Hazing isn’t your ordinary, garden-variety misconduct offense like trespassing or vandalism. Hazing allegations tend to wind up on the evening news. As a result, schools take them more seriously than most other kinds of offenses. They’re quicker to accuse students, more zealous in their investigations, and more severe when it comes time to assign penalties.
Unfortunately, all this means that innocent students sometimes end up facing charges. Students who do make mistakes end up with sanctions far harsher than they deserve. These outcomes do nothing to serve justice.
If you’re part of any campus organization in the Seattle Metro area—and let’s face it, what student isn’t—you’re vulnerable to a charge. Once you’re charged, you can never be sure where an investigation might lead, even if you’re entirely innocent. Colleges and universities aren’t required to afford you the same rights as you’d receive in the criminal justice system. You are entitled to some due process, but it’s no easy task navigating campus judicial rules and procedures.
You never want to take on a hazing allegation on your own. You need help. The attorneys at the LLF National Law Firm aren’t your ordinary, garden-variety attorneys. Our Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights. We’ve helped hundreds of students defend themselves from every conceivable type of misconduct charge, including hazing. We know how colleges and universities in the Seattle Metro area work, and we’re prepared to use every resource at our disposal to make sure you’re treated fairly.
It’s important you contact us quickly, though. You can be sure that your school is already building its case against you. You should be building your defense. Call the LLF National Law Firm at 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Defining Hazing
All colleges and universities in the Seattle Metro area maintain clear anti-hazing policies. Beyond the fact that virtually every school takes hazing seriously, Washington state law requires it. The law mandates that all institutions of higher learning have anti-hazing policies, put in place hazing prevention programs and report all hazing incidents publicly.
In fact, all schools in the area, from the University of Washington to Bellevue College, use the state’s definition of hazing in their own policies, quoting verbatim from the statute. As a result, it is worth considering that definition in detail.
Hazing isn’t universally defined. While most states and schools in the US have some anti-hazing policies, very few agree on what constitutes hazing. Washington’s definition—the one adopted by all schools in the Seattle Metro area—is especially broad, broad enough to make most initiation activities an offense. That can make it especially tricky to avoid a charge. For instance,
- Hazing incidents aren’t just about physical harm. A given incident is more likely to show up on the news when a student’s been injured, but the definition of hazing also includes the possibility of “serious psychological or emotional harm.” This addition matters. It means that you can be charged over simple harassment or convincing a pledge to drink. In fact, in recent years, organizations and students have been charged for simply keeping pledges up too late at night.
- Hazing isn’t just about the actual harm you might do. The exact wording is “any act […] that causes or is likely to cause” harm. What this suggests is that even if nothing goes wrong during an initiation activity, you could still face hazing charges.
- Hazing is typically associated with fraternities and sororities. However, the law—and all Seattle Metro school policies—use the terms “student organization, athletic team, or living group.” Even honor societies are expected to abide by anti-hazing policies.
- Hazing isn’t necessarily about initiation activities. The law refers generally to “any pastime or amusement.” In essence, any organizational activity that puts pressure on members to participate in risky activities qualifies as hazing.
- Finally, the law makes clear that the “willingness” of participants is not a defense to charges of hazing. Because membership in the organization is at stake, all participation in such activities is deemed to be “coerced.”
Many of our clients don’t realize they’ve committed a hazing offense until they’re charged. If you’re facing an allegation of hazing, or you think an allegation might be coming soon, it’s important you contact the LLF National Law Firm immediately. We can protect your rights and ensure you get the best possible resolution to your case.
Hazing Sanctions
Under Washington state law, hazing is treated as a gross misdemeanor unless it leads to actual substantial bodily harm, in which case it is treated as a class C felony. Among any other penalty the state may impose, you must also forfeit your right to any scholarship, grants, or other awards for a period determined by your school.
In fact, the penalties you face as a student can be every bit as severe, if not more so, than the penalties set by law. Colleges and universities in the Seattle Metro area utilize a wide range of punishments, from formal warnings to outright dismissal. However, given just how much the public cares about hazing offenses and just how strict state law is, light penalties are rare. Suspension is usually the minimum sanction in these cases. Expulsion is the most common punishment.
Keep in mind as well that any sanction, even a warning, can have long-term consequences on your academic and professional careers. Any infraction noted on your transcript can interfere with internships, graduate school applications, and even job interviews.
Finally, it’s also important to remember that while the law creates an obligation for schools to investigate and adjudicate allegations of hazing, and while all colleges and universities in the Seattle Metro area have adopted the state’s definition of hazing, no school is constrained by the law when disciplining its own students. That is, even if the state determines you are entirely innocent of any hazing charges, your university can still investigate you, find you responsible, and assign whatever penalty it deems appropriate.
Given just how much is at risk in any hazing case, you cannot afford to try and handle the situation alone. You need the very best help you can get. You need someone from the LLF National Law Firm in your corner to protect your interests.
Defending Yourself From School Hazing Charges
There is some good news when it comes to hazing. Like all other disciplinary misconduct charges, your college or university has policies in place to protect your rights any time you’re accused of an offense. Those rights may vary from school to school, but you can expect certain elements in any case.
- As a starting point, you should be treated as “innocent until proven guilty (schools typically refer to this as “not responsible until proven responsible”).
- Your school must provide you with notice of any charges you’re facing. It cannot investigate you in secret. This notice should explain the allegations and apprise you of all your other due process rights.
- Your school must conduct an investigation. It cannot punish you without some concrete evidence to substantiate any charges. As part of this process, you should be invited to give your side of the story. You can also submit any evidence you may have and suggest witnesses for investigators to interview.
- Hazing investigations often take weeks or even months to complete. Usually, there are multiple complainants (accusers), multiple respondents (accused), and dozens of witnesses. At some schools, investigators are empowered to decide cases once they’ve concluded their work. At others, cases are then forwarded to a Conduct Officer or Conduct Board for a full hearing.
- Hearings provide you with the opportunity to make your case in full. You should be allowed to present evidence in defense of your innocence or to explain your actions, including witness testimony. In addition, you should have the right to raise questions about any evidence being used against you, including witness testimony.
- Whether your case is decided by an investigator or a hearing decision-maker, you are still innocent, subject to a “preponderance of the evidence.” “Preponderance” isn’t quite as strict as “beyond a reasonable doubt,” but it does mean decision-makers must be more than fifty percent convinced that you committed an offense before finding you “responsible for” (guilty of) hazing.
- Finally, all schools maintain an appeals process that allows students to object to their disciplinary findings if you can show you were denied a fair chance to defend yourself.
All schools in the Seattle-Metro area allow you to choose an “advisor” or “support person,” someone to accompany you to meetings and hearings and help you make your case. Many schools, such as the University of Washington, allow you to select an attorney to fill this role. Some, like Bellevue College, even allow you to be represented by legal counsel throughout the proceedings. On the other hand, some schools, such as Seattle University, bar attorneys from attending any official judicial meetings.
Whatever your particular situation, you always have the right to consult with a LLF National Law Firm attorney, and we can play a crucial role in constructing your defense. We can work with you to uncover evidence, coach you on how to respond to investigative questions, outline your lines of argument, prepare evidentiary exhibits, suggest questions for witnesses, draft documents, and even give you practice in presenting your arguments. Most importantly, we’ll monitor everything that happens throughout your case to ensure you’re treated fairly.
Why Choose a LLF National Law Firm Attorney?
Hopefully, by this point, you have a clear understanding of why you need an attorney to represent your interests in your hazing case. You may be tempted, though, to hire a local or family attorney. Local attorneys are, of course, nearby, and students sometimes assume it’s an advantage to have someone who knows how local legal processes operate. A family attorney knows you, and it may feel easier to talk with them.
Here’s the problem with choosing such attorneys: they don’t know how to handle university misconduct cases. A campus hearing is not the same as a criminal trial. The players are different, the proceedings are different, and the stakes are different. You need someone who works specifically in the field of student defense. The LLF National Law Firm is the premier firm in the country when it comes to protecting student rights. Only we have the background and experience to shepherd you through the process. Only we can prepare you for the unique proceedings you’ll face. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team gives you your very best chance of success.
In fact, even if you’re dealing with criminal hazing charges, it’s important you add someone from the LLF National Law Firm to your team. If the state of Washington is investigating you, you can be sure your college or university is investigating you, and you need someone on your side with the background and experience to handle this side of your case.
Protect Your Student’s Right to an Education
University hazing cases can be extraordinarily complex. Often, they involve dozens of students, and sorting out who did what can be difficult. You may be facing misconduct charges related to hazing, like underage drinking, disorderly conduct, or even sexual misconduct. Cases often come down to subtle interpretations of university policy and the definition of terms like “consent.” Add to this the fact that campus judicial procedures can be complex and difficult to navigate, and you’ll quickly see why the average attorney just won’t do.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team is focused on student defense. We understand what you’re going through. We spend every day talking with university faculty members and administrators. We’re familiar with how campus justice works. No one gives you a better chance of winning your case. No one.
To find out more about what the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can do for you, contact us today at 888-535-3686, or use our online form.