I grew up connected to Washington State University (WSU) literally from birth.
I was born on campus, raised just miles away, and attended the university’s summer camps as a boy. I knew WSU was where I most wanted to attend college when I graduated from Pullman High School.
Yet even with so many very positive interactions with WSU over my childhood, I always knew there was a bit of a dark cloud hanging over the school. Reports of student misconduct and hazing, especially in WSU’s fraternities, were no secret to people living in the community.
It was a fear for incoming students like myself and a worry shared by the community and parents sending their kids. It was hard to overlook the dangerous culture that seemed to encourage excessive drinking and substance use, hazing, and other dangerous behavior.
When I moved to campus for my freshman year at WSU, I knew I wanted to get involved in student advocacy. My passion for public policy and advocacy eventually led to becoming the director of legislative affairs for the Associated Students of WSU (ASWSU) and a direct role in shaping Washington’s new felony hazing law.
In my new role, I moved to Olympia, the state Capitol, for the 2023 legislative session. The first event I planned was “Coug Day,” held on Jan. 23, 2023. We brought a busload of students from Pullman to Olympia to advocate for more financial aid for college students.
That was also the day the news broke about a second student hazing death at WSU. Freshman student Luke Tyler had taken his own life following weeks of hazing by members of the fraternity he was joining, Theta Chi.
I was directing students to their lobbying meetings when a fellow member of the Washington Student Association informed me of the news and told me about pending state legislation on hazing prevention.
That was when I learned about House Bill 1002 to increase the criminal penalties for hazing from a misdemeanor to a class C felony when someone is seriously injured or killed.
I knew right away that the Associated Students of WSU needed to advocate for this bill. One of my fellow ASWSU members had known Sam Martinez, and many in our student government were freshmen like Sam when he died.
Our student team spoke with Chief Gary Jenkins, Pullman’s police chief during the investigation into Sam’s death.
One of the biggest barriers Jenkins said he encountered in the investigation is that hazing was a misdemeanor charge in Washington. That limited how long police were able to collect evidence, what suspects could be charged with, and the department’s overall ability to investigate.
A stronger hazing penalty law wasn't just needed for punishment. It was needed to allow law enforcement more time and resources to develop a case and gather the facts.
At one of the bill’s hearings, I testified on behalf of ASWSU about the extreme danger that hazing posed to students and how it remained a prevalent concern on the Pullman campus.
A state senator asked if I knew WSU’s official stance on the issue and questioned why WSU was not part of the hearing. While I was there representing students, not the university, I told him I had learned from university officials that they had decided not to take a stance on the bill.
After the hearing, I met Jolayne Houtz, Sam Martinez’s mother, who had also testified for the bill. I learned about her mission as an anti-hazing advocate and her legislative work. She invited me to continue engaging and kept me updated on the bill as the session played out.
Passing the bill was no slam dunk. Some committee members were uncomfortable adding a new felony to the books. Our legislative team met with committee members to share resources, including a letter of support from the WSU Interfraternity Council that we had secured.
One senator told us that they philosophically disagreed with felony punishments and did not want to see the bill move forward.
We pushed back, explaining how it would help future police investigations—and bring justice for the families of hazing victims. It was a clear, practical step that we had to take to combat this deadly culture, we argued.
The senator replied that nothing would change until there was also a component of financial liability for the student groups that haze.
And in this moment, we saw an opportunity.
In the following weeks, the bill was amended to add clear and direct financial liability for student groups, such as fraternities, that permit and partake in hazing. Our student efforts helped turn opposition into support.
With the amendment, the committee approved the bill, which went on to pass unanimously in both the Senate and the House. Sam's mother invited me to the bill signing with then-Governor Jay Inslee.
Policies like HB 1002—now called the Sam Martinez Stop Hazing Law—make our campuses and communities safer.
It was an honor to be an advocate for students on this issue. Many universities in Washington are taking the threat of hazing more seriously, increasing training, resources, and reporting avenues.
At WSU, the culture is changing, with WSU doing more hands-on training around hazing prevention. But hazing is still happening, and it remains under-reported. Campus leaders need to take a stronger stance and get more involved, especially with Greek Row.
Bills like HB 1002 are an enormous step in the right direction. I believe this is one of the most important policies I have worked on as a student lobbyist.