Hazing Policy
The federal Stop Campus Hazing Act defines hazing as "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 is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury including whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone's body, or similar activity; causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity; causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances; causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts; any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct; any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law; and any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to perform a duty or task that involves a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law."
Massachusetts General Laws state that, "… Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing (initiation into a student organization) shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or both. Whoever knows that another person is the victim of hazing and is at the scene of such crime shall report it as soon as reasonably practicable to an appropriate law enforcement official if it can be done without peril to one's self or others. Whoever fails to report such crime shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars."
Northern Essex policy states that: "Any academic or administrative official of the college, any member of the faculty, or any student of the college may file charges against any student for misconduct. The charges shall be filed in writing to the Dean of Students. In extraordinary circumstances as determined by the Dean of Students, s/he may suspend the student charged pending further consideration of the case."
Updated: 2025-2026 Academic Catalog (Effective Fall 2025)