The Interfraternity Council is located inside the Ohio Union and overseas 30 member organizations at Ohio State. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
As Greek life chapters conclude recruitment and student organizations regroup for the return of in-person meetings, Sorority and Fraternity Life within the Office of Student Life and all student organization members must complete Collin’s Law training.
Collin’s Law, in effect since Oct. 7, 2021, is an Ohio law that increases the penalties for hazing behavior, Will Cangialosi, coordinator of chapter services for Sorority and Fraternity Life, said. The bill was first introduced in 2019 after the hazing death of Ohio University student Collin Wiant and reintroduced to the Ohio Senate March 10, 2021, following the death of Bowling Green State University student Stone Foltz in an alleged hazing incident.
“Previously, being found responsible for hazing through the state of Ohio was similar to getting a speeding ticket,” Cangialosi said. “We saw penalties increase for folks that are found hazing.”
Cangialosi said Collin’s Law made alcohol or drug-involved hazing a third-degree felony, as well as a second-degree misdemeanor if no alcohol or drugs are present.
In combating the problem of hazing, Ryan Lovell, associate dean of students with the Office of Student Life, said the practice has been around for as long as colleges have existed. But, that has not dissuaded efforts to stop it.
“You’ve had organizations and folks who want to belong to organizations, you have power dynamics in organizations, and, unfortunately, that has led to folks abusing some of those power dynamics for others who want to join,” Lovell said. “We continue to try to look at the data and the trends to get the information that we need to best address the power dynamics that exist.”
Lovell said the rise of social media has likely helped bring some hazing problems to light, but it is generally hard to measure whether hazing has increased or not.
“Ohio State’s got 1,300 student organizations now, it had probably 500 15 years ago, so is hazing better or worse?” Lovell said. “There’s also been things that impacted it like social media. I’m sure 30 years ago it was much easier to hide these things.”
Cangialosi said Collin’s Law training is not meant to dissuade students from joining Greek life and student organizations at Ohio State. The first part of training students go through is a conversation about involvement at Ohio State and the benefits of inclusion.
After the first stage, there are four different categories of training students will go through, Cangialosi said.
Hazing awareness training covers the definitions of what constitutes hazing at the university and in the eyes of the law, Cangialosi said. This portion of the training also clarifies that hazing can happen in any organization, whether affiliated with Sorority and Fraternity Life or not.
Cangialosi said the next part of training discusses three types of hazing: intimidation, harassment and violence. He said students often associate violence with hazing, so the other two aren’t nearly as recognized as hazing behavior.
After overviewing the different types of hazing, students will learn about hazing prevention. Cangialosi said this is tackled from both a member and leader perspective within the organization, answering questions about how students can evaluate an environment for safety and avoid hazing behavior.
The last stage of the training is intervention, Cangialosi said. This part focuses on how to intervene when a fellow student is experiencing hazing.
Along with training, students are supplied with local and national resources and information about how to report hazing, Cangialosi said.
Lovell said this training is currently conducted via Zoom, but the aim is to make the program more convenient for students by converting to a fully online format in the future.
“Ultimately, we’re looking to move these to an online platform, similar to other training that students or faculty staff may complete to make it more convenient and to make it more conducive to all students being able to complete it,” Lovell said.
For more information regarding hazing, training or frequently asked questions, visit the Student Conduct website.
