Hazing Transparency

Annual statistics on hazing are available in the UC Berkeley Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR). Please note that hazing statistics will be included beginning with the 2026 report. Hazing statistics in the ASFSR include incident reports that meet the federal definition of hazing in Section 485(f)(6)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)(6)(A)). Such statistics do not reflect actual findings of hazing behavior, which are included in the Campus Hazing Transparency Report.

The UC Berkeley policies governing hazing are the Student Hazing Prevention and Campus Response, Abusive Conduct in the Workplace Policy, and Code of Student Conduct. The applicable state and federal laws are California Penal Code 245.6, the state Stop Campus Hazing Act, and the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act.

The Code of Student Conduct defines hazing as:

Participation in hazing or any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, activity, or method committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) against another person or persons, including current, former, or prospective students, regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate, that is committed in the course of a pre-initiation, an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, an official or unofficial student organization or other student group that…

(i) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury, including personal degradation or disgrace, and/or 

(ii) the person knew or should have known was likely to cause serious bodily injury.

Reporting prohibited hazing conduct

Anyone who learns that the hazing of a student has occurred or that hazing activities have occurred within a student organization should report it to the University as soon as practically possible. Anyone designated as a Campus Security Authority must report it to the University as soon as practically possible. 

Violence and other criminal hazing activities should be reported to UCPD. In an emergency, call 911 or, from a cell phone, (510) 642-3333. For crimes no longer in progress, call (510) 642-6760. Any incident of hazing that could be a serious or ongoing threat within Clery Geography or an immediate threat to the health and safety of the campus community should be reported to UCPD as soon as practically possible for timely warning and/or emergency notification evaluation.

In addition to reporting violence or other criminal hazing activities to UCPD, violations of this policy by a student or student organization should be reported to the Center for Student Conduct by filing a Code of Student Conduct incident report form. Violations of this policy by an employee may be reported to the Abusive Conduct portal for assessment under the Abusive Conduct policy and/or referral to the employee’s supervisor or other administrative authority. Violations of this policy may be reported anonymously via the Whistleblower Hotline for routing to the appropriate office.

Certain employees have specific reporting responsibilities for hazing conduct that may also violate other policies, including but not limited to the UC Policy on SVSH, the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy, the UC Abusive Conduct in the Workplace Policy, the UC Clery Act Policy, and the Activities Involving Minors Policy.

Reporting hazing to UCPD or the Center for Student Conduct is not necessarily sufficient to fulfill these other reporting obligations. Individuals should refer to those policies to understand their reporting obligations.