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Date Created:  February 2, 2024               Last Updated:  November, 2024

Overview:

Athletics provides hazing prevention education and holds 1100 Varsity student athletes on Cornell’s 37 varsity team’s accountable for their hazing related behaviors. Athletes active on a varsity team roster are required to view an educational video, familiarize themselves with the student-athlete handbook, which includes information specific to hazing and athletic disciplinary action, and attest to having received and understood the information as part of the eligibility process.   In addition, at the start of the academic year, athletes are required to attend team meetings where expectations for behavior, and educational resources, including those specific to hazing, are shared.  Student athletes are also required to attend an all-department orientation, kick-off celebration and resource fair typically held the first night of classes during the fall semester where campus partners are invited to share relevant information. Given their leadership roles, in-person hazing education is required by all team captains and provided regularly to coaches.  Throughout the academic year, athletics works closely with campus partners (Skorton Center for Health Initiative, Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging, CUPD, etc) to provide required team training of their coach’s choosing, any and all of which are geared towards safety and community standards expected of all campus individuals and groups, one of which includes education specific to hazing Intermittent communications to the full student-athlete population, including education on how to report hazing, the investigation and disciplinary process, and possible consequences are provided at times throughout the year and remain accessible as part of the Student-Athlete Support Services Canvas course.  Athletics, in consultation with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS) is responsible for investigating Varsity athletic team hazing reports, determining sanctions, and managing appropriate follow-up for team-based allegations. The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards manages individual cases and collaborates with Athletics  as needed on  follow up for non-compliance related to individuals.

Criticality: High

Frequency: Other

Turnaround: Other

Senior Deputy AD for Student-Athlete Experience:  Responsible for developing and coordinating overall plan to provide education on hazing within athletics.

Athletics Sport Administrator: Responsible for supporting the Director of Athletics, Senior Deputy AD for the Student-Athlete Experience, Student-Athlete Support, Development, and Inclusion, coaches and student-athletes in completion of team training and, with guidance from OSCCS, may be asked to consult with, lead and/or track adjudication and sanctioning efforts relative to team conduct and incidents.  

Coaches: Responsible for setting team expectations and rules for individuals on their team.  All expectations are expected to be consistent with Federal and New York State law, NCAA, Ivy League and other sport governing bodies’ rules, the Cornell University Student Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct Procedures, Policy 6.4 (Prohibited Bias, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual and Related Misconduct) and the Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students under Cornell University Policy 6.4, and the Code of Academic Integrity .  Coaches:

  • Select and administer (in partnership with campus partners) annual educational training from a list of options, which may include hazing;
  • Address misconduct and make appropriate referrals or report; involve Sport Administrator immediately with regard to any hazing allegations or concerns to ensure appropriate report and follow-up;
  • Are responsible for setting the team culture, communicating that the team does not tolerate hazing; Conduct intermittent check-ins with student-athletes to take pulse on current team conduct and behaviors.

Student-Athlete Support, Development, and Inclusion Staff (in athletics): In conjunction with Sport Administrator and coaches, monitors completion of required training.  Meets weekly with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards to review and manage post-incident sanction completion and behavior mitigation. In the event of team allegations, upon request, collaborate with Athletics Director or his or her designee (Sr. Deputy AD for Student-Athlete Experience), and sport administrator to determine next steps, sanctioning and adjudication process for team conduct.

Athletics Compliance: In conjunction with coaching staff, monitors and tracks attestation completions in ARMS.

Student Conduct and Community Standards: Investigates hazing reports, manages case resolution, and delivers and monitors sanction completion for individuals. Report criminal behaviors to law enforcement.

Skorton Center for Health Initiatives: Provides institutional leadership on hazing prevention strategies (e.g., Cornell's Hazing Prevention Model), delivers prevention focused educational trainings to students and employees on hazing, bystander intervention and how to recognize and respond to hazing , manages the University’s hazing.cornell.edu website, collaboratively implements communication strategies and campaigns about hazing prevention, conducts research on students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to hazing among Cornell students, uses data driven-strategies to address hazing, and participates in public engagement and collaborative opportunities with national hazing prevention organizations and universities across the country to address hazing. The Skorton Center also collaborates with Athletics to provide educational trainings on hazing and bystander intervention education (e.g., Intervene, How to Recognize and Respond to Hazing) as requested.


  • ARMS
  • Campus Kaizen Guardian
  • Canvas
  1. Team and individual behaviors around identifying and responding to hazing behaviors and comprehension of training materials and available resources will vary per individual.
  2. Coaches’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding hazing may vary per individual.
  3. Team captains’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding hazing may vary per individual.
  4. Coaches are required to enforce participation of their athletes in one training per year, but the training is selected by the coach from a list of offerings and may not include hazing prevention and awareness training.
  5. Team and individual behaviors may be influenced based on the training focus and expectations set by their coach.
  6. Coaches may use discretion of when and where to address team and individual behaviors.
  7. Although student-athletes, upon being added to a roster, must attest to having received baseline education to be eligible, students may be added to rosters at any time and therefore may miss team and department education provided at specific points in time.
  8. The sport administrator is chosen by the Athletic Director and is subject to change.
  9. Investigations by OSCCS or Athletics may not result in identification of involved individuals. When this occurs, individual offenders are permitted to remain on campus and may repeat behavior.
  10. Collusion, resulting in inappropriate disclosure of information between those who have been hazed and perpetrators, may occur during the investigative process.

Education/Prevention:

  1. Athlete submits student athlete handbook and associated student-athlete rights and responsibilities attestation upon activation to roster and before participation.
  2. Athlete reviews and attests to receipt of hazing specific education upon activation to roster and before participation.
  3. Athlete attends athletic orientation, kick-off and resource fair first night of classes during fall semester.
  4. Athletes attend team meetings and receive and commit to team expectations (reviewed by sport administrator).
  5. Athletes attend other training(s) of their coach’s choosing each year (trainings range from conflict resolution, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, how to recognize and respond to hazing, Intervene, Friend 2 Friend, Let’s CU Flourish, etc.).
  6. Sport Administrator and Coach, in consultation with Sr. Deputy AD for Student-Athlete Experience and Associate AD for Support, Development and Inclusion monitor team and individual behavior and provide resources as needed.
  7. Allegations against team and/or individual are reported to campus authorities.

 

Adjudication:

  1. Intake report is received by OSCCS and/or Athletics.
  2. Assessment and next steps determined by OSCCS, Athletics, and Involved Parties.
  3. Individual incident resolved through formal complaint, alternate dispute resolution or dismissed; Team incidents referred to Athletics
  4. Criminal behavior is reported to law enforcement for external proceedings, concurrently with campus sanctioning.

 

Accountability:

  1. Cornell sanctioning by OSCCS and/or Athletics
  2. Criminal behavior managed externally by law enforcement.
  3. Violations are posted on Cornell University’s hazing.cornell.edu website.
  4. Athletics sanctions to be determined based on investigation and in consultation with OSCCS, but could include:
    • Verbal and/or Written reprimand/warning, including probation
    • Harm Repairing Actions
    • Individual Reflection
    • Additional Training/Education
    • Suspension from practice or games (can differ for team vs individuals)
    • Suspension from all athletic privileges
    • Dismissal from team (individual)
    • Cancellation of season (team)


Key Risks

Key Controls

Some hazing education is provided at points in time (i.e., beginning of year team meetings, department-wide kick-off resource fair, team trainings, etc.) that may ultimately miss staff and student-athletes depending on when they join a team or the department.



.

1.       The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives offers in-person and online trainings options for student athletes and coaching staff.

2.       Intermittent communications/reminders are provided to the student-athlete population at agreed upon points throughout the academic year.

3.       Upon being activated to a roster, all athletes are required to attest to having received baseline education on hazing as part of the eligibility process upon being activated to a roster.

4.       All athletes are required to participate in one training per semester, which may include hazing prevention.

5.       Athletes living in on campus housing have access to educational opportunities in their residence halls. These hazing prevention educational opportunities may include poster campaigns and/or bulletin boards that the Skorton Center provides.


Coaches may  use discretion of when and where to address team and individual behaviors.

1.       Reported allegations are handled centrally by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, separately from Team expectations and enforcement.

2.       Student-athletes are educated on process for reporting concerns of hazing whether through the University online reporting mechanism, phone or other recommendations as made available via Hazing at Cornell website, or via Real Response, an anonymous reporting mechanism available to student-athletes specifically.


1.        

Collusion during an investigation

1.       Confidential and anonymous reporting is available through Campus Kaizen Guardian or the Cornell Ethics and Compliance Hotline.


Loss of reputation to Athletic Team and/or loss of reputation to Cornell University

1.       Violations are posted on Cornell University’s hazing.cornell.edu website.

2.       Cornell’s Hazing Prevention Model is a visible commitment to addressing hazing and serves as a guiding framework for universities across the United States.

  • Athletics staff to track hazing prevention education completion against team rosters.
  • Athletics staff to track topic of educational programming selected by coach.
  • Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards track # of reported allegations with their outcomes.
  • Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards track recidivism.
  • The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives administers surveys to assess students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to hazing.

Glossary of Key Terms/Acronyms:

  • OSCCS: Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards
  • NCAA: National Collegiate Athletics Association

Between 2001 and 2015, Cornell University developed a comprehensive (i.e.  multi-component) public health hazing prevention model that addresses individuals, organizations, and the broader environment.  This model includes eight elements: leadership and culture change strategies; policy initiatives; educational initiatives; positive team building; reporting options; enforcement; support for victims; and transparency regarding violations.  For more information visit www.hazing.cornell.edu

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