.

All data-driven fraternity/sorority life professionals are encouraged to attend. For more information and to register: https://lnkd.in/gRG7AYaw

🚫 No! there are not enough hazing prevention programs! But wow, we’ve never had this many 🌟 In 2024 alone, we’re seeing amazing initiatives like the 3rd Annual Ohio Anti Hazing Summit, the 2nd Annual Virginia Prevention Summit, StopHazing Cohort summit; Tennessee's 5-campus system Hazing Prevention Network’s Institute (HPI), and Penn State’s 20 campus HPI and the record attendance at the HPI summer institute. As we gear up for Hazing Prevention Network's National Hazing Prevention Week let’s celebrate these significant steps in the anti-hazing bucket and do more in 2025!

Let’s keep the momentum going! 💪

We are so thankful for our partnership with Fraternity Executives Association and all of our panelists yesterday for their valuable insight into Organizational Conduct that Foster Safer Campus Groups & Cultures: A Prevention Partnership.

The panel discussion provided valuable insights and practical examples for creating safer campus environments through accountability and prevention strategies. We appreciate you, Amanda Samsel, Christopher Jefferson, John Keith, & Julie Drury. Key takeaways from our conversation:

🛑 Integrating preventive measures is crucial in promoting safety on campus.

⚖ Personal accountability plays a significant role in building safer campus communities.

➕ Students need to understand their individual responsibility in creating a positive culture on campus.

🤝 Alternative sanctions can effectively engage students, advisors, and external stakeholders in the conduct process.

🙅‍♂️ Promoting bystander intervention is essential in strengthening campus communities.

💡 Innovative codes of conduct and building relationships with student leaders are key factors in enhancing campus safety.

Thank you to the Mizzou and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for your support in highlighting effective strategies for prioritizing prevention.

It's not too late to register! Join us Thursday!

🚨 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY 🚨

Join us for a webinar with Julie Drury & Christopher Jefferson from Mizzou and Amanda Samsel & John Keith from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as they share their insights and examples of effective conduct strategies that prioritize prevention. Discover innovative sanctioning methods and learn how organizational headquarters can work together to enhance a prevention-focused model, ultimately fostering stronger relationships.

The latest research from The Piazza Center in 2022 on Student Organization and Fraternity and Sorority Conduct reveals a growing shift towards a prevention-oriented framework. By incorporating preventive measures, personal accountability, and promoting bystander intervention, organizational conduct programs are collaborating with fraternity and sorority life to create a culture that prioritizes proactive measures and accountability for safer and stronger communities.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcufuigqzIqHdbPOVs-mGGlJA191evx1VZb #/registration

One of our Research Advisory members, Marjorie Malpiede, shares insight into Howard Gardner & Wendy Fischman’s book, The Real World of College: What Higher Education Is and What It Can Be. The authors revisit the purpose of higher education, revealing a growing focus on vocationalism over intellectual growth. Their study, “The Real World of College,” identifies a disconnect between students, who view college as a means to an end, and educators, who see it as transformational.

With student mental health as a top concern, Gardner and Fischman advocate for reframing college education to emphasize exploration, character development, and a shift from “I” to “we” thinking. Their ongoing work aims to realign higher education with these values.

This shift encourages students to move beyond individual success and self-interest, promoting a sense of responsibility toward the broader community. By fostering this mindset, colleges can cultivate graduates who are not just skilled professionals, but also empathetic and engaged citizens. This transformation is key to aligning higher education with its foundational purpose of character development and societal contribution.

The Piazza Center believe fraternities and sororities are “we” thinking group’s which inherently promote community and collective responsibility. Fraternities and sororities are uniquely positioned to foster this mindset by encouraging members to prioritize the well-being of their group and broader community over individual gain. By embracing this shift, fraternities and sororities can play a pivotal role in developing leaders who are not just successful, but also socially conscious and community-driven.

“The Real World of College,” Continued | LearningWell Magazine Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner reflect on their findings and the future of higher education

🚨 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY 🚨

Join us for a webinar with Julie Drury & Christopher Jefferson from Mizzou and Amanda Samsel & John Keith from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as they share their insights and examples of effective conduct strategies that prioritize prevention. Discover innovative sanctioning methods and learn how organizational headquarters can work together to enhance a prevention-focused model, ultimately fostering stronger relationships.

The latest research from The Piazza Center in 2022 on Student Organization and Fraternity and Sorority Conduct reveals a growing shift towards a prevention-oriented framework. By incorporating preventive measures, personal accountability, and promoting bystander intervention, organizational conduct programs are collaborating with fraternity and sorority life to create a culture that prioritizes proactive measures and accountability for safer and stronger communities.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcufuigqzIqHdbPOVs-mGGlJA191evx1VZb #/registration

Originally from Texas, Catherine Berger came to University of Georgia to study cell biology with minors in business and biotechnology. She serves as an undergraduate researcher studying neurodegeneration in flatworms, specifically genes implicated in ALS and does risk assessment and environmental monitoring at a pharmaceutical company for her summer internship. Her ultimate goal is to go to graduate school and do neuroscience or cell biology research. She served as VP of Programs for Delta Zeta Sorority National before transitioning into her role as Chapter President. 🔬

Catherine recognizes that fraternity/life at UGA is a powerful way to get involved and participate in widespread opportunities. She loves the social aspect and way it connects folks across campus, encouraging them to get plugged in. She’s learned and grown through meeting different people and collaborating to solve real world, large scale problems. From paperwork and contracts to budgets and implication of behaviors, fraternity/sorority at this level is not play/pretend. She attributes her accomplishments during her internship to her sorority leadership experience. It is a highlight on her resume that was most helpful in landing her internship and will certainly be beneficial for her future endeavors.

Delta Zeta at UGA has identified unique ways to teach alcohol education through mocktails, identifying fun ways to be safe, and candid conversations about real world implications about bad decisions that are made under the influence of alcohol. The chapter prioritizes balancing networking while talking about life skills like safe drinking habits, norming healthy alcohol consumption. Their focus on mental health is imperative to address some of the root causes that lead to an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and build skills to overcome them. 🌟

Catherine is most proud of the work her chapter has done with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Her team has focused on events that balance socials and learning cultural competence. She feels like that is a huge part of creating a a comprehensive sorority experience: balancing cultural competency opportunities, career and academic preparation, alumni networking opportunities, stakeholder engagement, and health and wellness programming. The balanced calendar the chapter has created contributes to strong people management and leadership skills all her sisters have gained.

Her hopes for the future of fraternity and sorority at UGA is that the community continues to increase the ways they champion each other; she wants chapters to support their peers, share resources, collaborate to improve, and build community. She’s seen progress, but wants it to continue from mental health to risk management to DEI and life skills. 🧠

Just witnessed two powerful Hazing Prevention Network Institutes one at Penn State and the national program in Indianapolis. The Piazza Center is proud of our partnership with Hazing Prevention Network. Dr. Emily Perlow’s incredible curriculum has woven in 25 years worth of research and new What Works Study findings to create a powerful approach to prevent hazing in high school, college, and student groups.

Together we are safer and stronger. Together, we are making a difference! 🌟🚫

At yesterday’s Ohio Anti-Hazing Summit, a few members of our team had an incredible opportunity to meet many of the people who are directly involved in hazing prevention efforts at higher education institutions in Ohio, as well as representatives from other prevention organizations and even a few fraternity and sorority headquarters! In his opening keynote, Dan Wrona reminded attendees, “It is tragic and unfortunate that we are here. It is also exciting and necessary that we are here.” This reminder of the necessity of hazing prevention work set the tone for the day, and the passion and commitment of the attendees was evident in their engagement throughout the conference.

Emily Anne Pride Sutton, MA, Akeya Simeon, PhD. MSW, M.A., and Kimberly Davis had terrific attendance at their sessions, sharing findings from the first cohort of the What Works Study. They heard from several of our attendees that our findings resonated with what they see on their campuses, which was an excellent reminder that the potential impact of this study extends well beyond the campuses in our community of practice as long as we take advantage of opportunities to share what we are learning. Participants brought excellent questions and discussion points, and it was wonderful to engage with them and help them think about how data from the Piazza Center can help inform their work.

Thank you to Will Cangialosi and our friends at the The Ohio State University for planning and inviting us to a fantastic summit! 🌰

We are so excited to join colleagues at the third annual Ohio State Anti-Hazing Summit in Columbus, Ohio tomorrow!

Our scholars and practitioners will be presenting the following sessions:

💡 Building Trust with Students to Prevent Hazing with Kimberly Davis & Emily Feuer, Ph.D.

This session will explore research based strategies in building trust with students to create collaborative, effective relationships between students and administrators to talk about, understand and prevent hazing. Strengthening these relationships can increase student support of hazing prevention initiatives and ensure that staff and administrators devote resources to programs that students find meaningful and engaging. The presenters will also identify opportunities to increase student input into hazing prevention initiatives.

💡 Survey Says: Student Perspectives on the Impact of Hazing Prevention Programs and Policies with Kimberly Davis, Emily Anne Pride Sutton, MA, & Akeya Simeon, PhD. MSW, M.A.

Join representatives from the Piazza Center to learn how fraternity and sorority members at the six institutions from the first cohort of the What Works for Fraternity and Sorority Success and Safety Study report the impacts of hazing prevention programs and policies on their attitudes and behaviors. This session will explore which programs change students’ attitudes about hazing, make them more likely to intervene in a hazing situation, and make them more likely to report hazing.


💡 Tell Me Why: Students Describe Why Organizations Haze and Suggest Hazing Prevention Strategies with Kimberly Davis & Akeya Simeon, PhD. MSW, M.A.

Based on interview findings from the What Works for Fraternity and Sorority Success and Safety Study, Piazza Center representatives will share some of the reasons why fraternity and sorority members believe hazing occurs and why students participate in hazing. Further, the presenters will share student recommendations for future hazing prevention efforts, such as different programming strategies, increased collaboration between stakeholders, and increased student input into programs and policies. with

💡 Using Team Culture and Peer Leadership to Understand and Reduce Hazing in College Athletics with Chris Zacharda

The focus of this session will be understanding and combating hazing within college athletics. This session will explore the ways in which peer leaders and team captains can impact their athletic team environment, especially within the context of hazing. Most notably, by harnessing the potential of peer leadership, especially the team captain position, educators can design an approach to significantly reduce hazing from college athletics. Additionally, participants will gather insight in understanding and impacting team culture, a vital component in reducing hazing in athletics.

Ohio Anti-Hazing Summit | August 6, 2024 Ohio Anti-Hazing Summit | August 6, 2024

Our team has had a great two days working with dedicated colleagues to tackle hazing and hazardous drinking - from athletics to fraternity/sorority life and everything in between.

We're thankful for a partnership with Hazing Prevention Network to do this really inspiring work.

A huge thanks to Todd Shelton and our research team leads, Emily Perlow, Rob Turrisi, and Patrick Biddix, for their vision in creating a clinical lens to prevention. Together, we're paving the way for safer campuses and making a meaningful impact!

Penn State Student Affairs enhancing hazing prevention efforts with new workshop | Penn State University Penn State Student Affairs, in partnership with the Hazing Prevention Network, will host a two-day inaugural Hazing Prevention Workshop starting Aug. 1 at the University Park campus.

Amy Kim is a rising senior and member of Kappa Delta Sorority at Washington State University. She feels like the organization has pushed herself out of her comfort zone to help her become the best version of herself. Amy is passionate about mental health and things that contribute to that: reflection, journaling, exercise. She likes to say “purpose drives passion” and her passion for Kappa Delta and the home it gave her in Pullman led her to her purpose serving in leadership roles for her sorority as Panhellenic Delegate, Director of Campus Philanthropy, and VP of Events & Programming. She likes to take care of people and has seen the way her sorority experience has added to that passion. 💚

The openness of the community is something that’s really meaningful to her. Community and building relationships is a priority and serves as the foundation for growth of quality and quantity of members. She feels the community is always pushing to be better, and from what she’s seen and heard, they’ve made vast improvements.

The foundation of strong relationships across the community based on trust, accountability, and safety has been crucial to Washington State fraternity/sorority life. She feels like the community has worked to develop shared values around building one another up. She is proud of the way the community has responded to Sam’s Law, using it as an opportunity to continue to reinforce individual accountability. As the former VP of Events & Programming, she recognized her passion for helping people and making sure people feel safe. Risk roles can be intimidating because they can feel like they’re just rule enforcers, but honestly putting care for sisters at the forefront is a way to promote harm reduction. 💫

In leadership roles, she’s learned so much about herself: how she treats others, how to be a servant leader, how to be a part of a team, how to lead a team. Working in a community she’s identified what drives her and how she wants to show up in spaces. She has developed her personal leadership style while learning how to work with a diverse group of people, honoring their leadership styles. Amy has learned how to work through difficult situations, solving complicated problems with ease and attributes much of this to the support of her personal development from Kappa Delta.

She wants the community to keep enhancing accountability and growing their positive footprint. She wants folks to understand that fraternity/sorority isn’t a monolith and there’s opportunity for everyone within fraternity/sorority life. Amy is really proud of the diversity in fraternity/sorority at Washington State and recognizes that it has brought people into her life that she wouldn’t otherwise know. 🌿

Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring representatives from the University of Missouri and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as they share their insights and examples of effective conduct strategies that prioritize prevention. Discover innovative sanctioning methods and learn how organizational headquarters can work together to enhance a prevention-focused model, ultimately fostering stronger relationships.

The latest research from The Piazza Center in 2022 on Student Organization and Fraternity and Sorority Conduct reveals a growing shift towards a prevention-oriented framework. By incorporating preventive measures, personal accountability, and promoting bystander intervention, organizational conduct programs are collaborating with fraternity and sorority life to create a culture that prioritizes proactive measures and accountability for safer and stronger communities.

🔹Julie Drury, PhD, Assistant Dean of Students, University of Missouri

🔹Christopher Jefferson, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, University of Missouri

🔹John Keith, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, University of Tennessee

🔹Amanda Samsel, Director, Student Conduct & Community Standards, University of Tennessee

🔹Stevan Veldkamp, EdD, Executive Director Piazza Center - Moderator

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcufuigqzIqHdbPOVs-mGGlJA191evx1VZb