Clery Act Hazing Requirements:

The Stop Campus Hazing Act amended the Clery Act in 2024 and outlined several new requirements relating to hazing. Key additions are as follows:

  1. Colleges must collect and publish crime statistics for hazing crimes in the Annual Security Report. 
  2. Institutions must establish a policy relating to hazing. 
  3. Institutions must produce a biannual report, called the Campus Hazing Transparency Report, documenting information about organizations that have violated an institution's hazing policy.

What is Hazing?

As defined by the Stop Campus Hazing Act:

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 persons 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 (e.g., a club, athletic team, fraternity, or sorority); and (2) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the IHE or the organization, of physical or psychological injury.

Some examples of hazing are:

  • Forced physical exertion 
  • Sleep deprivation 
  • Water Intoxication
  • Verbal Abuse
  • Degrading or humiliating tasks 
  • Coerced alcohol consumption 
  • Branding
  • Threats or intimidation 

Options for Reporting Hazing:

  1. Contact the Office of Student Life
  2. Or fill out and submit the Behavioral Student Conduct Form
  3. Contact Campus Police at 626-585-7484

Campus Hazing Transparency Report

Each institution is required to post their Campus Hazing Transparency Report on their public website. This report will summarize findings regarding any established or recognized student organization found to be inviolation of an institution’s standards of conduct relating to hazing, and must remain publicly available online for at least five years from the date of publication. Pasadena City College’s report contains the following information:

• Date of Incident
• Name of Organization
• Date Reported
• Description of Incident
• Policy Violations
• Date of Investigation Start
• Date of Notice Outcome
• Findings
• Sanctions

PCC's Hazing Transparency Report

Pasadena City College Policy on Hazing:

Pasadena City College (PCC) is committed to preventing hazing in all forms. Any student or student organization that engages in, attempts to engage in, encourages, facilitates, or participates in hazing may be subject to disciplinary action. Reports of alleged hazing will be addressed by the Office of Student Life in accordance with the College's Standards of Student Conduct (Administrative Procedure 5500 and Board Policy 5500) and the Student Discipline Procedures (Administrative Procedure 5520). This policy is intended to comply with the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act and should be read in conjunction with AP 5500 and AP 5520, which govern investigation, adjunction, sanctions, hearing, and appeal process for student conduct violations. 


1. Student Conduct Code 


The Student Conduct Code identifies conduct that is prohibited by College policy. Students who violate the Student Conduct Code will be subject to disciplinary action under the Student Discipline Process Procedures (AP 5520). Disciplinary sanctions depend on the nature of the offense, the past pattern of behavior of the student, and other relevant factors. Allegations of hazing will not be investigated through a separate disciplinary process. All allegations involving students or student organizations will be addressed through the College’s established student conduct procedures outlined in AP 5520 to ensure consistent due process protections and equitable application of disciplinary sanctions. Examples of possible disciplinary sanctions are listed below. In addition, student drug or alcohol offenses or other criminal acts may be referred to law enforcement officials. 

2. Types of Conduct Subject to Discipline

As outlined in AP 5500 Stands of Student Conduct, hazing is prohibited under the following section:

"g. Assault, battery, any threat of force or violence, physical or verbal abuse, intimidation, harassment, coercion, stalking, hazing, and/or other such conduct involving any member of the College community of visitors."

These types of conduct are prohibited at all times on College owned or controlled property and at any off-campus function sponsored or supervised by the College.

Incidents of hazing must be reported to the Office of Student Life via the Behavioral Student Conduct Reporting Form and will be reviewed in accordance with AP 5520 Student Discipline Procedures. Reports may be submitted by students, employees, advisors, student organization members, or third parties. Anonymous reports may also be submitted via Lancer Anonymous Tip Reporting; however, the College’s ability to investigate may depend upon the information available. Incidents presenting an immediate threat to health or safety should be reported to Campus Police. Violations of College policy are addressed independently through the College’s student conduct process. Conduct that may also violate state or federal law may be referred to appropriate law enforcement agencies. College disciplinary proceedings may proceed independently of any criminal investigation or prosecution, consistent with AP 5520.

The term “student organization", for purposes of reporting under the Stop Campus Hazing Act, 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 of higher education, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the institution. The policy applies to recognized and unrecognized student organizations whose activities are associated with Pasadena City College.

3. Institutional Responsibility

Pasadena City College is committed to preventing hazing through education, reporting, prevention programs, and accountability. To support compliance with the Stop Campus Hazing Act, the College will:

  • Provide education and prevention information regarding hazing to students and student organizations.*
  • Encourage student organization officers and advisors to participate in hazing prevention training.
  • Maintain procedures for reporting and investigating allegations of hazing through the Office of Student Life in accordance with AP 5520.
  • Coordinate, as appropriate, with Campus Police, Clery compliance personnel, Title IX personnel, and other College offices when allegations involve criminal conduct, Clery-reportable offenses, discrimination, or sexual misconduct.
  • Publish required hazing transparency information in accordance with the applicable federal law while protecting personally identifiable information as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Nothing in this policy replaces or supersedes the College’s existing student conduct process established in AP 5500 and AP 5520. All allegations of hazing will be investigated using those procedures, and sanctions will be imposed consistent with the College’s established disciplinary process. 

*As of Fall 2026, Pasadena City College has implemented the following: 

  • Inter Club Council (ICC) training on hazing. As part of making a club official (a process known as chartering or registration), the club will select one person to represent them in the ICC
  • Professional Development Day training for employees that includes the college’s hazing policies and procedures
  • As of Fall 2026, Pasadena City College plans to provide modules available to Student Organizations on the Canvas platform. 

 Requests for training and workshops related to Hazing can be made by emailing Karla Claustro, Pasadena City College’s Student Rights and Responsibility Coordinator at: kclaustro1@pasadena.edu 

Applicable State and Federal Laws:

Matt’s Law (California Law)
PENAL CODE – PEN [240-248]

245.6.
(a) It shall be unlawful to engage in hazing, as defined in this section.

(b) “Hazing” means any method of initiation or preinitiation into a student organization or student body, whether or not the organization or body is officially recognized by an educational institution, which is likely to cause serious bodily injury to any former, current, or prospective student of any school, community college, college, university, or other educational institution in this state. The term “hazing” does not include customary athletic events or school-sanctioned events.

(c) A violation of this section that does not result in serious bodily injury is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100), nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or both.

(d) Any person who personally engages in hazing that results in death or serious bodily injury as defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 243 of the Penal Code, is guilty of either a misdemeanor or a felony, and shall be punished by imprisonment in county jail not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170.

(e) The person against whom the hazing is directed may commence a civil action for injury or damages. The action may be brought against any participants in the hazing, or any organization to which the student is seeking membership whose agents, directors, trustees, managers, or officers authorized, requested, commanded, participated in, or ratified the hazing.

(f) Prosecution under this section shall not prohibit prosecution under any other provision of law.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act (Federal Law)                                                                                                                    H.R 5646 Public Law No: 118-173

This act requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs to report hazing incidents. It also renames the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act as the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act.

Specifically, the act requires each IHE to disclose hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies in its annual security report. The act defines the term hazing to mean 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 persons 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 (e.g., a club, athletic team, fraternity, or sorority); and (2) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the IHE or the organization, of physical or psychological injury.

Additionally, each IHE must include in its annual security report (1) a statement of current policies relating to hazing, how to report hazing incidents, the process used to investigate hazing incidents, and information on applicable laws on hazing; and (2) a statement of policy regarding prevention and awareness programs relating to hazing that includes a description of prevention programs.

Further, an IHE must develop a campus hazing transparency report that summarizes findings concerning any student organization found to be in violation of the IHE's standards of conduct relating to hazing. An IHE is not required to develop or update this report unless the IHE has a finding of a hazing violation.

The act does not apply to foreign IHEs.