List of hazing deaths in the United States
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This is a list of hazing deaths in the United States. This is not an exhaustive list. An exact list is not available because there is no central system for tracking hazing deaths, and the role of
hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...
in some deaths is subject to disagreement. Inclusion in this list requires that the incident was described by the media as a hazing-related death. Incidents involving criminal or civil proceedings that did not find a definite link with hazing may still be included if they meet this criterion. According to the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention at the
University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...
, hazing is defined as "any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them, regardless of a person's willingness to participate". Although hazing is often associated with the activities that take place as a prerequisite for joining a group, it can also include activities that take place as an established member, such as the 2011 death of fraternity brother George Desdunes. There has been at least one university hazing death each year from 1969 to 2021. According to Franklin College journalism professor Hank Nuwer, over 200 university hazing deaths have occurred since 1838, with 40 deaths between 2007 and 2017 alone. Alcohol poisoning is the biggest cause of death.


18th and 19th century


1900s


1910s


1920s


1930s


1940s


1950s


1960s


1970s


1980s


1990s


2000s


2010s


2020s


See also

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Death of Tim Piazza Timothy John Piazza (September 25, 1997 February 4, 2017) died as the result of hazing at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Pennsylvania State University at University Park, Pennsylvania. The incident led to closure of the fraternity's chapter a ...
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Death of Logan Melgar On 4 June 2017, United States Army Special Forces Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar was found dead as a result of asphyxiation, in the American embassy's housing in Mali that he shared with other members of U.S. Special Operations. The incident has b ...
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Hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...
*
Hazing in Greek letter organizations Hazing in Greek letter organizations is defined as any act or set of acts that constitutes hazing and occurs in connection to a fraternity or sorority. Hazing is often cited as one of the most harmful aspects of fraternities and sororities and po ...
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History of North American college fraternities and sororities The North American fraternity and sorority system began with students who wanted to meet secretly, usually for discussions and debates not thought appropriate by the faculty of their schools. Today they are used as social, professional, and honora ...
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Matt's Law Matt's Law is a California law that allows for felony prosecutions when serious injuries or deaths result from hazing rituals. The bill amended the California Education Code and California Penal Code to change charges for some hazing rituals fr ...
* Suicide of Danny Chen * Suicide of Harry Lew


References


External links


Hank Nuwer's List of Deaths by Hazing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazing deaths in the United States * Education issues Rites of passage Death-related lists Lists of people by cause of death Accidental deaths in the United States Hazing Death in the United States-related lists University folklore