Representative Mari Leavitt served as a keynote speaker at the UW’s inaugural Pacific Northwest anti-hazing summit yesterday.
The event brought together more than 100 higher education professionals from Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. United by a shared commitment to hazing prevention, attendees represented various fields in higher education, including academic personnel, administrators, athletics, conduct, fraternity and sorority life, student activities, and advisors.
Designed to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing, the summit focused on several key learning objectives:
- Understand legal requirements related to hazing prevention.
- Identify strategic partners for hazing prevention efforts and explore collaborative approaches
- Learn components of effective hazing prevention programs and communication strategies.
- Develop action plans to implement or enhance anti-hazing initiatives.
Rep. Leavitt, a leading advocate for hazing prevention in Washington state, has championed several significant reforms in recent years. She sponsored Sam’s Law, which was in response to the devastating hazing death of Sam Martinez in November 2019. The law expanded the definition of hazing, mandates prevention training for both higher education students and employees, and requires institutions to publicly share anti-hazing resources and report violations. She also sponsored legislation that increased the criminal penalties for hazing offenses.
In her keynote, Rep. Leavitt underscored the vital role the summit attendees play in advancing anti-hazing efforts on their campuses. She spoke about the intent behind Sam’s Law and reminded attendees of their duty to support safe campus environments. She also expressed appreciation for the attendees taking the time to come together to share successes, confront challenges, and collaborate on solutions to address this important issue. Her closing message encourages attendees to stay committed to their efforts and continue driving change across the region.