Why It Matters

Every year, over 1.5 million high school students are hazed in schools across America.  Most cases are never reported.  Many adults never see it coming. And too often, the consequences are devastating - psychological trauma, physical injury, and in the worst cases, death.

Hazing isn't just a college problem.  It starts earlier than you think - in middle school hallways, on high school athletic teams, in clubs, bands, church groups, and social groups where belonging comes at a dangerous price.

On March 7, 2021, Stone Foltz — a 20-year-old student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio — died from hazing. 

He was the nephew of DJ Williams, founder of Hazing Prevention Partners.

Stone was kind, funny, and full of life. He wanted to belong.  He trusted the process. He trusted the university. And it killed him.

His death  led to Collin's Law in Ohio (named after another victim, Collin Wiant 2018) — landmark hazing legislation that upgraded the penalty for hazing to a felony if  severe bodily injury or death occurs.  The law also required  institutions to provide transparency on hazing incidents happening at their school. 

Stone's death also exposed a painful gap. Hazing prevention education is not required in Ohio high schools. Most students don't recognize what's happening to them — they call it tradition, they call it bonding,  they call it earning their place.  9 out of 10 students don't call it hazing. When asked why they didn't report, more than 50% said they don't believe anything will be done.  

For those students attending college they are faced with a couple of facts:  More than 47% of students arrive at college already having experienced hazing.  And then 55% of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing.

And without education, they will never know  how to protect themselves — and neither will the adults that care for them.