President Biden signed into law a first-of-its-kind federal anti-hazing bill on Dec. 24, 2024.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act mandates colleges and universities participating in federal student aid programs to disclose reported hazing incidents in their annual security reports.

Colleges and universities will also be required to publish campus transparency reports of student organizations that break college hazing rules and specifics on how the organization infringed on the rules.

Violations committed by student organizations associated with WSU can be found on the university website.

There are 44 states with anti-hazing laws already in place. Washington has Sam’s Law, named after Sam Martinez, a WSU student who died from alcohol poisoning while pledging for Alpha Tau Omega.

Alpha Tau Omega has since had its recognition by WSU removed and the Alpha Tau Omega national organization has revoked the chapter’s charter. Alpha Tau Omega can seek reinstatement next year.

“I believe that students and parents deserve to know which campus groups pose a safety risk,” said Jolayne Houtz, Martinez’s mother, to KUOW. “What I’ve learned is that hazing thrives in darkness and has for generations. The Stop Campus Hazing Act brings hazing out of the shadows and into the light.”

All new undergraduate, graduate, professional and transfer students are required to take a hazing and hosting online training.