Cornell University has a longstanding commitment to hazing prevention and has implemented several key strategies since 2001.

2001-2002

Task Force on Hazing established at Cornell

The Task Force, comprised of students, staff, and faculty, was charged with strengthening the university's approach to hazing. Task Force recommendations, which included the addition of hazing to the Campus Code of Conduct and the development of campus education and reporting resources, were accepted by President Hunter Rawlings in 2002.

2002

First hazing survey among Cornell students

Gretchen Poulos ’02 conducted the first survey of hazing among Cornell undergraduates and co-authored, with faculty members Shelly Campo, PhD and John Sipple, PhD, an influential article based on the survey results.

2004

"Sunshine Policy" created

Cornell fraternity leaders held a Pro-Brotherhood Summit to challenge hazing practices and established a “Sunshine Policy” requiring that all hazing violations be publicly disclosed.

​2005

Creation of university hazing website​

Cornell developed the first university website, hazing.cornell.edu, to provide educational information, report instances of hazing, and list the behaviors and related organizational sanctions for student groups, organizations and teams found responsible for hazing.​

2011

Cornell President Skorton pledged to end fraternity hazing

President, David J. Skorton, wrote a New York Times Op-Ed, “A Pledge to End Fraternity Hazing,” in response to the widely publicized death of Cornell student, George Desdunes '13  in Spring 2011.

2011-2012​

RARE Committee established

In response to President Skorton's Op-Ed, tasking the Cornell Greek system with eliminating the degrading, humiliating and dangerous aspects of pledging, Cornell’s Greek community established the Recruitment, Acceptance, Retention and Education (RARE) Committee, comprised of 24 national experts, administrators, Greek leaders, and students.​

2012-2014​

Cornell joins the National College Health Improvement Project

Cornell University expands alcohol-related hazing prevention efforts by joining a three-year learning collaborative called NCHIP: the National College Health Improvement Project led by Dartmouth College to address high-risk drinking on campuses. NCHIP led to Greek policy changes (e.g., prohibiting new members from attending events where alcohol is present prior to initiation)​.​

2012-2014​

Shortening of Greek New Member Period

Greek new member orientation period was reduced in length from 8 weeks to 6 weeks in 2012 – 2013 and from 6 weeks to 4 weeks in 2014​.​

2013

Strong sanctions for athletic hazing incident

Men’s Varsity Lacrosse Team was found responsible for hazing, and all Fall 2013 competitions were cancelled.​

2013- 2016

Cornell participates in StopHazing’s first Hazing Prevention Consortium

Cornell joined StopHazing’s Hazing Prevention Consortium as one of eight institutions in the first cohort. Consortium members worked together with StopHazing’s team of research and prevention experts over a three-year period to assess campus climate for hazing, building capacity for planning, implementation, and evaluation of data and theory-informed prevention strategies.​

2014

Launch of Cornell's Council on Hazing Prevention ​

Cornell’s Council on Hazing Prevention was established to prevent and effectively respond to hazing. The Council was comprised of staff and faculty members, students, and alumni. The Council was responsible for a) studying the campus environment in relation to hazing, b) fostering development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention strategies, policies, procedures, and services, and c) advising the Vice President and President on opportunities for fostering cultural change, reducing risks, and increasing support for members of the community affected by hazing.​

2015

Development of hazing social norms campaign ​

While participating in StopHazing’s Hazing Prevention Consortium, staff in the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives (then “Health Promotion”) at Cornell University developed the first ever hazing social norms campaign on a college campus.​

2016

Expansion of bystander intervention education​

Staff in the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives developed, implemented, and evaluated Intervene, an award-winning bystander intervention video and workshop that portrayed students recognizing and responding to problematic situations including hazing.

Performing arts group permanently dismissed​

Cayuga’s Waiters, an a capella student organization, was found responsible for hazing violations that were “extremely serious, dangerous, and humiliating” and was permanently dismissed.​

2018

Vice President Ryan Lombardi Leadership Statement​

VP of Student & Campus Life, Ryan Lombardi, issued a leadership statement in January 2018 in response to a series of hazing-related deaths in 2017 on other college and university campuses. ​

President Pollack calls for reform within Greek Life

In response to numerous incidents of hazing and other forms of misconduct during the Spring 2018 semester, President Martha E. Pollack issued a statement directing the Division of Student and Campus Life to work with student and alumni leaders to finalize and implement several reforms for all Greek Letter Organizations at Cornell. ​

2019

President Pollack calls for additional Greek Life reform​

President Martha E. Pollack calls for more rigorous enforcement of policies and practices governing Cornell’s Greek chapters and the recruitment process, in response to the highly publicized death of Cornell student, Antonio Tsialas '23.​​

2020

Fraternity recognition permanently revoked by university​

Cornell University permanently withdrew University recognition of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at Cornell after the fraternity was found responsible for multiple policy violations, including hazing. ​

2021

New Student Code of Conduct includes updated definition of hazing ​

A "Student Code of Conduct" went into effect on August 2, 2021, replacing the previous "Campus Code of Conduct." The new document included a revised definition of hazing.

2022

Publication: A public health approach to preventing hazing on a university campus​

Staff in the Cornell Health's Skorton Center for Health Initiatives co-authored, along with Elizabeth Allan, PhD from StopHazing, the first study to identify a decrease in hazing on a college campus following the implementation of a comprehensive public health approach (Cornell's Hazing Prevention Model). ​

2023

Film screening and parent panel during Hazing Prevention Week​

Sorority and Fraternity Life hosted filmmaker Byron Hurt, John Tsialas and Flavia Tomasello (parents of Antonio Tsialas ’23) and Marie Andre (mother of George Desdunes ’13) for a screening of Hurt's film Hazing: How Badly Do You Want In. The screening was followed by a Q&A during Cornell’s recognition of National Hazing Prevention Week. ​

2025

Creation of Stop Campus Hazing Workgroup

Cornell's Stop Campus Hazing Workgroup, comprised of staff in multiple departments across campus, began work to expand on and clarify current practices in compliance with the new "Stop Campus Hazing" legislation, signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of December, 2024.  

Bystander intervention education for Greek Life

Sorority and Fraternity Life and the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives partnered with Greek student leaders and Cornell’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Safety (SAPS) student organization to deliver the bystander intervention program, Intervene, to all Greek chapters (IFC, PHC, and MGFC) during the spring semester. The training illustrates how to recognize problematic situations and demonstrate ways student bystanders can successfully intervene in multiple scenarios, including hazing, sexual violence, alcohol emergencies, emotional distress, and bias incidents.  

20th anniversary of Cornell's hazing website​

March 2025 marked the 20th Anniversary of the Hazing at Cornell website, renewing its commitment to hazing prevention, intervention, and response.  ​