Student Activities & Involvement
Policy Compliance Form
Read and discuss with your membership, ALL officers and advisors must sign the form. Return this form to
Student Activities & Involvement office in Warren 320. This is a requirement of all recognized clubs and orgs at
James Madison University (JMU) to sign annually. Keep this information on file for future reference.
Recognized clubs at James Madison University must maintain compliance with all University-wide and
Student Activities & Involvement policies. These policies include, but are not limited to, the following–
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Membership in all clubs is open to all JMU students and will not be restricted on the basis of age,
ability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status,
sexual orientation, gender identity, or political affiliation, unless excluded by Title IX or Senate Bill
1074.
The club’s advisor shall be a full or part time faculty or staff member at James Madison University.
The club’s advisor will assume those responsibilities as outlined in this constitution and/or found in
University Policy No. 3101 entitled “Faculty Advisors to Student Organizations.”
Ratified constitutions must be submitted to the Student Activities & Involvement office within
10 days for final approval.
Clubs must abide by the Hazing Policy, seen below.
Hazing Policy Compliance
Introduction
Hazing is a very serious concern. Many hazing incidents could be avoided if members were better
educated about what constitutes hazing, alternatives to hazing and the university hazing policy.
Though it is the responsibility of each member of an organization to uphold the Hazing Policy it is
the officer’s responsibility to educate each member, set a no-tolerance policy, lead by example, and
report any hazing that has occurred. Groups can lose their recognition and individuals can be
judicially sanctioned for allowing/ignoring or taking part in any form of hazing.
JMU is an institution of higher learning devoted to excellence in teaching, research and service to
the people of the commonwealth and the nation. The university is committed to developing
students through academic and co-curricular activities. Hazing is an unproductive and hazardous
custom that is incongruous with this responsibility and has no place in college life, either on or off
campus. No individual student or recognized student organization may engage in or plan any
activity that may be defined as hazing. In addition, no individual nor recognized organization may
by physical or mental stress or by subtle or covert technique, impair, make captive, or destroy an
individuals’ freedom of thought and choice.
J17-100 Hazing
The university prohibits any situation created intentionally to produce mental or physical
discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule in connection with or the purpose of initiation,
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admission into, or affiliation with or as a condition for continued membership in a club,
organization, or association, regardless of whether the students participated voluntarily in the
relevant activity. Hazing activities include but are not limited to; calisthenics or other strenuous
physical activity; exposure to inclement weather; consumption of any food, liquid, beverage, drug,
or other substance; confinement in any room or compartment; spraying, painting, or pelting with
any substance; burying in any substance; burning, branding, or tattooing; or any other activity
which may result in physical injury or endanger the health or life of the individual being hazed.
Section 18.2-56 of the Code of Virginia declares hazing illegal, establishes conditions for civil and
criminal liability, and outlines the duties of the university when a student has been found guilty of
hazing in civil or criminal court.
HAZING INFORMATION
The following activities have at one time or another been construed as hazing. Such actions are
often required or implied as conditions necessary for an individual to be included in a group. The
list is not inclusive of all possible hazing violations at the university. Organizations that are found to
be in violation of this policy are subject to discipline by the university and may lose their status as
recognized student organizations of the university. Individual members who are found to be in
violation of the Code of Student Conduct may be disciplined in accordance with established
university procedures.
Hazing includes but is not limited to the following activities:
- Requiring calisthenics such as sit-ups, push-ups, runs or any form of physically abusive exercise
- Forcing or requiring consumption of alcoholic beverages or any drug
- Requiring the ingestion of any undesirable or unwanted substance (i.e. spoiled food, insects,
raw eggs, etc.)
- Partial or total nudity at any time
- Paddle swats
- Pushing, shoving or attacking associate/pledge members
- Assigning "pranks" such as stealing, painting objects, panty raids and harassing another
organization
- Calling associates by degrading names such as "scum"
- Activities which allow associates/pledges/new members less than six continuous hours of sleep
- Required road trips and kidnapping of associates or members
- Running up stairs while reading material
- Yelling, screaming or use of obscenities at pledges/associates/new members
- Activities which encourage failure of associates/pledges/new members to comply with the
directions of faculty, staff or other university officials
- Burning, branding or tattooing any part of the body, whether voluntarily or involuntarily
- Activities which call for blindfolding, confinement, jumping from heights and other potentially
dangerous activities
- Intentional actions that obstruct, disrupt or physically interfere with the use of university
premises, buildings, streets or other facility of the university
- Activities which encourage failure to comply with the laws of local, state or federal government
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If your group would like more information about hazing alternatives Student Activities &
Involvement would be glad to assist you at any time.
POLICY COMPLIANCE FORM
We understand that as officers of
it is our responsibility to educate all our
members about University policies related to clubs, Student Activities & Involvement policies, hazing, the JMU Hazing Policy and
the State of Virginia’s Code on Hazing. We have read the Student Activities & Involvement Policy Compliance Form in its entirety
to our membership and discussed our organization’s plan of compliance with these policies. We will not tolerate any form of hazing
in our organization and will uphold the set policies. As our organization admits new members we will read and discuss the policy
with them. If officers change during our set tenure the new officers will submit a signed Policy Compliance Form. We understand
that groups can lose their recognition and individuals can be judicially sanctioned for allowing/ignoring or taking part in any form of
hazing. We have updated our organization’s webpage on https://beinvolved.jmu.edu to reflect the following individuals as the listed
representatives of our organization.
DATE__________________________
NAME (PRINT)
SIGNATURE
POSITION
ADVISOR (Required signature)
NAME (Print)_____________________ ________
Signature_________________________________ Date______________________
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Student Activities Policy Compliance Form
James Madison University
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