Hazing & the red zone: dangers during Fall on campus

We are well into the swing of another fall semester here in Bozeman. The leaves are shifting to warmer tones and the temperature is dipping lower as we creep into October. Football and tailgates, recruitment for clubs and Greek life, homecoming and the general excitement of being back on campus make this an exciting time of year. 

But these same factors are also what can make campus dangerous. 

According to Jessica Feltner, case manager for Campus Civil Rights (CCR), an influx of parties, new relationships and, for many students, being away from home for the first time, presents unique opportunities for harm. For that reason, this part of the semester is known nationwide as the red zone. 

“The red zone is a term that we use to describe the first couple of months of school when we're talking about navigating discrimination, harassment [and] interpersonal violence issues. The reason it has that kind of heavy name is because in those first few months of school is when the big things happen,” Feltner said. 

“Sexual assault happens; dating violence, domestic violence can go up, but it can also triple into incapacitation, aggravated assault, things like drugging or just overserving somebody and getting them to the point where they're not able to say yes,” she said.

More than 50 percent of sexual violence reported on college campuses occurs during this time frame according to John Hopkins University. Freshman women are most at risk with one in six experiencing some kind of sexual violence in their first year according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).  

According to CCR’s website, the office supports students, faculty and staff experiencing protected-class discrimination or harrassment, including sexual harrasment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking. 

“Our office is tasked with making sure that people know about their resources and know about their options if something like this happens,” Feltner said. 

In addition to referrals to community partners, CCR provides assistance with safety planning. Among the various options for reporting, those who come in for services related to harassment can request a No Contact Directive.  

“Sometimes we can step into certain situations and give people space,” Feltner said. “Work with both parties to make sure that they're not in the same classroom or in the same space.” 

CCR will also work with students who are struggling academically as a result of crimes committed against them. “We can still help, even if it's in the retro with academics, there are certain things that we can do, but we're also here to help people and support them along their journey of taking care of themselves. So if that means it's something that happened in the fall and they reach out in the spring, that's great,” she said.  

According to Dean of Students Matt Caires, the University wanted to take a stricter approach to the red zone this year by not allowing the fraternities to host parties for the first or second week of the semester. But after meeting with more than 100 fraternity men — who, according to Caires, were up in arms over their lost privileges — the University softened.

“The first weekend of school — no parties. If you do that, and we have no criminal incidents, no MIPs, no hospitalizations. After the first weekend, I'll entertain your party request for the second weekend,” Caires said. “I didn't go as far as I initially wanted to, but I think we took a step to saying, ‘Let's try to make the culture safer for that red zone time.’”

The red zone doesn’t just include sexual and relationship violence, it’s also a time when hazing is more likely to occur. The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act requires American universities to publish an annual report on Oct. 1 containing crime statistics from the previous year. In 2024, an addition to that act mandated that hazing be added to the list of reported crimes. 

According to the MSU code of conduct, hazing is anything that “intentionally subjects another to a situation or action that a reasonable person would foresee as causing mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, injury or ridicule, or which may demean, disgrace or degrade any person.” The definition goes on to include anything that endangers students, interferes with academics, vandalizes property or goes against the student conduct code.  

Dean Caires made it simpler by saying, “It basically means when you feel pressure to do things that are dangerous, illegal, compromising [or] embarrassing, and it doesn't even matter if you say, ‘I'm willing to do it,’” he said. “It's if you're put into a scenario where you have to conform to the group norm to fit in: that's hazing.”

He emphasized that consent does not matter in the incidence of hazing and that the University has a strict, no-tolerance policy. 

“You can be disciplined, and when your behavior rises to illegal, you can be charged," Caires said. “We've had one student in my tenure be charged with a felony for hazing. We've had multiple students charged with misdemeanors.” 

He added that being part of an organization will not protect someone from the consequences of hazing. “Your club can be disciplined, and you can be disciplined,” he said.

Caires said that the nature of fraternities being off campus can make enforcing the conduct code more difficult. “Fraternities off-campus are privately owned,” he said. “They're in a relationship with us — the organization — we recognize them, and they have to follow our rules. But if we want them to shovel their sidewalks, we can ask them, [but] we can't enforce it. Mow their lawns, can ask them, can't enforce it. Stop hazing their pledges, we can ask them, can't enforce it.” 

Caires said that law enforcement and the university may only get involved if there is probable cause and a report made to either law enforcement or an on-campus agency. 

The process for reporting sexual violence and hazing on campus is very similar and there is not just one avenue. A person can report incidents of either to the CCR office, the Dean of Students, or the university police. “You can walk in, you can call, you can write us a letter. However you want to feel safe about getting that information [to us], you can come make that report,” Feltner said. 

Caires expanded on the reporting process for both by saying, “Sexual violence is a violation of the policy and the law. So the victim gets a chance to say, ‘I want the University to do something, [but not] the police — or vice versa, or both,’” he said. “[The] University will work with the police in parallel to make sure that justice is offered through the criminal justice system and the university system. Hazing is very similar.” 

Stophazing.org notes common dynamics and incident characteristics between hazing and sexual violence. Both often deal with power dynamics and issues of unclear consent. According to Tufts University, 95 percent of hazing goes unreported and according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 95 percent of rape goes unreported. The National Institute of Health lists shame, guilt, fear of retaliation and power imbalances between perpetrators and victims as reasons why these types of crimes so often go unreported. 

Feltner said another barrier is that students don’t always know what resources are available to them. She emphasized that coming into the CCR office to ask questions does not mean that you will be forced to report anything. 

“If somebody just walks in and wants to know about their resources and options, they can sit down with another student and learn about those things.” she said. “We're not going to pressure people to tell us what's happened or interrogate them. You can bring friends with you. You can set up a time. You can just drop by. You can bring your favorite stuffed animal to hold on to — whatever feels comfortable. The big thing is there's no right or wrong way to do it.” 

Feltner wants students to know that it is okay to be nervous about reporting or even just coming into the office, the most important thing is to do what feels right for you. 

“Being nervous about reporting is normal. And it's really hard to make a report, especially on something so traumatic,” she said. “But I would encourage them to do whatever feels safe and whatever feels right for them. There's no wrong or right way to make a report. Whether you make the report or you don't, it is your story.”