Administrative Guideline 1017

Adopted: April 29, 2025
Reviewed:
Revised:

ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINE TYPE: General Administration

ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINE TITLE: Anti-hazing guideline

DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE: Student Affairs

I. Statement of Purpose

Southeastern Community College (SCC) is committed to maintaining an atmosphere of social and ethical responsibility. This guideline addresses hazing activity which is antithetical to SCC’s commitment to a positive educational environment. The SCC Anti-hazing guideline meets the required annual activities outlined by the Stop Campus Hazing Act (Public Law 118-173-December 23, 2024).

Participation in hazing activities is against the law. Violation of SCC’s hazing guideline, whether on or off campus, may subject participants, including students and organizations, to serious consequences. Individual students may be subject to arrest, prosecution, and/or disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, suspension or expulsion. Organizations may be subject to the revocation of their registration and/or recognition at SCC. Athletic teams are potentially subject to consequences from both SCC and the National Junior College Athletic Association. An employee who knowingly permits hazing to occur will be referred to their supervisor and Human Resources for appropriate review and action.

SCC strictly prohibits participation in hazing activities by any party. Consent to or acquiescence in hazing activity is not a defense. Hazing activities do not contribute to the positive development or welfare of students. SCC recognizes the act of hazing as illegal, irresponsible, intolerable, and inconsistent with the principles of higher education, and basic human development.

Accordingly, this guideline strictly prohibits participation in hazing activities by all parties. This guideline includes a summary of the provisions of the law as it relates to hazing.

II. Definitions

1. “Student” means any person who:
   1. is registered in or in attendance at SCC;
   2. has been accepted for admission at SCC when the hazing incident occurs; or
   3. intends to attend SCC during any of its regular sessions after a period of scheduled vacation.
2. "Organization" means a club or organization, student board or government, a band, choir, or musical group, or an academic, athletic, cheerleading, or dance team, including any group or team that participates in National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association competition, or a service, social, or similar group, whose members are primarily students. An organization may also refer to professional organizations with student chapters or with a focus on recruiting student membership.
3. "Hazing" means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student for the purpose being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization if the act involves any of the following (this list is not exhaustive):
   1. any type of physical brutality, such as whipping or paddling, beating, striking, branding, cutting, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, tattooing, or similar activity; or
   2. morally degrading or humiliating games or activities which make an individual the object of amusement, ridicule or intimidation, or “line-ups” involving intense shouting of obscenities or insults; or
   3. having harmful substances thrown at, poured on, or otherwise applied to the bodies of individuals; or
   4. transporting individuals against their will, abandoning individuals at distant locations, or conducting any “kidnap,” “ditch,” or “road trip” that may in any way endanger or compromise the health, safety, or comfort of any individual; or
   5. compelling individuals to engage in sexual behaviors, sexual or racial harassment or slurs, or exhibitionism, forced sexual activity; or
   6. sleep deprivation, indecently exposed or exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, requiring an individual to remain in a fixed position for a long period of time, calisthenics, or other similar activity that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm, or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student; or
   7. consumption of a food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, liquor, drug, or other substance, that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student; or
   8. compelling individuals to participate in activities (pranks, scavenger hunts, etc.) which encourage the defacement of property; engage in theft; harass other individuals, groups of individuals or organizations; or
   9. excluding an individual from social contact for prolonged periods of time; or
   10. compelling an individual to engage in acts of personal servitude; or
   11. engaging in any practice of rituals or other activities performed online or using the internet, involving harassment, abuse, or humiliation; or
   12. participating in any activity that induces, causes, or requires the student to perform a duty or task that involves a violation of the Penal Code, Student Code of Conduct, or Academic Integrity Policy.

III. Policy

1. Hazing by individuals and/or organizations is strictly prohibited by SCC.
   1. Personal Hazing Offense: A person commits an offense if the person: engages in hazing; solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another in engaging in hazing; or has firsthand knowledge of the planning of a specific hazing incident involving a student of SCC, or has firsthand knowledge that a specific hazing incident has occurred, and knowingly fails to report that knowledge in writing to the Dean of Students or other appropriate official of the institution.
      
      A person who commits an act of hazing is guilty of a simple misdemeanor under Iowa Code, Section 708.10. Likewise, a person who commits an act of hazing which causes a serious bodily injury to another is guilty of a serious misdemeanor.
   2. Organization Hazing Offense: An organization commits an offense if the organization condones or encourages hazing or if an advisor/coach, officer, or any combination of members, or alumni of the organization commits or assists in the commission of hazing.
2. Consent Not a Defense
   
   Consent to or acquiescence in hazing activity is not a defense. Any of the activities described herein where the initiation or admission into, or affiliation with, or continued membership in an organization or team is directly conditioned, shall be presumed to be “compelled activities;” the willingness of an individual to participate notwithstanding. It is not a defense to prosecution of an offense that the person against whom the hazing was directed consented to or acquiesced in the hazing activity.
3. Responsibility of the Organization
   
   The organization has the responsibility to ensure its activities are acceptable under this guideline. If you are not sure whether an activity is hazing, the activity should be ceased or discussed with the appropriate College official prior to further activity. Questions regarding the acceptability of a proposed organization activity should be discussed with the Dean of Students.
4. Enforcement
   1. An officer, advisor, or coach of each registered student organization or team is responsible for informing the members of the organization of the SCC guideline regarding hazing. An officer, advisor, or coach should discuss and distribute a copy of this guideline to each member of the organization during the first meeting of each semester.
   2. An officer, advisor, or coach of each organization or team is responsible for informing their guests and alumni members of that organization or team regarding this guideline and is additionally responsible for controlling the actions of their guests and alumni members of that organization or team regarding this guideline.
   3. It is the responsibility of any and all individuals who have firsthand knowledge of the planning or actual occurrence of a hazing activity to promptly report said knowledge to the Dean of Students Office.
   4. Complaints may be made through the Dean of Students Office or West Burlington Police Department, as well as though SCC’s online reporting system: https://www.scciowa.edu/meet/services/dean-of-students/report-a-concern.aspx.
   5. Response to allegations of hazing, as well as any appropriate sanctions for acts of hazing committed, will be handled through the Student Conduct process as described in the Student Code of Conduct.
   6. Retaliation against any individual, including victims of hazing, good faith reporters, witnesses, and/or cooperating individuals, is prohibited, and may result in further disciplinary action.
5. Immunity from Prosecution or Civil Liability
   1. A court may grant immunity from prosecution for the offense to each person who is subpoenaed to testify for the prosecution and who does testify for the prosecution.
   2. Any person who voluntarily reports a specific hazing incident involving a student in an educational institution to the Dean of Students or other appropriate official of the institution is immune from civil or criminal liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed as a result of the reported hazing incident if the person:
      1. calls for emergency assistance or reports the incident before being contacted by the institution concerning the incident or otherwise being included in the institution's investigation of the incident; and
      2. as determined by the Dean of Students or other appropriate official of the institution designated by the institution, cooperates in good faith throughout any institutional process regarding the incident.
      3. did not engage in activities which placed the safety or welfare of any other person at risk.
   3. A person is not immune under Subsection (b) if the person:
      1. reports an incident of hazing in bad faith or with malice.
      2. engaged in hazing which placed the safety or welfare of any other person at risk.
6. Offenses in Addition to Other Penal Provisions
   
   SCC may enforce its own penalties against hazing.

IV. Hazing Prevention

1. A Campus Hazing Prevention Committee is charged with the design and delivery of research-informed hazing awareness and prevention efforts. This committee is to be chaired by the Dean of Students, and will include as members the director of student activities, director of athletics (or designee), and residence life coordinator. Others may be added to the committee as needed at the discretion of the committee chair. 
2. Each year the Campus Hazing Prevention Committee will review the training model from the previous year, as well as any reports of hazing from the previous year. The committee will utilize this information to guide their efforts as they construct a training model for each of the following groups of people:
   • website information for the general student and employee populations
   • all students in clubs and organizations
   • all student athletes
   • all residence hall students
   • all club and organization advisors
   • all athletic team coaches and assistant coaches
   • all campus security authorities

V. Reporting of Hazing Incidents

1. All incidents of hazing, regardless of whether they occurred on or off campus or if a specific law was violated, are to be reported on a Campus Hazing Transparency Report (CHTR). The CHTR must be publicly availability on the SCC website and updated twice annually. The CHTR is to be maintained for 5 calendar years from the date of publication.
2. Per the Stop Campus Hazing Act, Hazing is now a category on the Annual Security Report (ASR). Unlike the CHTR, an incident of hazing must occur within the campus geography and fall within the legal definition of hazing in order to be included as a crime statistic in the ASR. An ASR shows all reportable crime statistics that occurred within the campus geography within the 3 calendar years covered.
   
   Additionally, the ASR must include two policy statements related to hazing. Policy Statement #1 is to include current policies to hazing, outlining 1) how to report, 2) the process used to investigate incidents of hazing, and 3) information on applicable local, state, and tribal laws. Policy Statement #2 is to outline prevention and awareness programs related to hazing (as defined by SCC) that includes a description of research-informed campus-wide prevention programs designed to reach students, staff, and faculty.

---

Each institution of higher education is required to publish or distribute a list of registered student organizations that have been disciplined or convicted for hazing violations on or off-campus during the previous three years. The report shall follow the format below. Additionally hazing incidents must be included on the annual security report.

Organization	Date incident Occurred	Date Institution Initiated Investigation	General Description of Incident	Allege Violations of the Student Code of Conduct	Findings	Sanctions	Date Institution's Disciplinary Process was Resolved

Approval: April 29, 2025

Michelle Allmendinger, Vice President for Student Affairs
Review/Responsibility: Annually by Dave Haden, Dean of Students