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 University of Denver sorority sisters were all dressed in black.
To celebrate the end of sorority recruitment last September, they held a party on a night known on campus as "Blackout Tuesday" and played drinking games. Members of a campus fraternity served as “bouncers” at the event.
By the end of the night, two DU students were being treated at a local hospital for alcohol intoxication. Soon after, Delta Gamma sorority and Sigma Chi fraternity were placed on probation for hazing until June 2027.
That was one of 15 hazing incidents reported across six states in the Mountain West since last summer, when college campuses were required to begin documenting hazing violations.
And it's likely just a fraction of the actual number of hazing cases: Just 52% of schools in the region have up-to-date hazing incident records as required by federal law, according to a HazingInfo analysis.
Colorado had the most reported hazing incidents — eight cases reported across five schools since July 1. Nearly 60% of Colorado campuses had up-to-date hazing incident records.
Idaho reported four hazing incidents on two of its campuses, including two separate cases involving sororities at Boise State University and two incidents involving fraternities at University of Idaho. Just half of Idaho campuses have updated hazing incident records.
Montana and Utah both reported no hazing incidents. Only four of Montana’s 10 colleges and universities have an updated hazing incident record. In Utah, the largest institution — Brigham Young University — has not published a hazing incident record.
Wyoming has just one campus, the University of Wyoming. It has no published hazing incident record, only a blank template page. The university also doesn’t have a hazing policy.
Federal law now requires all US colleges and universities to make hazing incidents public by publishing a Campus Hazing Transparency Report twice a year.
The law is giving students and families new, campus-level data on how — or whether — their campus is responding to hazing.
Campus response has been uneven across the US. Earlier reporting by HazingInfo found about half of schools in West Coast states are sharing up-to-date hazing incident data since the reporting requirement began July 1, 2025.
In New England states, just 40% of campuses are reporting current hazing data.
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 families of hazing victims urge every school to issue a report whether they have a hazing incident or not for full transparency.
Among Mountain West campuses that did report hazing incidents, 15 fraternities and sororities faced discipline for hazing.
Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) faced the most serious consequence. The fraternity lost university recognition until 2030 after an investigation found new members were required to complete degrading and embarrassing tasks, participate in line-ups, and deprived of sleep. New members were blindfolded and transported to distant locations and forced to consume milk until they vomited. Members falsified or withheld information during the investigation.
Two other fraternities at UNLV are currently under investigation for events where drugs and alcohol were allegedly distributed to students, including those under age 21. Those fraternities are Zeta Tau Alpha and Pi Kappa Alpha.
At Metropolitan State University of Denver, prospective members of Lambda Theta Nu sorority were required to dress exactly alike, including their hairstyle, jewelry, and clothing. They were required to say the word “Excuses” repeatedly when they failed to recite information correctly. During a “crossing day” ceremony, new sorority members were required to do a “trust fall” off a picnic table. They were taken to different locations, deprived of their cellphones, and shouted at to recite information. Participants were denied breaks during the activity, which left at least one prospective member in tears.
The investigation found it was primarily sorority alumnae who were responsible for creating an environment of mental distress.
Other hazing incidents reported in the region since July 1 included: