College hazing in the Mid-Atlantic

95 college hazing incidents reported in six states and the District of Columbia, with 40% of schools not yet reporting 

Editor’s note: This is part of our series of regional snapshots examining how campuses are responding to the new federal law requiring hazing transparency.

The event was called “Champagne and shackles.”

The men’s and women’s lacrosse teams at SUNY Brockport in New York hosted the gathering the night before classes began last August. Team members were paired up and given zip ties to bind their wrists together.

The goal for each pair: Finish a large bottle of wine to become “unshackled.” Some taped the bottles to their hands. The teams provided and sold the alcohol to participants, including those under age 21.

That event, which ended with both teams placed on conduct probation, was one of 95 hazing incidents reported across college campuses in six Mid-Atlantic states and Washington, DC, since last summer.

That’s when a new federal law, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, required colleges to begin documenting hazing violations. Those incidents now must be made public through a Campus Hazing Transparency Report published twice a year on each college and university website.

HazingInfo reviewed the websites of 308 campuses across the Mid-Atlantic region and found 95 hazing incidents reported by 48 college campuses since July 1, 2025. The states included in this review are Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

40% of Mid-Atlantic colleges still don't disclose hazing

The picture of hazing in Mid-Atlantic states is still incomplete.

HazingInfo found 40% of colleges and universities in the region have not yet released their reports showing whether or not they had hazing violations, or their information is out of date.

Source: HazingInfo.org

Under the Stop Campus Hazing Act, campuses are not technically required to post a Campus Hazing Transparency Report unless there has been a formal finding of a hazing violation.

But hazing prevention experts, advocates, and the families of hazing victims urge every school to issue a report whether they have a hazing incident or not for full transparency.

Pennsylvania reported highest number of hazing cases

Pennsylvania had 31 reported hazing incidents in the past year, the highest in the region. The cases were reported by 19 colleges and universities.

Pennsylvania also had among the highest number of campuses sharing that information, with two-thirds of the state’s campuses publishing an updated Campus Hazing Transparency Report.

About half of Pennsylvania’s reported incidents involved fraternities, and the other half involved sports teams, including rugby, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, water polo, football, and women’s basketball hazing incidents.

The state’s flagship institution, Pennsylvania State University, reported five hazing incidents in the past year, the most of any campus in the state.

Most Virginia schools still not reporting hazing

Virginia had the worst track record in reporting hazing incidents compared with other Mid-Atlantic states. Just 40% of the state’s campuses publish an up-to-date hazing incident record.

Virginia reported 27 incidents on six campuses, including 18 incidents at James Madison University (JMU), since last summer.

JMU’s hazing record includes more information than many schools provide. They named seven fraternities and sororities currently under investigation for hazing, along with 11 organizations found responsible for hazing after investigations concluded.

Many of the hazing violations included pressuring or coercing new members to consume alcohol. At least two of the hazing incidents ended with students in the hospital.

A JMU band fraternity called Phi Buda Ruda required pledges to be interrogated by members holding a bright light in their faces and to consume salt, limes, and alcohol that contained mealworms until they were sick.

Washington and Lee University reported four hazing incidents over the past year, all involving fraternities.

New Jersey campuses take varied approaches to hazing transparency

New Jersey ranks at the top for hazing transparency among Mid-Atlantic states, with nearly 70% of colleges and universities in the state publishing updated Campus Hazing Transparency Reports.

HazingInfo’s review found eight hazing incidents reported by four New Jersey campuses. Those four campus reports illustrate the vastly different ways campuses are responding to the new federal hazing transparency requirements.

Princeton University reported one hazing incident involving its varsity women’s softball team that included substantial details about the violation, in which 14 students were found responsible for hazing. Rowan University lists 23 incidents on its detailed hazing report, with just one resulting in sanctions. The rest of the cases were deemed unsubstantiated or the charges were labeled unfounded.

Seton Hall University’s published report includes two hazing incidents. One involved Phi Kappa Theta fraternity but includes little detail about the incident, which resulted in the university revoking recognition of the fraternity for five years. A second incident at a separate fraternity yielded insufficient evidence to charge the chapter with hazing.

Rutgers University’s hazing report is a confusing spreadsheet spread across multiple pages that also includes non-hazing violations but no details about what occurred. Three of its four reported hazing incidents in fall 2025 list the outcome of the investigation as “No action,” leaving users unclear about what happened.

The fourth Rutgers hazing incident appears to be the widely reported electrocution of a student last fall at Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. The 19-year-old man was left in critical condition after coming in contact with exposed electrical wires during a hazing ritual. Rutgers’ report includes no details about the incident.

Hazing in other Mid-Atlantic states

HazingInfo’s review also found:

• New York reported 24 hazing incidents in the past year on 17 college campuses, with 63% of schools publishing updated hazing records. 
• Washington, DC, reported no hazing incidents, with just 43% of campuses reporting.
• The University of Maryland-College Park was the only one of Maryland's 24 colleges and universities  to report hazing violations, with four reported incidents. Fewer than half of campuses in the state have up-to-date hazing incident records.
• The University of Delaware was the only one of Delaware’s two universities to publish an updated hazing incident record, reporting one hazing incident. Delaware State University has not published a hazing incident record, although it was recently named in a lawsuit claiming a university football player was attacked by a teammate last fall and alleging team leadership “fostered a toxic culture of bullying and hazing” in the locker room.