Anti-Hazing Laws

Anti-Hazing

Paris Junior College does not tolerate hazing — not as a tradition, not as a joke, not as a rite of passage.

No student, group, team, or organization may engage in, encourage, permit, or cover up hazing. This applies on campus and off campus, at all PJC locations, and at any activity connected to the College. It applies whether or not the person being hazed agreed to it.

Hazing is a crime in Texas. It is also a violation of PJC policy and can result in discipline up to expulsion for a student and loss of recognition for an organization.

Report Hazing

Emergency: Call PJC Campus Police at 903-782-0399 (extension 1399 from a campus phone) or dial 911. An officer is on duty seven days a week.

Not an emergency: Call Campus Police at 903-782-0244 or email Chief Chris Mayfield at cmayfield@parisjc.edu. See PJC's Police Department page for more info.

Online: Submit the Student Complaint Form

In person: Office of the Director of Advising & Counseling, on the Paris campus in the Administration building; email: twhitaker@parisjc.edu or call: 903-782-1430. 

Tell us what happened, when and where, who was involved, which organization or team, and whether anyone was hurt. Report what you know even if you do not have every detail.

What Hazing Is

Texas Education Code §37.151 and §51.936 define hazing as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, on or off campus, directed against a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization, if the act:

  • Involves physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electronic shocking, or placing a harmful substance on the body.
  • Involves sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, calisthenics, or similar activity that creates an unreasonable risk of harm or harms the student’s mental or physical health.
  • Involves consuming food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or another substance that creates an unreasonable risk of harm or harms the student’s mental or physical health.
  • Requires the student to do something that violates the Penal Code.
  • Coerces the student to consume alcohol or drugs in an amount that would lead a reasonable person to believe the student is intoxicated.

"Organization" is defined broadly and includes fraternities, sororities, clubs, student government, bands and musical groups, athletic, cheerleading and dance teams, and any service or social group whose members are primarily students. An organization commits an offense if it condones or encourages hazing, or if its officers, members, pledges, or alumni commit or assist in hazing.

Federal law (the Stop Campus Hazing Act, 20 U.S.C. §1092) uses a similar definition and applies regardless of whether the person was willing to participate.

It Is Still Hazing Even If

  • The student agreed to it. Consent is not a defense under Texas Education Code §37.154.
  • It happened off campus.
  • No one was seriously hurt.
  • It has always been done that way.
  • It was meant as a joke.

Penalties

An individual commits an offense by engaging in hazing; soliciting, encouraging, directing, or aiding hazing; or recklessly permitting hazing to occur.

  • Class B misdemeanor if no serious bodily injury results.
  • Class A misdemeanor if serious bodily injury results.
  • State jail felony if a death results.

Failing to report is also an offense. Anyone with firsthand knowledge that hazing is planned or has occurred who knowingly fails to report it commits a Class B misdemeanor.

An organization that condones or encourages hazing faces a fine of $5,000 to $10,000 — or, if the offense caused injury, property damage, or other loss, a fine of $5,000 up to double the amount of that loss.

College discipline is separate from any criminal case.

Your Duty to Report — and Your Protection for Reporting

If you have firsthand knowledge that hazing is being planned or has happened, Texas law requires you to report it to the dean of students or another appropriate College official, a peace officer, or a law enforcement agency. Since September 1, 2023, the report does not have to be in writing, though putting it in writing helps us act on it.

Under Texas Education Code §37.155, a person who voluntarily reports a hazing incident is immune from civil or criminal liability that might otherwise result, if that person reports before being contacted by the College or law enforcement about the incident and cooperates in good faith throughout the process. A person who reports in bad faith or with malice is not protected.

Retaliation against anyone who reports hazing in good faith or takes part in an investigation is prohibited.

Related PJC Policies

If anything on this page conflicts with PJC Board Policy, the Board policy governs.

Hazing Transparency Report

Texas Senate Bill 38 (Texas Education Code §51.936) requires PJC to post a report of hazing committed on or off campus by an organization registered with or recognized by the College, covering the three years before the report is issued or updated. It must be posted no later than 14 days before the first class day of each fall and spring semester, and PJC must send every enrolled student a summary of the hazing law and a link to this report by that same deadline. The federal Stop Campus Hazing Act requires a similar report, updated at least twice a year.

Report period: Academic Year 2025-2026

Organization Date of Incident Date Investigation Began Description Findings Sanctions or Fines Date Resolved
Paris Junior College Cheer Squad (Cheerleading) August 27, 2026 August 30, 2026 Junior members of the Cheer Squad were required to repeat cheer routines while senior Cheer Squad members watched.  Personal Hazing, Student Code of Conduct Violation All cheer members were required to complete additional training on hazing through Vector Student Training services. August 31, 2026

PJC has received no reports of hazing during the period covered by this report. Any future incidents will be documented in the table above.

The report names organizations, not individual students.

Get Help

PJC Counseling Center — confidential support for students. 

If a hazing incident involved sexual misconduct, see Title IX. 

Questions

Office of the Vice President of Student Services — Administration Building, Suite 152, 903-782-0211, ss@parisjc.edu 

PJC Campus Police Office — Chief Chris Mayfield, 903-782-0244, cmayfield@parisjc.edu