Hazing Policy

No organization within the institutional community or any member of the institutional community shall conduct hazing activities, as defined by Pennsylvania or federal law.

Pennsylvania Law (18 Pa, C.S.A. § 2801 et seq.)

§ 2802 Hazing (defined): A person commits the offense of hazing if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, for the purpose of initiating, admitting, or affiliating a minor or student into or with an organization, or for the purpose of continuing or enhancing a minor or student membership or status in an organization, causes, coerces or forces a minor or student to do any of the following:

  1. Violate Federal or State criminal law
  2. Consume any food, liquid, alcoholic liquid, drug or other substances which subjects the minor or student to a risk of emotional or physical harm
  3. Endure brutality of a physical nature, including whipping, beating, branding, calisthenics or exposure to the elements
  4. Endure brutality of a mental nature, including activity adversely affecting the mental health or dignity of the individual, sleep deprivation, exclusion from social contact or conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment
  5. Endure brutality of a sexual nature
  6. Endure any other activity that creates a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to the minor or student

Hazing shall not include reasonable and customary athletic, law enforcement or military training, contests, competitions or events. Hazing is a summary offense, except when it results in or creates a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to a minor or student, in which case it is a misdemeanor of the third degree.

§ 2803 Aggravated hazing: occurs when a person commits a violation of section 2802 (relating to hazing that results in serious bodily injury or death to the minor or student and (1) the person acts with reckless indifference to the health and safety of the minor student; or (2) the person causes, coerces or forces the consumption of an alcoholic liquid or drug by the minor or student. Aggravated hazing shall be a felony of the third degree.

§ 2804 Organizational hazing: occurs when an organization that intentionally, knowingly or recklessly promotes or facilitates a violation of section 2802 (relating to hazing) or 2803 (relating to aggravated hazing). The organization shall be subject to any of the following penalties: a fine not more than $5,000 for each violation of section 2802 and a fine not more than $15,000 for each violation of section 2803.

§ 2805 Institutional hazing: occurs when an institution intentionally, knowingly or recklessly promotes or facilitates a violation of section 2802 (relating to hazing) or 2803 (relating to aggravated hazing). The institution shall be subject to any of the following penalties: a fine of not more than $5,000 for each violation of section 2802 and a fine of not more than $15,000 for each violation of section 2803.

§ 2806 Defenses prohibited: It is not a defense to any offense of hazing that (1) the consent of the minor or student was sought or obtained, or (2) the conduct was sanctioned or approved by the institution or organization.

2807 Forfeiture: in addition to any other sentence authorized under law upon conviction for violation of section 2803 (relating to aggravated hazing) or 2804 (relating to organizational hazing), the court may direct the defendant to forfeit property which was involved in the violation for which the defendant was convicted.

Federal Hazing Definition:

Any intentional, knowing or reckless act committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or person to participate, that:

  1. Is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and
  2. Causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury including:
    1. Whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;
    2. Causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity;
    3. Causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances;
    4. Causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts;
    5. Any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;
    6. Any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law; and
    7. Any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to perform a duty or task that involves a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law.

The term ‘student organization’, for reporting purposes, means an organization at an institution of higher education (such as a club, society, association, varsity or junior varsity athletic team, club sports team, fraternity, sorority, band, or student government) in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at the institution, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the institution. 

Reporting Hazing:

Reports of hazing can be made through multiple channels and will be routed to the appropriate department for resolution. Depending on the nature of the incident, reports may be made to Campus Police, Student Accountability & Conflict Transformation, Athletics, Greek Life, the Office of the Provost, Human Resources, or Equal Opportunity and Title IX.

Hazing based on an actual or perceived protected characteristic (race, ethnicity, color, sex, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, pregnancy, familial status, marital status, citizenship status, veteran/military status, disability status, or any other protected category under applicable local, state, or federal law) will be addressed by Equal Opportunity and Title IX. All other hazing incidents will be addressed by either Student Accountability & Conflict Transformation (for students) or Human Resources (for employees). Appropriate disciplinary procedures, including the process that will be applied to investigate reports of hazing, are outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, the Student Organization Code of Conduct, the Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Non-Discrimination Policy, and the Employee Handbook.

Note: In compliance with the Pennsylvania Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law and the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act, Moravian maintains a single report covering all violations of Moravian's Hazing policy and federal or Pennsylvania state laws related to hazing that have been reported to the institution in the past five years. The report is updated twice a year on January 1 and August 1. For each incident, the report will include:

  • the name of the subject of the report;
  • the date of the incident;
  • the date an investigation was initiated;
  • the date when the subject was charged with a violation of the hazing policy or federal or state laws related to hazing, if applicable;
  • a general description of the violation, including whether it involved the abuse or illegal use of alcohol or drugs, any investigation and findings and, if applicable, penalties or sanctions issued;
  • the date on which the matter was resolved and/or a finding of hazing occurred;
  • the date that notice of the outcome was issued to the subject, if applicable.

The report will not include personal identifying information of an individual.

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