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Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8127 United StatesAt American University, we are deeply committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all members of our community.
We expect all students, faculty, staff, and student organizations to uphold the university’s core values of integrity, respect, and community. Hazing is the intentional, knowing, or reckless act or method of initiation into, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition of continued membership in a group, club, organization, or team that subjects another person, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, to conduct that may injure, abuse, humiliate, harass, intimidate or otherwise causes or creates the risk of unreasonable harm that person. It is not only a violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, but also a violation of both District of Columbia and federal law.
Hazing undermines the sense of belonging and mutual respect we strive to cultivate. It can cause lasting harm to individuals' physical and emotional well-being and contradicts the very principles of leadership, accountability, and care that define our campus culture.
American University actively promotes a culture of prevention, accountability, and education. We encourage every member of our community to speak out against hazing, support those who may be at risk, and serve as active bystanders. If you witness or suspect hazing, we urge you to report it immediately.
Together, we can ensure that American University remains a place where everyone is treated with dignity and where all forms of belonging are grounded in safety, support, and shared values.
Check out these educational resources about hazing awareness and prevention:
National Hazing Awareness Week (NHAW): National Hazing Awareness Week is an annual initiative the last week of September designed to raise awareness about hazing and provide educational resources. During this week the Fraternity & Sorority Life Team and the Center for Student Involvement provides educational and program offerings such as educational training about hazing, runs a social media campaign providing information to the community, invites a speaker to campus for an educational lecture, and hosts the “Sign the Anti-Hazing Pledge” campaign. Details for this year’s National Hazing Awareness Week will be released shortly.
Fraternity & Sorority Life New Member Series: New Member Series is required of all members joining the Fraternity & Sorority Life communcity and provides important community building and educational requirements. In this series each new member is required to attend an opening and closing session where we discuss the Fraternity & Sorority community, campus resources, and talk about hazing prevention resources. New Members are also required to attend events on campus and submit reflections that fit in the following categories: Inclusive Excellence, Academic, or Health/Wellness.
Wanna Go Greek?: The Fraternity & Sorority Life staff host an information session for students interested in participating in the recruitment or intake process. These sessions provide an overview of Fraternity & Sorority Life at American University, including details about the community, recruitment and intake procedures, and available campus resources—such as those related to hazing prevention and education.
Meet the IGC: Meet the IGC occurs at the beginning of each semester for students interested in joining the Intercultural Greek Collective (GC). The session includes information about the community, recruitment information, and campus resources including hazing resources.
Panhellenic Orientation: Panhellenic Orientation occurs the day before Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment in the spring semester. The session includes information about the community, information about the recruitment process, and campus resources including hazing resources.
Meet the IFC: Meet the IFC occurs at the beginning of recruitment week each semester for students interested in joining the Interfraternity Council Community (IFC). The session includes information about the community, recruitment information, and campus resources including hazing resources.
As members of the AU Community, I PLEDGE: to prevent hazing before it occurs, stop hazing when I see it happening, report it when I know it has transpired, and help empower others to do the same in their organizations, schools and communities. I JOIN OTHERS TO:
Required Online Training for Incoming Students - As part of American University’s commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive campus community, all incoming students are required to complete online training modules during their onboarding process. These modules reflect AU’s core values and promote a culture of accountability, respect, and well-being.
One of the required modules is Hazing Prevention, which provides knowledge and tools to recognize, prevent, and respond to hazing. The course promotes awareness of institutional policies and reinforces the importance of responsible student conduct.
Learning outcomes include:
In addition to Hazing Prevention, students will also complete a Bystander Intervention course to help create a proactive and supportive campus environment, by encouraging community members to intervene in instances of harm or misconduct. Completion of these training courses is a critical step in becoming a responsible and engaged member of the AU community.
Every member of the University community is responsible for reporting actual or suspected hazing activities to the Dean of Students office or to Public Safety as soon as possible.
Interested in the conduct history or student organizations? Learn more about the status of FSL organizations, athletic teams, and student organizations.
