Louisiana task force adopts package of hazing-prevention recommendations for public colleges

A statewide task force reviewing campus hazing adopted a package of recommendations that would expand training, reporting and enforcement at Louisiana's public postsecondary institutions.

Dr. Smith, presenting the task force's findings, recommended "consistent annual hazing prevention training for all students" and state-provided annual modules for advisers, faculty and staff. The recommendation for student training was moved by Representative Stagni and adopted by the panel "without objection." Dr. Smith said the recommendation responds to a 2018 unified statutory definition and is aimed at ensuring students understand what hazing looks like and how to report it.

On adviser and faculty training, university speakers said the content will be state-specific but flexible so systems can tailor modules to campus culture. Dr. Francine McClure described LSU's model: an online module plus four to six hours of in-person training and periodic refreshers, saying the combined approach better prepares volunteer panelists and advisers than a single short session.

The task force also recommended that all four public systems adopt amnesty policies to encourage help-seeking in dangerous situations without immediate punitive consequences. Dr. McClure said organizational amnesty can help leadership come forward when rogue members act, while Representative LaFleur and others raised concerns about unintended consequences; the task force clarified the policy is intended to encourage timely reporting and not to provide impunity.

The panel recommended a statutory review of the evidentiary standard used for institutional hazing proceedings, urging a return from the 2024 clear-and-convincing standard to preponderance of the evidence. Dr. Smith and several campus leaders said the higher standard has impeded adjudication because universities lack subpoena power, and returning to preponderance would align Louisiana with prevailing practice elsewhere.

The group also voted to include hazing-related incidents and prevention efforts in the annual power-based-violence report to the legislature and to allow campuses to submit conduct-software outputs (for example, Maxient) to reduce duplicative filings. Finally, the task force recommended identifying a sustainable funding source to support increased training and enforcement, and it discussed tying penalties for noncompliance to limits on state bond commission approval, mirroring existing reporting enforcement structures.

University presidents who addressed the task force, including Rick Gallo of the University of Louisiana system, said culture change, not just training, will be required to prevent future tragedies. Gallo said, "Laws matter, policies matter, training matters. But culture does not change because a report is written."

The task force sent its recommendations to legislators for consideration and flagged a need for statutory language to clarify suspension versus expulsion and to define training and reporting thresholds. The committee adjourned after public comment and closing remarks.