Piazza Center and Hazing Prevention Network partner on national hazing symposium, institute

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State has partnered with the Hazing Prevention Network (HPN) to create a new Hazing Prevention Symposium this June in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Hazing Prevention Symposium, with support from the National Federation of High School Associations, will be hosted in conjunction with the Hazing Prevention Institute by the Hazing Prevention Network at the NCAA Hall of Champions and Conference Center on June 11-12. A research think-tank-style program, the goal is to create a community of scholars and leaders dedicated to ending hazing. It is a space for researchers studying hazing and hazing prevention, and for senior professionals to gather, share and interact.

The Piazza Center and the HPN share a commitment to inform professional practice and provide continued professional development for leaders and practitioners, and will benefit from sustained relationships with and the intellectual contributions of many partners from across the high school and higher education landscape, including organizations, resource groups and individual scholars. Stevan Veldkamp, Piazza Center executive director, explained that this partnership will amplify research-informed practice in ending hazing, and challenge us to think about the pipeline of hazing form high school to college and college into organizations.

Todd Shelton, executive director of HPN, said, “Stevan and the Piazza Center are doing crucial work and research related to hazing. We are grateful for his guidance and commitment as we develop this symposium which will guide interdisciplinary hazing prevention practitioners future work. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial affiliation.”

For the 2023 Hazing Prevention Symposium, the Piazza Center will curate and serve as the principal adviser for hazing researchers. Session topics will include information understanding and preventing hazing at the individual, organizational and community levels.

The Piazza Center also supports the Hazing Prevention Institute and the Hazing Advocate Prevention Certification, a HPN program in partnership with Prevent.Zone by AliveTek, which elevates professional practice for hazing-prevention practitioners.

Hazing Prevention Network is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people to prevent hazing, by providing education and resources, advocating on hazing prevention, and building partnerships with others. Major initiatives of the organization include National Hazing Prevention Week, the Hazing Prevention Institute, and Prevent.Zone educational online courses that reach out to thousands of individuals, organizations, campuses and communities. Learn more at the Hazing Prevention Network website.