UMaine's Hazing Prevention Research Lab helped develop the interactive, online database along with the University of Washington and journalist Hank Nuwer, who has spent 50 years reviewing publicly available hazing data, according to a news release Wednesday.
Histories of those who have died are available online at HazingInfo.org.
Although the project doesn't have any data on Maine schools, researchers hope they'll acquire that soon. Colleges and universities in the U.S. will have to start reporting hazing incidents to the government later this year following a law President Joe Biden signed in December.
Researchers said they hope to eventually expand the project to include high schools and occupational hazing in places like the military.
"The mental harm and emotional harm that's caused by hazing is devastating to young people who are simply trying to join an organization and find themselves," said Jolayne Houtz, founder of HazingInfo.org. Houtz's son died after being hazed while pledging Alpha Tau Omega at Washington State University in 2019.
"Obviously, the worst-case scenario is death," Houtz said. "But it's also just leaving so much harm in its wake."
Within the past year, at least three Maine high schools have been under investigation and scrutiny for hazing, including Lisbon High School and Mt. Ararat.
"It sends a strong message, regardless of where you live, that hazing is happening," said UMaine professor Elizabeth Allan. "It's happening at campuses across the country, many different types of clubs, organizations and teams. The more we can shed a spotlight on that, the more likely it's on the radar of parents, families, college students to know this is something they need to think about and be prepared to prevent or know how to report it if it does happen."
Allan said the new data law will also allow her lab to conduct a national hazing study for the first time in 17 years.
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