President Joe Biden signed a bill Monday aimed at preventing hazing on college campuses and building transparency around hazing incidents — the first federal law of its kind.
Though most states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have enacted laws aimed at curbing hazing with tougher penalties or some sort of public reporting system, the rules are uneven. Parents who’ve lost children to hazing, including some local families, have long called for federal lawmakers to close gaps in the patchwork system.
“No parent should have to bury their child, especially not for something preventable like a hazing death, and this bill will save lives and make a real difference in the fight against hazing,” Julie and Gary DeVercelly, who lost their son in a 2007 fraternity hazing incident at Rider University in New Jersey, said in a statement this week…