Following the allegations at Salisbury University, a Maryland legislator and the head of the school system are trying to stiffen penalties for those found guilty of hazing.
According to Bloomberg News, Maryland state Sen. Jamie Raskin would like to change the $500 penalty for hazing, a misdemeanor, to $5,000. Raskin said he would not try to change the 90-day prison sentence already attached to hazing.
"Nobody is being deterred in any way," Raskin told Bloomberg. "It is not acceptable, and we should not wait around for someone to die of exposure or alcohol abuse before we crack down."
William Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland system, which includes Salisbury, is also on board with Raskin's recommended changes.
"The penalties need to be strengthened," he said. "It sends the signal that hazing is unacceptable, and that the state, the system and its institutions have zero tolerance."
A local prosecutor is also reportedly looking into a hazing incident from 2012 where Justin Stuart, a freshman at the time, was pledging for the school's Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter. Stuart was beaten with a paddle, confined in a dark empty basement for nine hours at a time and forced to stand in ice water. His father is also reportedly considering filing a lawsuit for harsher punishment than the chapter's suspension.
Hazing is a growing national concern on college campuses. According to Bloomberg, there have been 60 fraternity-related hazing deaths since 2005. Since 2006, nine have been related to SAE's various chapters around the nation, the most of any other fraternity in the country. Raskin wants the proposed stiffer penalties in Maryland to set an example.
"In America, punishment is supposed to be a public thing so everybody gets the message," Raskin said. "I don't think we should have secret justice systems for fraternities."
Most states consider hazing a misdemeanor and have penalties similar to the ones Maryland currently has. In Michigan, if a person dies because of hazing the penalties can become a 15-year prison term and $10,000 fine. Still, eight states only require schools adopt an ant-hazing policy and six others have no such laws at all.
