College Hazing Defense | Missouri

Hazing continues to occur at colleges and universities across virtually all US states. Missouri is no exception.

Nearly half of all US students who enter college will have already experienced some form of hazing during their high school years.
About 74% of student athletes in the US experience some form of hazing during college.
About 55% of college students who participate in organizations like fraternities or sororities experience hazing.

Hazing can endanger the safety of its victims. That's why colleges and universities in Missouri prioritize discouraging it.

Sometimes, this means harshly penalizing those accused of hazing. The goal of university investigators in these circumstances is often to preserve the school's reputation as a safe environment.

Have you been accused of hazing at a Missouri university? You deserve a strong defense if so. That's exactly what the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team offers. Learn more about what we can do for you by calling our offices at 888-535-3686 today or submitting your information through our online contact form.

What Qualifies as Hazing in Missouri?

Missouri law states someone may engage in hazing when the following apply:

The individual participates in or causes a willful act against another prospective member of a group (such as a fraternity) on or off a college campus.
The act the individual engages in has the potential to recklessly endanger the safety of a victim.

Colleges and universities throughout Missouri may reference the law when developing their own policies. However, educational institutions can establish policies that expand on the law. Depending on where you attend school, your university's definition of hazing may be even stricter.

Common Forms of Hazing at Missouri Colleges

The law provides common examples of acts that may qualify as hazing. The statute's wording makes it clear that hazing isn't necessarily limited to these examples. They include:

Whipping
Beating
Branding
Similar forms of physical brutality
Forcing someone to be exposed to the elements
Forcing someone to consume large quantities of alcohol or forcing someone to consume any food, beverage, or substance
Forcing someone to use tobacco products or drugs
Sleep deprivation
Physical confinement or isolation
Similar acts that jeopardize the mental or emotional well-being of a victim
Forcing someone to commit a crime

Surveys of college students throughout the US indicate some forms of hazing are particularly more common than others. Research shows the most common forms of hazing at US colleges are acts involving:

Consumption of alcoholic beverages
Humiliation of victims
Isolation of victims
Sleep deprivation
Sex acts

The nature of the alleged act will typically influence the penalties when a university finds a student has participated in hazing. That said, you should never assume you're not in “big trouble” if you're accused of a form of hazing you consider to be relatively minor.

The consequences of being accused of hazing can follow you for life. Protect yourself by enlisting the help of our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm.

Potential Consequences of Being Accused of Hazing

Many factors can affect the types of consequences you might face if college investigators determine you've engaged in hazing. As previously mentioned, the alleged nature of the act or incident may be one such factor. Other potential factors include:

Whether you've been in trouble in the past
The specific nature of your role in a hazing incident
Your academic performance
Your school's policies

No one can say for certain how a given university will penalize students who allegedly engage in hazing. Common penalties in these circumstances include:

Loss of university funding or other forms of support for a student organization
Loss of a student organization's privilege to operate on campus or use campus facilities/resources
Loss of the privilege to live on campus
Loss of a scholarship
Probation
Formal reprimand
Suspension
Expulsion

The penalties you may face if you've been accused of hazing at a Missouri college could also affect more than just your academic career. For example, perhaps you're suspended.

A potential employer may see a gap in your education accordingly when reviewing your resume or application. The best course of action, when this happens, is, to be honest if an employer asks you to explain the gap. Regardless, an employer who knows you've been disciplined for hazing may be unlikely to hire you.

The situation could be even worse if you're expelled. Although you may be able to appeal the case and be reinstated as a student, odds are you'll have to consider finding another university to finish your degree at. Doing so could be challenging. Other schools aren't typically inclined to accept students who've been expelled from their previous universities for hazing.

Don't panic if you're under investigation for allegedly participating in a hazing incident! Just understand that being proactive now is critical. By getting in touch with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team, you can be confident you're taking steps to secure your future and protect your rights.

How Universities in Missouri May Do Away with Due Process When Investigating Hazing Cases

Having a legal representative on your side when a university is investigating you for hazing is important for many reasons. One is the fact that schools may not follow the rules of due process when investigating these incidents and penalizing students accused of participating in them.

Ways a university may ignore due process include:

Not properly informing you of an investigation or accusation
Informing you of an accusation without leaving you sufficient time to work on your defense
Not informing you of your rights, such as your right to hire lawyers
Not allowing a jury or other such theoretically neutral decision maker to render a judgment as to your guilt or innocence

As a student who likely never expected to be in this situation, you might not know when or if investigators are violating your rights. Protect yourself by hiring lawyers with experience handling cases like yours.

We at the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team understand the various ways colleges may fail to abide by due process rules. If investigators or administrators appear to be violating your rights, we'll speak up on your behalf.

What Not to Do When Someone Accuses You of Hazing in Missouri

Contacting attorneys with experience representing students in internal university hazing investigations is something you absolutely should consider doing when you've been accused of hazing. It's also vital to know what you should not do when facing such accusations.

If you've been accused of hazing at a Missouri college, DO NOT:

Answer questions without a lawyer: A case in which a university investigates hazing allegations internally isn't a criminal matter. However, you may still benefit from behaving as you would if you were the subject of a criminal investigation. For instance, you may know you shouldn't speak to the police without a lawyer present after being arrested, as anything you say can be used against you. The same applies now. Don't participate in meetings, hearings, or interviews without speaking with a lawyer first.
Discuss the case openly: Investigators may speak with your friends, classmates, other members of a student organization, and anyone else they believe may have relevant information to share about your case. Anything you say to someone else about the matter could get back to investigators. Thus, it's smart to err on the side of caution and only discuss the case with your lawyers.
Post on social media: The urge to vent about accusations online may be understandable in the social media age. However, anything you post about the incident or allegations could potentially harm your case. It's best to stay off social media in general until your case is thoroughly resolved.
Contact the accuser: Depending on the circumstances, you might not even know the identity of your accuser when someone claims you've engaged in hazing. If you do have this information, or if you suspect you know who your accuser is, don't contact them. Doing so may even lead to other accusations, such as harassment.

These are new circumstances for you. It makes sense that you might not know what you should and shouldn't do right now.

That's one more reason to seek professional legal assistance. The knowledgeable attorneys with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team will gladly answer your questions and help you avoid the types of common mistakes that can complicate matters.

We Defend Students Accused of Hazing Throughout Missouri

Our team assists students accused of hazing at universities and colleges throughout Missouri, including:

University of Missouri (Columbia)
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla)
College of the Ozarks (Point Lookout)
Truman State University (Kirksville)
Washington University in St. Louis
University of Missouri-St. Louis
University of Missouri-Kansas City

That's by no means a complete list. If you attend school anywhere in Missouri and you've been accused of hazing, get in touch with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team to begin working on your case.

Potential Defenses in Missouri Hazing Cases

Personalization is one of the many strengths we offer when representing students accused of hazing at Missouri universities. A general overview like this can't tell you how we'll defend you because our defense strategy will depend on the specific details of your case.

That said, there are certain common defenses in hazing cases that we may consider. Reviewing them can help you better understand the role attorneys may play when students face hazing allegations.

Examples of such defense strategies include:

Establishing an alibi: Do you have a valid alibi? It's possible someone accused you of hazing mistakenly. Or, maybe someone accused you maliciously, hoping to get you in trouble. In either case, if you genuinely didn't participate in a hazing incident, lawyers can help you gather evidence to support your alibi.
You were a witness: Hazing incidents often occur at parties and in other settings where numerous people may be coming and going. Unless a university's policies are particularly strict, the fact that someone was technically present during an act of hazing doesn't mean they participated in it. We might be able to show that you were a witness to a hazing incident but not a participant in it.
The act doesn't qualify as hazing: The law only gives examples of acts that constitute hazing. It clearly states other acts not mentioned in the statute may still qualify. Thus, there can be some “gray area” when it's unclear whether an act is technically hazing.
The act was staged: Research shows it's increasingly common in the digital age for acts of hazing to be documented via pictures or videos posted to social media and other web platforms. Sometimes, students will also create humorous videos meant to depict fictional hazing incidents. A student might face accusations of participating in hazing if school officials find such content and don't understand that it was staged and no one was actually put in any danger.

You must understand that no attorneys can promise you'll definitely avoid consequences altogether when taking on your case. It's irresponsible and unethical to make such promises.

That said, the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team can help even if you've been found responsible for participating in or causing a hazing incident. We may reference your history, grades, and other such factors to negotiate a penalty that's less severe than what you might otherwise face.

Missouri Student Defense Attorneys Can Help When You're Accused of Hazing

Lawyers can assist you in many ways when you've been accused of hazing at a college in Missouri. Attorneys with our team can:

Review your case and help you better understand the accusations
Represent you during hearings, interviews, etc.
Craft a defense strategy tailored to your needs
Negotiate for a fair outcome if a college does find you've engaged in hazing

Attorneys with our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm can also offer something immensely valuable to a student accused of hazing: peace of mind. You'll navigate this situation more comfortably if you know experienced lawyers are representing you. Get started today by submitting our online contact form or calling us at 888-535-3686 to discuss your case.

University Hazing Defense - Missouri