ALM Global's nationally-recognized legal newsletter, Daily Business Review, recently published an article focusing on one of the last laws signed by President Biden before he left office, the Stop Campus Hazing Act. The article discussed the history of anti-hazing legislation and the efforts that some states and the federal government have made to toughen laws against hazing. When it came time to explore the issues that students accused of hazing face in campus disciplinary proceedings, the Daily Business Review turned to Joseph Lento of the Lento Law Firm for his insights.

If you've been accused of hazing by your college, university, or high school, you have an uphill battle to fight. As noted in the Daily Business Review article, laws and enforcement efforts against campus hazing are becoming stricter. And as Joseph Lento noted in his comments, students accused of hazing deserve “proper due process.” The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team can help make sure you receive it. Call us at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to schedule a confidential consultation to learn more about how we can fight for your rights and defend you against hazing charges.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act is Now Law

President Biden signed the Stop Campus Hazing Act into law on December 24, 2024. The law expands the scope of prohibited hazing activities; requires schools to disclose hazing incidents; and mandates that schools making information about hazing incidents available to the public in the form of a “Campus Hazing Transparency Report” that must be made available on the school's website.

While almost all states have some form of anti-hazing law in place already, the definitions of hazing vary from state to state. The Stop Campus Hazing Act adds a level of consistency to the types of actions that are considered hazing and that are now prohibited nationwide.

Joseph Lento's Concerns for Students Accused of Hazing

In the Daily Business Review article, Joseph Lento notes that in addition to the new reporting requirements, the Stop Campus Hazing Act “also impacts how students accused of hazing and similar activities need to be defended in school discipline matters.” He calls for a “balance” between the transparency required by the Act “and protection of students' rights.” Lento further states in the article that it's important that students accused of hazing “receive proper due process and the opportunity to defend themselves,” – especially considering that many hazing incidents involve “many people and heightened emotions.”

The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team Can Defend You Against Hazing Allegations

As Joseph Lento noted in the Daily Business Review article, hazing allegations can give rise to “heightened emotions” for many different people. These people can include the students who say they are victims of hazing, their families, the campus organizations the students involved are a part of, the school administration that now is required to publicly disclose hazing incidents, and, of course, the students accused of hazing. With all of this increased focus on preventing hazing comes the danger that schools will fail to respect the rights that the accused students have to due process and a fair hearing.

The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is here to make sure the accused student receives the due process that they're entitled to in every hazing case. Our job is to fight to make sure that the accused student's rights are respected from the beginning of the investigation into the hazing allegations through the end of the disciplinary process. Our experienced student defense attorneys have helped students accused of hazing and other serious forms of misconduct in schools all across the country. When you contact the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team for help, you will receive the benefit of our years of experience and our understanding of what your rights are and how your school needs to respect them.

Being accused of hazing by your school can be intimidating and extremely stressful. Call the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team for help at 888.535.3686, or use our contact form to schedule a confidential consultation. When your education and your future are on the line, the Lento Law Firm is here to fight for your rights.