Hazing generally includes mistreatment of students or other persons (pledges or plebes) in a ritualistic or tradition-based way that must be endured by the prospective members to gain admission to a group, club, or organization. The members doing the hazing often attempt to justify these hazing practices by referring to them as a rite of passage or rationalizing that all current members had to endure it and new prospective members should as well.

Hazing can take many forms, including:

• Requiring victims to act as a personal servant to senior (older) group members

• Forcing victims to binge drink or consume large amounts of alcohol or drugs

• Requiring victims to engage in embarrassing acts, such as wearing a costume or sign around their neck in public

• Depriving victims of sleep, food, or the ability to use the restroom

• Prohibiting victims from associating with family, friends, or other persons

• Swearing or yelling insults at victims.

Most schools have policies against hazing and in many states hazing may be prosecuted as a criminal offense if it results in bodily injury.

In Pennsylvania, hazing is addressed under the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law, which was enacted in 2018. This law defines hazing as a situation where a person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, through the application of physical force, coercion, or other means, causes a student to do any act or endure a process that creates a substantial risk of bodily injury for the purpose of initiation or admission into an organization. The law covers a range of behaviors, including causing physical harm, sleep deprivation, forced consumption of food, alcohol, or drugs, and subjecting individuals to humiliating behavior. Hazing can be prosecuted as a third-degree misdemeanor, or a third-degree felony if it results in serious bodily injury or death. Additionally, the law requires schools to have policies and reporting procedures to combat hazing and imposes penalties on organizations that knowingly or recklessly promote or facilitate hazing. Educational institutions must also provide public reports of hazing violations. It's important for individuals and organizations in Pennsylvania to understand and comply with these regulations to prevent hazing and its potentially severe consequences.