Lamar State College Port Arthur is committed to maintaining social and ethical responsibility for everyone and does not tolerate hazing by any group or individual affiliated with the college.
Participation in hazing activities is against state law and college policy. The college reserves the right to take disciplinary action against individual students and/or groups who are involved in hazing activities.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA) (S.2901, H.R.5646), also known as Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act - the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, passed into law on December 23, 2024. The Stop Campus Hazing Act is an important step towards eradicating and ending hazing on university/college campuses to ensure safety and well-being of all students. This legislation is supported by campus safety experts, fraternity and sorority groups, and parents of hazing victims, and is a bipartisan, evidence-informed legislation.
The act defines the term hazing to mean any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate, that (1) is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization (e.g., a club, athletic team, fraternity, or sorority); and (2) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the IHE or the organization, of physical or psychological injury.
Hazing is prohibited in state educational institutions by the Texas Education Code, Section 4.19. Students of Lamar State College Port Arthur are forbidden to engage in, encourage, aid or assist any person(s) participating in what is commonly known and recognized as hazing. Any student who does so will be subject to college disciplinary action and may also face civil authority. Refer to the current Student Handbook-General Policies-Hazing for more information relative to the legal implications of hazing.
Hazing means any intentional or reckless act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization whose members are or include students at an educational institution.
Hazing on the part of students, faculty, or staff is strictly forbidden, whether on or off campus. LSCPA reserves the right to take disciplinary action against individual students and/or groups who engage in hazing or voluntarily submit to hazing. For additional information please see our summary on hazing. LSCPA also publishes a report indicating the number of hazing cases reported on our campus (see Hazing Violations Report).
Hazing is prohibited by federal and state law, and the Student Code of Conduct. Hazing is defined as any action taken that produces bodily harm or danger, mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, fright, or ridicule.
(The following is excerpted from state of Texas statutes and is binding on this college.)
In this subchapter:
An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by: A fine of not less than $ 5,000 nor more than $ 10,000; or If the court finds that the offense caused
personal injury, property damage, or other loss, a fine of not less than $ 5,000 nor more than double the amount lost or expenses incurred because of the injury, damage, or loss.
It is not a defense to prosecution of an offense under this subchapter that the person against whom the hazing was directed consented to or acquiesced in the hazing activity.
See page 16 of the Student Organization Guide.
Reactions to being hazed vary. Two people who go through the same experience might feel quite differently. Some people feel relatively positive about going through hazing (seeing it as an achievement), some feel mildly annoyed, and others have strong negative reactions. Reactions depend on the extent of the hazing, individual characteristics, and past experiences. For people who have been abused in the past, hazing can be re-traumatizing.
Anger, confusion, betrayal, fear, resentment, embarrassment, humiliation, hopelessness, helplessness, anxiety and depression are all normal reactions to being hazed. Some individuals have become suicidal.
Physical consequences can include exhaustion, headaches, hangovers, illnesses, injuries, and scars.
It’s common to believe that things won’t get worse, though they often do. You may want the hazing to stop, but don’t want to get the group in trouble.
You may want to leave, but fear the consequences or feel like you’ve invested too much already to walk away.
Self-blame can occur and is fueled by hazers who tell new members that they will let others down if they leave or tell anyone what is going on.
A date next to an organization's name reflects when the entry is eligible for removal from this report per Texas Education Code section 51.936.
