Hazing Policy

No organization within the institutional community or any member of the institutional community shall conduct hazing activities, defined by Pennsylvania law as intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, for the purpose of initiation, admission, or affiliating a minor or student with an organization, or for the purpose of continuing or enhancing a minor or student membership or status in an organization, causes, coerces or forces a minor or student to do any of the following:

  • Violate Federal or State criminal law
  • Consume any food, liquid, alcoholic liquid, drug or other substances which subjects the minor or student to as a risk of emotional or physical harm
  • Endure brutality of a physical nature, including whipping, beating, branding, calisthenics or exposure to the elements
  • Endure brutality of a mental nature, including activity adversely affecting the mental health or dignity of the individual, sleep deprivation, exclusion from social contact or conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment
  • Endure brutality of a sexual nature
  • Endure any other activity that creates a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to the minor or student

Hazing shall not include reasonable and customary athletic, law enforcement or military training, contests, competitions or events. Hazing that results in or creates a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to a minor or student is a misdemeanor of the third degree. (18 Pa. C.S.A. 2802)

Aggravated hazing occurs when a person commits a violation of Hazing (2802) that results in serious bodily injury or death to the minor or student and the person acts with reckless indifference to the health and safety of the minor student; or the person causes, coerces or forces the consumption of an alcoholic liquid or drug by the minor or student. Aggravated hazing shall be a felony of the third degree. (18 Pa. C.S.A. 2803, (a), (b) ).

Organizational hazing occurs when an organization that intentionally, knowingly or recklessly promotes or facilitates a violation of section 2802 (relating to hazing) or 2803 (relating to aggravated hazing) commits the offense of organizational hazing and shall be subject to any of the following penalties: a fine not more than $5,000 for each violation of section 2802 and a fine note more than $15,000 for each violation of section 2803.

Institutional hazing occurs when an institution intentionally, knowingly or recklessly promotes or facilitates a violation of section 2802 (relating to hazing) or 2803 (relating to aggravated hazing) commits the offense of institutional hazing and shall be subject to any of the following penalties: a fine of not more than $5,000 for each violation of section 2802 and a fine note more than $15,000 for each violation of section 2803.

In addition to any other sentence authorized under law upon conviction for violation of section 2803 (relating to aggravated hazing) or 2804 (relating to organizational hazing), the court may direct the defendant to forfeit property which was involved in the violation for which the defendant was convicted.

Note: In accordance with the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-hazing Law, Moravian maintains a report of all violations of Moravian's Hazing policy or Federal or State laws related to hazing that have been reported to the institution in the past five years. The report is updated twice a year on January 1 and August 1. For each incident, the report will include:

  • the name of the subject of the report;
  • the date when the subject was charged with a violation of the hazing policy or federal or state laws related to hazing;
  • a general description of the violation, any investigation and findings and, if applicable, penalties;
  • the date on which the matter was resolved.

The report will not include personal identifying information of an individual.