Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform

We're excited to be part of the upcoming Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Council of Student Affairs Summer Forum at University of California, Irvine for 𝘏𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘈𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Hazing prevention isn’t just a conduct issue—it’s a 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀-𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸, 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲. This interactive session introduces the 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹, a practical diagnostic and planning tool designed to help SSAOs strengthen campus-wide prevention efforts.

We’ll explore how hazing prevention has evolved into a 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, and how leaders can:
✅ Engage presidents, trustees, and resilience leaders in meaningful ways
✅ Align cross-functional partners across Risk, Legal, Athletics, and Fraternity & Sorority Life
✅ Build coordinated, institution-wide prevention strategies

During the Summer Forum, we’ll also debut new guides and tools for campus leadership developed in collaboration between the Piazza Center and Eileen Sullivan Consulting.

This conversation brings together leaders from across higher education to explore practical, institution-wide approaches to hazing prevention:
• Dr. Stevan Veldkamp, EdD, Executive Director, Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research
• Eileen Sullivan, PhD, Founder & Principal, Eileen Sullivan Consulting; Deloitte Alum; Former SSAO and Chief of Staff to a President
• Adam Cantley, APLU Fellow and AVP for Student Wellbeing, Support and Advocacy, University of Delaware
• Thomas Lane, PhD, CSA Representative to the APLU Board; Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Kansas State University

Together, we’re focused on helping SSAOs move from awareness to action through a structured, research-informed approach that strengthens prevention, response, and accountability across campuses.

This week, the Piazza Center was honored to support hazing prevention education at the Pennsylvania Crime Prevention Officers' Association Symposium, where Research Project Manager Janie Burris Braid presented on hazing and bullying prevention to law enforcement professionals from across the Commonwealth.
Through collaboration with the PCPOA and the Hazing Prevention Network, this session provided officers, investigators, campus police, supervisors, and community policing professionals with information and resources to help educate their communities, support those impacted by hazing, and better understand Pennsylvania's hazing prevention laws.
We're proud to support prevention efforts across Pennsylvania to strengthen awareness, education, and community safety throughout the Commonwealth.

Building a comprehensive hazing prevention strategy requires intentional planning, evidence-informed resources, and a commitment to long-term culture change. We're always grateful to hear how campuses leverage the Piazza Center's research, tools, and resources to strengthen their prevention efforts.

"We are working to build a comprehensive hazing prevention strategy at Penn College. We are already reviewing the resources on your website and looking for opportunities to leverage and adapt them to our audiences. Thank you for the important work you and the Piazza Center are doing." Jennifer McLean, PhD, Dean of Students & Chief Retention Officer at Pennsylvania College of Technology

Whether your institution is just beginning to assess its prevention efforts or is looking to strengthen an existing approach, the Piazza Center can help. Our team works with campuses to develop comprehensive, research-informed hazing prevention strategies that support lasting culture change.

Ready to advance your campus's prevention efforts? Connect with our team to learn how we can support your planning and strategy development: [email protected]

We’re proud to welcome Creighton University to the fourth cohort of the WHAT WORKS Study.

By joining this initiative, Creighton University is contributing to a growing effort to better understand and strengthen effective hazing prevention strategies across higher education. Through collaboration, data-informed practice, and shared learning, institutions in the WHAT WORKS Study are helping create safer and healthier campus communities.
We’re excited to partner with their team and look forward to the work ahead together.

We’re excited to see the Charge for Change continue to expand its impact through the Hazing Prevention and Response Certification Program from Prevent.Zone and the Hazing Prevention Network.

Stevan Veldkamp recently contributed to the program as part of its ongoing effort to equip higher education professionals with practical, evidence-informed strategies for hazing prevention and response. We’re grateful to see concepts from Charge for Change reflected in the curriculum, helping support conversations around research-informed prevention, advocacy, systems thinking, and sustainable culture change. The Charge for Change framework was built to help institutions better understand hazing as a systemic issue and guide campuses toward more effective prevention approaches.

Thank you to Prevent.Zone and the Hazing Prevention Network for their partnership, leadership, and support and for advancing these important conversations. Learn more about the Charge for Change here: https://piazzacenter.psu.edu/charge-for-change/

Here are 3 insights from Charge for Change: Building Safer Campuses Now with Research-Informed Hazing Prevention →

The Charge for Change documents high-impact, data-informed policies that prioritize student well-being and foster a true sense of belonging: https://piazzacenter.psu.edu/charge-for-change/

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this work possible:

Authors: Patrick Biddix, Jason Kilmer, and Stevan Veldkamp

Editors: Emily Perlow, Kimberly Davis, and Meghan Grace, Ed.D., PMP

Sponsors: Hazing Prevention Network, Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery, North American Interfraternity Conference, Max Gruver Foundation, Prevent.Zone, and RealResponse.

How can organizational conduct processes better support hazing prevention and long-term culture change?
We’re looking forward to joining colleagues at the Big Ten Student Conduct Conference and the Big Ten Student Care and Advocacy Meeting on June 2–4 to discuss how campuses can approach organizational conduct through a hazing prevention lens.

Our session, 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐬: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡-𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫, will explore how campuses can use research-informed strategies to strengthen accountability processes, support prevention efforts, and create safer organizational cultures.

Presenters include:
• Mikala Parkinson (Kowal), Ph.D., M.P.H., Community Engagement and Prevention Specialist, Health Promotion and Wellness, Penn State University
• Dr. Stevan Veldkamp, Ed.D., serves as the Executive Director of the Timothy J. Piazza Center

Looking forward to important conversations with campus leaders and practitioners across the Big Ten community.

Hazing prevention is about more than responding to incidents; it’s about building a healthier campus culture.

The upcoming webinar, The Charge for Change: An Opportunity to Enhance Campus Hazing and Alcohol Misuse Prevention, will highlight how higher education leaders can use evidence-based strategies, student-centered policies, and coordinated campus action to improve campus safety. Together, we can move beyond reactive approaches and toward prevention efforts that prioritize student well-being and belonging.

Date and Time: June 3rd, 2026, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
Featured Speakers: Stevan Veldkamp and Patrick Biddix
Presented by Higher Education Center for Alcohol & Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery
Learn more and register:

The Charge for Change: An Opportunity to Enhance Campus Hazing and Alcohol Misuse Prevention June 3rd, 2026, from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET Tackling hazing in higher education is a complex issue, yet it also serves as a pivotal moment to improve campus safety culture. Higher education policymakers, leaders, and practitioners can make a profound impact by implementing evidence-based prevention str...

We’re excited to welcome back Baylor University to the WHAT WORKS Study as part of the fourth cohort.

As a member of the study’s first cohort, Baylor is continuing its momentum to advance research-informed hazing prevention in higher education. Baylor's continued engagement reflects an ongoing commitment to build safer campus communities through collaboration, data, and evidence-based practice.

We’re grateful to continue this partnership and look forward to the important work ahead together.

What a powerful conversation at the 2026 Virginia Hazing Prevention Summit! Janie Braid joined panelists Zack Pfeifer from Virginia Tech and James Gulbranson from James Madison University to dig into insights from the What Works: Hazing Prevention Study and discuss which hazing prevention efforts are working. Key takeaway: data-informed strategies aren't just helpful, they're essential for building stronger hazing prevention efforts on campus. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared their perpsectives. The work continues.