Hazing Information and Prevention

Commitment Against Hazing

Richard Bland College is firmly committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment where abusive behavior, harassment, and assault are never tolerated or justified. Such conduct will never be accepted as a means of building character, developing leadership skills, or promoting group loyalty or unity.

Definition of Hazing

Hazing is an act which endangers the emotional, mental, financial, or physical health or safety of a student, or which destroys or removes public or private property, for initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in, a group or organization. Apathy or acquiescence in the presence of hazing is not considered a neutral act; they are violations of this rule. The express or implied consent of the victim, tradition, and intent of such acts are not valid defenses. Hazing which causes bodily injury shall be reported to the Commonwealth’s Attorney of Dinwiddie or Prince George County, who shall take such action as they deem appropriate.

Hazing is a criminal offense under Virginia Code: § 18.2-56.

Hazing Examples

Hazing shall include, but is not limited to, forcing, compelling, requiring, encouraging, or expecting—whether directly or indirectly—any individual to participate in any of the following actions or activities. As it is impossible to anticipate every situation that may constitute hazing, this list is illustrative and does not encompass every circumstance that may result in disciplinary action by the College.

Disciplinary Actions and College Policy References

Any individual or organization found to be in violation of College policy will be subject to the applicable procedures outlined in the College’s student or employee code of conduct and may face disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or termination of employment.

Please see Student Conduct Code Violations of 300.3 & 300.4 for hazing violations.

Reporting

To encourage reporting of hazing, the College will extend amnesty from student conduct allegations and sanctions to parties and witnesses for minor violations of the alcohol and drugs policies, such as underage consumption of alcohol, public intoxication, and possession or ingestion of illegal drugs for reporting parties, witnesses or respondents where such disclosures are made in connection with a good faith report or investigation of hazing or retaliation.

You can report hazing incidents to the following departments or anonymously.

• Department of Campus Safety & Police
  • Emergency (804) 862-6111
  • Non-Emergency (804) 863-4085
• Anonymous Tip Form

Campus Hazing Transparency Report

The Stop Campus Hazing Act, which amends the Higher Education Act, requires institutions of higher education to create and publish a Campus Hazing Transparency Report on their official website. This report must summarize findings involving student organizations that have been found responsible for hazing policy violations. It must be updated at least twice per year and must not include any personally identifiable information.

• The report will include the following:
• The name of the student organization involved;
• A general description of the violation that led to a finding of responsibility; and
• Relevant dates, including:
• The date of the alleged incident,
• The date of the investigation was initiated,
• The date the investigation concluded with a finding, and
• The date the institution notified the organization of the finding.

The following Hazing Transparency Report log meets this mandate and will be updated as needed.

• There are no reports at this time, which starts from January 1, 2025