Penn published a revised anti-hazing policy in accordance with legal obligations earlier this week.
Tuesday’s updated policy ensures the University’s compliance with federal and state law. The provisions, which were last revised eight years ago, expand the scope of violations and reiterate existing anti-hazing measures.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Provost wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the updates build upon and clarify the University’s March 2018 policy. Those revisions were “based on recommendations of the university-wide Task Force on a Safe and Responsible Campus Community and extensive consultations across campus,” according to the spokesperson.
Under the new policy, hazing violations apply to on- and off-campus activities, as well as virtual activities conducted by student organizations.
The provisions include instances of hazing that were not explicitly present in the regulation’s previous version, such as “sexual acts” and “unreasonable financial demands” that constitute “a condition of ongoing membership.”
While both versions specify that orientation and pledging activities may not take place between midnight and 8 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, the updated regulation expands this to include Friday and Saturday. The revisions also stipulate that the length of the initiation process must be limited to six weeks for all organizations rather than solely greek life.
With the updated policy, Penn expects that no activities for potential new members take place during University-recognized breaks — with limited exceptions.
The 2026 policy includes additional steps to combat hazing, such as abiding by reporting obligations and providing hazing prevention programs.
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For example, the revisions cite the University’s bi-annual Hazing Transparency Report — which has been published since August 2025 — and its Annual Security Report. The 2026 version, which covers 2023-25 and is set to be released this fall, will be the first to include hazing statistics.
The new policy provides access to a confidential reporting and help line, alongside detailed campus-wide hazing prevention and awareness programs. These measures include bystander intervention training, a mandatory Public Safety presentation for incoming undergraduate students, and mandatory anti-hazing training sessions for recognized undergraduate student organizations.
According to January’s Hazing Transparency Report, two student organizations violated hazing policies in fall 2025 — Alpha Iota Gamma, a professional pre-health fraternity known as AIR, and Lotus Society, which is described as an “unrecognized student organization.”
The document detailed that both AIR and Lotus were ordered to attend mandatory training and receive “educational sanctions” regarding “hazing, event registration, and harm reduction.”
