Federal anti-hazing legislation with ties to Penn State was passed by the U.S. House on Wednesday with bipartisan support.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act was shaped in part by the efforts of Jim and Evelyn Piazza, whose son Tim died as a result of hazing at a Penn State fraternity. Their advocacy led to the creation of the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State, whose research informed the legislation.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, who has led previous anti-hazing efforts in the House, championed the bill.
"Today's overwhelming passage of H.R. 5646 reaffirms Congress' commitment to protect students on college campuses across the country," Thompson said in a statement. "This vital legislation will increase transparency and accountability in an effort to ensure that no one will have to experience what the Piazza family has over these past seven years. My prayers go out to Evelyn and Jim Piazza, and I sincerely appreciate their ongoing advocacy and strength."
The bill, which awaits approval in the Senate, would require post-secondary institutions to report hazing incidents in their Clery Act-mandated Annual Security Reports and have a public Campus Hazing Transparency Report. It also creates a consistent definition for hazing statistics across all colleges and universities.
Additionally, it requires colleges and universities to have comprehensive, research-based hazing education and prevention programs, while allowing schools to incorporate requirements into their existing initiatives.
The Piazza family previously worked at the state level to help shape Pennsylvania's Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law, which was sponsored by former state Sen. Jake Corman and signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2018. That legislation toughened criminal penalties for hazing and increased anti-hazing requirements for colleges and universities in the commonwealth.
The family's advocacy work grew from their son's death following a "bid acceptance night" in February 2017 at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. As part of the initiation he was given 18 alcoholic drinks in a period of 82 minutes and while visibly intoxicated fell head-first down the basement stairs. He suffered several more falls throughout the night, but no one called for help until the next morning when he was near death.
His death led to the banishment of Beta Theta Pi from Penn State and what has been described as the largest hazing prosecution in U.S. history, which led to most of the two dozen defendants receiving sentences of probation or house arrest on hazing or alcohol charges. The final two defendants in the case are scheduled to be sentenced in October .
Piazza's 27th birthday would have been on Wednesday.
"Sadly, we do not get to celebrate his birthday with him, but we feel he may have given us a wink from above with today’s vote," Jim Piazza said in a statement. "We are thrilled to see the House passage of the Stop Campus Hazing Act on this day and appreciate Rep. Thompson’s continued and unwavering support of federal anti-hazing legislation. Over the last several years, our family, along with other families from the Anti-Hazing Coalition, has been determined to bring this bill forward, and we are now one step closer.
"Tim’s death due to fraternity hazing at Penn State is something no family should have to experience. Through this important legislation, students and their families will have the much-needed transparency by universities to make informed decisions about which student organizations to join.”
The post U.S. House Passes Anti-Hazing Legislation Influenced by Piazza Family Advocacy and Penn State Research appeared first on StateCollege.com .
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