Institutions of higher education face new requirements under the Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA), which amended the Clery Act in December 2024. For campus leaders, the legal requirements will result in:
new compliance responsibilities for campus safety professionals, and
new information for the broader campus community to digest, interpret, and act on.
With more hazing information becoming publicly available, institutions will need to provide context for how that information is reported and interpreted. Understanding the difference between the new Campus Hazing Transparency Report (CHTR) and the Annual Security Report (ASR) will be integral to accurately communicating what the data shows—and what it doesn't—so that transparency doesn't come at the cost of confusion or misinterpretation.
How It All Began
The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, known as the Clery Act, requires colleges and universities to disclose campus crime statistics and security policies and procedures.
Congress passed the Clery Act in 1990 following advocacy from Connie and Howard Clery for stronger campus safety after the rape and murder of their daughter, Jeanne, in her college residence hall.
The SCHA amendment was passed after years of advocacy by families and organizations that were deeply impacted by hazing and its continued occurrence on campuses across the country. The result is legislation that meaningfully strengthens the Clery Act by requiring institutions to:
establish hazing policies,
provide research-informed prevention programs, and
disclose incidents of hazing involving student organizations.
The amendment also establishes a new method for reporting hazing incidents.
Why it matters: Hazing remains widespread. With 55% of students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experiencing hazing, this law aims to close a long-standing transparency gap