Hazing is a common way for American college students to initiate new members into fraternities, sororities, and other such student organizations. The following statistics on hazing in the US offer a picture of current hazing trends:
- Hazing doesn't happen exclusively in college. About 1.5 million American high school students experience hazing annually. Nearly half of all incoming college students have already experienced hazing.
- Approximately 74% of college-student athletes report experiencing hazing during their university years. Of students who participate in sororities, fraternities, and similar student groups, a little over half report experiencing hazing at some point during their college careers.
Some hazing incidents result in injury or even death. Thus, colleges often strive to discourage hazing by harshly punishing students found to have participated in hazing incidents.
Universities have a duty to protect students. They also wish to demonstrate to prospective students and their families that they don't tolerate hazing.
However, it's not reasonable for university officials to undermine the rights of students accused of hazing while investigating these types of alleged incidents. If you've been accused of hazing at a university or college in Maine, you need a proper defense to ensure this doesn't happen to you.
That's exactly what the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team offers. We have experience handling cases like yours, leveraging our understanding of the unique ways colleges handle such matters to offer the defense you need right now. Learn more about what we can do for you by submitting your information through our online contact form or calling our offices today at 888-535-3686.
What Qualifies as Hazing in Maine?
Maine's anti-hazing law states that hazing consists of “any action or situation, including harassing behavior, that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health of any school personnel or a student.” The law also states that hazing can involve any activity that a student is expected or compelled to participate in for the purposes of becoming or remaining a member of a student organization if said activity “humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers the student.”
Be aware that the law doesn't allow leeway when a student consents to participate in a hazing ritual. Because many students may feel pressured to consent to hazing, the fact that a student technically consented doesn't mean the act no longer qualifies as hazing.
The law also requires that universities and colleges establish penalties for students and others who violate anti-hazing rules. Keep in mind that a school's anti-hazing policy may be based on the law, but it doesn't have to follow it word-for-word. That means the anti-hazing policy at a given university in Maine could be stricter than the law.
Understanding how such details could influence your case is essential. At the Lento Law Firm, our Student Defense Team will thoroughly familiarize themselves with the relevant anti-hazing policies at your Maine university or college to offer an effective defense.
Potential Consequences of Hazing Accusations at a Maine University or College
Maine's anti-hazing law offers suggestions for the types of penalties that university officials may consider for students found to have participated in hazing incidents. They include:
- Suspension
- Expulsion
- Removal from campus
- Loss of a student organization's privilege to operate on campus
Those are merely suggestions. They represent just a few of the ways officials at a Maine university or college might penalize students facing hazing accusations.
The penalties you face could significantly affect your future. For instance, maybe hazing accusations result in your expulsion. This could mean the following:
- You won't be able to complete your degree at the university of your choice.
- You may struggle to find a college to admit you.
- You likely won't graduate when you expected, postponing your career.
- Future employers may notice a gap in your education when reviewing application materials. If you have to explain the gap, potential employers might not be inclined to hire you.
- Any social, romantic, or professional connections and relationships you've already established at your current university could be placed under significant strain as you navigate your new circumstances.
This isn't meant to frighten you. It's simply meant to ensure you take hazing accusations seriously.
You may not be facing criminal charges when someone accuses you of hazing at a university or college in Maine. Nevertheless, there are benefits to treating a case like this as a criminal matter.
One of the first steps you should take after being arrested for any crime is enlisting the help of attorneys qualified to defend you. Similarly, get in touch with our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm shortly after learning you've been accused of hazing. We're on hand to guard against unreasonable penalties that could derail your academic and professional careers.
How a Maine College or University May Ignore Due Process Rules When Investigating Hazing Cases
Protecting your rights is another reason to hire lawyers upon being notified that someone has accused you of hazing. In a criminal case, prosecutors, judges, police, and other such parties need to abide by the rules of due process to ensure fair treatment of someone facing criminal charges.
Your case is slightly different. To some degree, the rules of due process don't apply as much in cases like yours. Additionally, university officials may ignore due process rules at various stages of an investigation.
The following are just a few examples of how they might do so:
- Not giving you sufficient time to work on your defense when notifying you that you've been accused of hazing
- Not informing you of certain rights, such as the right to have lawyers present during hearings, interviews, etc.
- Determining whether you participated in an alleged hazing incident without thoroughly satisfying the burden of proof
You may be frightened throughout an investigation. Knowing that the consequences of hazing accusations can be serious, you may be too scared to speak up for yourself when it appears school officials are violating your rights.
Our lawyers with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team won't let that happen. We'll ensure unreasonable violations of due process rules don't occur in your case. If anyone attempts to violate your rights, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we're prepared to speak up on your behalf.
What Not to Do When You've Been Accused of Hazing at a Maine University
Your attorneys at the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about your case. Consider us to be a valuable source of information as you navigate circumstances that may be new and intimidating.
For example, students facing hazing accusations who don't hire lawyers are at risk of making certain errors that can negatively influence their cases' outcomes. Examples of what NOT to do when facing hazing accusations at a Maine college or university include:
- Confronting your alleged accuser
- Discussing the case with others socially
- Discussing the case with faculty members
- Reaching out to others who may have been accused with you
- Posting about the case on social media
- Answering questions or participating in meetings/hearings without your attorneys present
- Attempting to defend yourself
You may worry about making errors if you don't have experience with disciplinary issues and processes at the university level. That's not something you need to be concerned about with the right lawyers. Our team will help you understand why letting us handle all aspects of your case unburdens you from your fears about making critical mistakes during an investigation.
We Defend Students Accused of Hazing Throughout Maine
Our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm is available to defend students accused of hazing at such major Maine universities and colleges as:
- University of Maine (Orono)
- Colby College (Waterville)
- Bowdoin College (Brunswick)
- Bates College (Lewiston)
- University of New England-Biddeford Campus (Biddeford)
- University of Southern Maine (Portland)
- Husson University (Bangor)
- Saint Joseph's College of Maine (Standish)
That's not a complete list! If you attend college anywhere in Maine, and you're currently facing hazing accusations, our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm is here to serve you.
Potential Defenses in a Maine Hazing Case
At the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team, we strongly believe in taking the time to understand the specific details of every client's case. That's how we tailor a defense strategy to the unique needs of a given client.
We don't know how we'll approach your case. When we discuss your case, we'll account for all relevant details to employ a defense strategy best suited to your circumstances.
However, you may want to have some idea of how lawyers defend students accused of hazing. The following examples should help you better understand potential options in this type of scenario.
Some common defense strategies in university hazing cases include:
- Identifying weaknesses in the case against a student: Although a case might not be a criminal matter, the burden of proof is still on the university to show that the accusations a student faces are valid. Attorneys may defend a student accused of hazing by citing lack of evidence and other weaknesses in the case against them.
- Proving an alibi: A student accused of hazing may have an alibi placing them elsewhere at the time of an alleged hazing incident. If so, their lawyers can help them gather evidence proving their alibi.
- The alleged behavior doesn't constitute hazing: Sometimes, there may be debate regarding whether a given behavior qualifies as hazing. This is a factor attorneys may consider when handling a case like yours.
- An incident was staged: In the digital age, students sometimes film or photograph fake hazing incidents to post the content to social media. Those students may then get in trouble if school officials or other such figures discover the content and don't realize it's fake. If a student is facing disciplinary action because university officials misinterpreted content depicting a staged hazing incident, lawyers can help.
- The student didn't participate in the hazing: A student may be falsely accused of hazing because they were technically present during a hazing incident. Hazing rituals often occur in crowded settings, where it can be easy to get confused about who is and isn't participating in said rituals. Lawyers may thus argue that a student accused of participating in a hazing incident was, at most, a witness.
The best way to learn how attorneys plan to defend you is to discuss your case with professionals who have experience representing students like you. At the Lento Law Firm, attorneys with our Student Defense Team are prepared to craft a defense strategy that accounts for the unique nature of your case.
Negotiating a Deal With University Officials in a Maine Hazing Case
Negotiating with university officials is another way a lawyer might defend a student accused of hazing. This option is similar to negotiating a plea bargain or deal in a criminal case.
In a criminal case, it's sometimes in the best interests of a defendant to enter a guilty plea. With a plea bargain, they can enter a guilty plea in exchange for relatively lenient sentencing. Whether the judge and prosecution agree to such a deal may depend on various factors, such as the strength of the case against the accused, their criminal history (or lack thereof), etc.
It's sometimes possible to negotiate similar deals in cases involving university investigations of alleged hazing. For example, perhaps this is the first time you've ever been in any type of disciplinary trouble at school. If so, your lawyers might cite factors such as this to argue to university officials why leniency is appropriate.
Maine Student Defense Attorneys Can Help When You're Accused of Hazing
Hazing accusations can stop your academic career in its tracks. Depending on the penalties you face, such accusations could follow you for years to come.
You can't ignore the matter when you learn someone has accused you of hazing at a Maine university or college. That doesn't mean you need to fight these accusations alone.
Our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm offers services that account for the differences between university investigations and criminal cases. That's the type of defense you need in these unique circumstances. Get started today by calling us at 888-535-3686 or contacting us through our online form.
