Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of regional snapshots examining how campuses are responding to a new federal law requiring hazing transparency.
More than four dozen hazing incidents were reported across West Coast college campuses in the past 10 months, according to an analysis by HazingInfo.org.
This new snapshot of college hazing in Western states is possible because of a new federal law requiring all colleges and universities to disclose hazing on their campuses.
But the picture remains incomplete: Just half of college campuses in the West are publicly sharing information on hazing violations as required. The other half have hazing records that are out of date — or they don’t provide hazing incident data at all.
The new data from HazingInfo’s review begins to fill in major gaps in what we know about hazing: where hazing is happening, how often it is happening, and which schools are stepping up to provide more hazing transparency and accountability.
The law, called the Stop Campus Hazing Act, requires campuses to publish those incidents twice a year starting Dec. 23, 2025, in a Campus Hazing Transparency Report available on their websites.
This month, HazingInfo checked the websites of 138 colleges and universities in five Western states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Here’s what we found:
The University of Washington (UW) in Seattle had nine reported hazing incidents since July 1, the most of any campus on the West Coast. Hazing was reported in fraternities (both social and business-related) and in sororities.
UW provided few details about those hazing incidents except that they occurred during the new member process and, in a few cases, that new members felt implicit pressure to drink alcohol.
Two other large Washington universities, Washington State University and Western Washington University, reported one hazing incident each in that time.
UW has seen a record rise in hazing reports this year, said Alex Salemme, UW hazing prevention and response specialist. He attributes the rise to the university’s commitment to hazing education, prevention, and transparency.
In addition to Salemme’s dedicated role leading hazing prevention and investigations, UW has mandatory annual hazing prevention training for all employees, hazing education programs, marketing campaigns, and an anonymous, text-based reporting tool to remove barriers to reporting. That tool is funded by a Student Technology Fee, demonstrating student support for hazing awareness and reporting, Salemme said.
As a result, campus attitudes toward hazing are shifting, leading to increased reports, Salemme said. “Administrators and senior leadership take hazing seriously and support my position with funding and resources to grow our program,” he said.
UC Davis provides more details about the kind of hazing behavior involved, which included sleep deprivation, paddling, forced alcohol consumption, and one incident where fraternity members pretended to shoot pledges with toy guns.
San Diego State University reported five hazing incidents in that time period.
California State University–Chico reported three cases.
Those numbers alone don’t necessarily mean that hazing is a bigger problem at UW, UC Davis, or other schools with more hazing cases reported.
The context matters, including the size of the student population and the resources and training available for campus professionals who investigate hazing reports.
The number of hazing violations listed is probably not the same as the number of incidents reported. Student conduct investigations and adjudications can take months, even years, meaning a lag in reporting.
And many hazing complaints never make it through that process at all when victims choose to drop their complaints or witnesses refuse to come forward.
Campus climate is a key factor influencing how hazing reporting is handled. How seriously do campus administrators and leaders take hazing prevention? Does the campus actively encourage and educate on hazing reporting?
And what about the majority of schools that aren’t sharing any data about hazing at all?
Is hazing happening under the radar? Are potential victims ignored or even discouraged from coming forward to protect the school’s reputation? It is impossible to know until those schools share information with the public.
It’s too soon to draw firm conclusions about where campus hazing is of most concern — especially with half of West Coast schools still not sharing their hazing data. The law is still new, and many schools are still figuring out how to respond to its requirements.
Campuses are not technically required to post a Campus Hazing Transparency Report when there hasn't been a finding of a hazing violation.
But hazing prevention experts, advocates, and the families of hazing victims have urged every school to issue a report whether they have a hazing incident or not.
Sharing that information meets both the letter and spirit of a law intended to help end hazing and give students and families important insights into campus safety.
Related: The state of hazing in Washington