Hazing Prevention

Spring Hill College is committed to the holistic development of its students, guided by the Jesuit value of cura personalis. This principle calls us to foster an environment where every student is respected, supported, and challenged to grow intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. As part of this mission, the College strictly prohibits hazing in any form and is dedicated to prevention, education, and accountability in alignment with both federal and state law. 

Hazing activities are illegal in the state of Alabama, prohibited by College policies and regulations, and an affront to our institutional values and character. Spring Hill College (“SHC”) seeks to prevent students from experiencing hazing by educating the campus community, promptly addressing alleged hazing activities and fostering a culture of mutual responsibility. 

Report Hazing on Campus

Students have several options for reporting hazing activities. Per the Anti-hazing policy, individuals who have knowledge of planned, ongoing, or past hazing activities, on or off campus, should notify the Student Involvement Office. All forms of hazing are harmful to students and to our community. Help us protect your friends and classmates by reporting concerts with this form:

Spring Hill College Incident Reporting Form

Alternatives to submitting an incident report

Alternatively, students may report any acts of hazing to the following: 

Public Safety Office 
4000 Dauphin Street
Mobile, AL 36608
(251) 380-4444
shcpolice@shc.edu

Or

Director of Student Involvement
4000 Dauphin Street
Mobile, Alabama 36608
Barter Student Center, Room 233
(251) 380-3027
csi@shc.edu

When appropriate, other College offices may handle certain aspects of the College response, such as Title IX (if it involves sexual misconduct), Human Resources (if it involves employees), etc.

The Dean of Students, in conjunction with the Code of Conduct, will assess the need for interim measures that will be assessed (e.g., partial or full cease and desist of organizational activities, etc.). When a formal conduct charge is made against an organization, the national or oversight organization, if any, will be notified.

If the incident involves sexual misconduct, then the report should also be sent to the College’s Title IX Coordinator as follows: 

Dr. Vannee Cao-Nguyen
Vice President, Culture and Community & Title IX Coordinator
4000 Dauphin Street
Mobile, AL 36608
(251) 380-3026
vcaonguyen@shc.edu

Dr. Desirée Melton
Dean of Students 
4000 Dauphin Street
Mobile, AL 36608
(251) 380-3023
dmelton@shc.edu

Tim Hicks
Director of Human Resources
4000 Dauphin Street
Mobile, AL 36608
(251) 380-4185
hr@shc.edu

Additionally, the College will report to law enforcement any complaint of hazing involving criminal conduct that creates a substantial risk to the health or safety of any person in the College community.

Definition of Hazing

“Hazing” is defined under federal law as:

  1. intentional, knowing, or reckless act;
  2. committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons)
  3. against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate;
  4. That is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and
  5. Causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury. Examples of hazing include but are not limited to the following:

a. Whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;

b. Causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity;

c. Causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances;

d. Causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts.

e. Any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;

f. Any activity against another person that includes a crime; and

g. Any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to perform a duty or task that is a crime.

h. Under Alabama statute, hazing can be considered a crime.

Information on Alabama’s hazing statute can be found here.

Laws and Policies

  • Hazing is illegal under Alabama state law. You can find more information here: Alabama State Law
  • Under federal law, institutions are required to report all incidents of hazing. You can find more information here: Federal Law
  • The National Collegiate Athletics Association also prohibits hazing. You can find their policies here:  NCAA Hazing Prevention Handbook
  • SHC’s full outline of our anti-hazing policy, including procedures for reporting hazing incidents, can be found here: SHC Anti-Hazing Policy

Hazing Prevention & Awareness Program

All SHC students are expected to complete the Hazing Prevention 101 training during the first month of their first semester at SHC. This course teaches students how to recognize, prevent, and report hazing. In addition, students may also complete workshops and training offered in specific programs such as Fraternity and Sorority Life, Athletics, and more. 

Take the Course

All SHC students will be notified when the Hazing Prevention 101 course is available to them through their student emails.

Student Organization Requirements

Hazing prevention training is required for all members of student organizations. Members who do not complete the training may be limited in their participation in SHC and student organization events.

Hazing Prevention Week

The National Hazing Prevention Week is held each year during the last full week of September. Students, faculty, and staff will have the opportunity to participate in events where the entire community is focused on engaging in intentional discussions about the problem of hazing.

Campus Hazing Transparency Report   

The Campus Hazing Transparency Report (CHTR) is published to comply with The Stop Campus Hazing Act, Higher Education Act of 1965, in particular 20 U.S.C. 1092(f) (“Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act”, hereinafter “Act”). The purpose of CHTR is to include findings of hazing as it pertains to established or recognized student organizations (not individuals) as defined under the Act.

SHC will provide an updated list twice a year that includes the name of student organizations found responsible, general descriptions of violations and sanctions, key dates of incidents, investigations, and the outcome. 

Annual Campus Security Report

Starting in 2026, SHC’s Annual Campus Security Report will include statistics on reports of hazing in the campus community. Please check back for the updated 2026 report.

Previous reports can be found here:

Campus Safety

Additional Resources

Campus Contacts

  • Dean of Students, Dr. Desirée Melton
  • Title IX, Dr. Vannee Cao-Nguyen
  • Director of Public Safety, Eddie Gonzalez
  • Director of Residential Life & Student Involvement, Rapunizal Boykin
  • Fraternity and Sorority Life Coordinator, Morgan Roland
  • Director of Wellness, Leslie Weaver
© Copyright 2025 Spring Hill College. All rights reserved.