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After the federal government enacted an anti-hazing law late last year, Harvard College stepped up its enforcement of hazing policies — and launched at least one investigation into a student organization.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act, passed by Congress in December 2024, requires universities nationwide to compile reports on hazing incidents, formalize hazing investigation processes, and name student organizations investigated for suspected hazing.
College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo wrote in a statement to The Crimson that the College will investigate every report of hazing and“administrators will intervene if they witness something” suspected to be hazing. Palumbo cited existing state requirements that require witnesses to report instances of hazing.
While the reporting requirement is not new, the federal law may expand the range of conduct that could be investigated as hazing, which it defines as any potentially risky actions “committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization.” Both laws also stipulate that activities may be considered hazing even if students participate in them willingly.
Many Harvard student organizations have long traditions of initiation tasks, ranging from being led through Harvard Yard while blindfolded to jumping into the Charles River to making students wear costumes in public. It remains unclear which activities Harvard will classify or investigate as hazing — and how that determination will be made.
Since rolling out its new policies, the College has already conducted at least one investigation into a student organization over suspected hazing. At the start of the fall semester, College officials looked into the practices of the Crimson Key Society, a recognized student organization that leads orientation events and campus tours.
While participating in a back-to-school scavenger hunt in Harvard Yard during orientation, CKS members dressed in costumes were approached by two proctors who reported the interaction to College administrators, according to a student affiliated with the organization.
The students involved were then asked to meet with College officials, who later determined the situation did not constitute hazing under updated government guidelines or Harvard policy, according to a different CKS member.
The two students were granted anonymity to share information about the incident because they were not authorized to speak by CKS.
A spokesperson for CKS wrote in a statement to The Crimson that the club opposes hazing “in every form.”
“Two members of our organization were stopped in the Yard because of their goofy outfits. Upon investigation, the DSO definitively cleared Key of any wrongdoing,” they wrote. “We have always acted in accordance with Harvard and Massachusetts guidelines, and we greatly appreciate the work the College is doing to keep this campus safe and fun.”
Palumbo, the College spokesperson, declined to comment on the specific investigation into CKS, citing a standing policy not to comment on student matters.
Under the new federal law, the College and Harvard’s other schools will publicly release the names of all student organizations that violated hazing policies between July and December 2025. The report — which will be published in January 2026 — will include the date and nature of suspected hazing incidents as well as the findings of Harvard’s investigations.
Hazing incidents will also be reported to the federal government under the Clery Act each year.
Harvard also launched a new hazing prevention website that enables students to immediately report incidents. Affiliates can also report suspected hazing directly to the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct, the Office of Student Engagement, or by notifying resident deans and proctors.
The website includes several links to pages created by StopHazing, a private anti-hazing advocacy group. One infographic provides examples of potential hazing, including threats and verbal abuse, sleep deprivation, “greeting others in a specific manner,” and “expecting items to always be in one’s possession.”
Harvard College debuted its new policies at a mandatory training for student group leaders earlier this month. During the hour-long session, College officials walked attendees through new federal law, College policies, and reporting requirements.
While Harvard required leaders of the more than 500 recognized student organizations to attend the training, the policy did not apply to unrecognized clubs.
Still, members of final clubs — Harvard’s exclusive unrecognized social organizations, which have a long history of hazing — may still individually be found responsible for hazing in incidents reported to the College, according to Associate Dean of Student Engagement Jason R. Meier.
—Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch.
—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves.
