Hazing is any action taken as part of an initiation (or re-initiation) into “any student or other organization” that causes mental or physical harm to another person (or creates a substantial risk of that harm occurring), including coercing another person to consume alcohol or drugs. The harmful action can either be action directly harming the victim or action coercing the victim to act in a way that leads to physical or mental harm to themselves or others.

Denison further defines hazing (more broadly than Ohio state law) to include any activity that is part of recruitment, orientation, initiation, or membership practice of a group, or that is required for continued acceptance into a group, that is harmful or potentially harmful to an individual’s physical, emotional, or psychological well-being.

This hazing policy applies if the hazing takes place between two or more people who are affiliated with the University, and applies to behavior whether on or off campus.

Further, this hazing policy applies regardless of an individual’s willingness to participate, the activity’s actual bearing on the individual’s membership status, or whether the organization’s event was or was not officially approved by the organization or University.

The harmful action can either be an action directly harming the victim or an action coercing the victim to act in a way that leads to physical or mental harm to themselves, or others. Denison’s hazing policy also covers knowing and intentional behavior, as well as reckless behavior. Acting recklessly means acting without regard to a substantial and unjustified risk that action/inaction will result in harm or the substantial risk of harm.