Club sport members and coaches are not permitted to use alcohol before, during, or after a club sport activity, including travel to and from an event and down time between games on multi-day trips. Additionally, visiting teams and spectators are forbidden from consuming alcohol during any club sport event. Failure to abide by these rules will result in the player, players, or club being suspended.

The use of tobacco products is prohibited for all game personnel including players, coaches, trainers, and officials in all club sports during practices and competitions. A club sport athlete who uses tobacco products during a practice or competition shall be disqualified for the remainder of that practice or competition.

Hazing Prohibited. Hazing is incompatible with the values of our community and our educational mission and is strictly prohibited at each Harvard School, as a matter of policy and in accordance with applicable law

Compliance with Law. Each Harvard School's anti-hazing policy is intended to comply with the requirements of all applicable federal and state anti-hazing laws, and thus incorporates the definitions included in those laws, as set forth below. However, the examples of the types of hazing activities provided in this policy are non-exhaustive. A determination as to whether activities reported as hazing violate this policy will be based on the relevant facts of the situation, including but not limited to the circumstances giving rise to the reported activities and the risks of injury and harm created by the reported activities. Activities may violate each Harvard School's anti-hazing policy (or other conduct policies), even if they would not necessarily violate the federal or state anti-hazing laws.

Reporting; Investigation Process; Disciplinary Action. Each Harvard School will consider all reports of hazing in the normal course of its oversight and investigation processes and will take disciplinary action in appropriate situations. Reports of incidents of hazing can be made to each School's disciplinary body and/or to the Harvard University Police Department. Harvard will inform appropriate law enforcement officials and regulatory agencies of hazing incidents and will disclose hazing incidents in community notifications as required by applicable law.

Hazing Prevention and Awareness Programs. Harvard has developed research-informed campus prevention and awareness programs related to hazing. For more information on these programs, see Prevention & Education.

More about the federal law

Under the federal law known as the Stop Campus Hazing Act (the “SCHA”), hazing means: any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate, that (a) is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and (b) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury including -

1. whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;
2. causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity;causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances;
3. causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances;
4. causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts;
5. any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;
6. any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law; and
7. any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to perform a duty or task that involves a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law.

Under the SCHA, the term “student organizations” means an organization at an institution of higher education (such as a club, society, association, varsity or junior varsity athletic team, club sports team, fraternity, sorority, band, or student government) in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at the institution of higher education, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the institution.

See Federal Anti-Hazing Law: Stop Campus Hazing Act for more information.

More about the Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law

Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 269, sections 16, 17 and 18 state as follows:

Section 17. Hazing; organizing or participating; hazing defined. Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing, as defined herein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.

The term “hazing” as used in this section and in sections eighteen and nineteen (reproduced below), shall mean any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety or any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section to the contrary, consent shall not be available as a defense to any prosecution under this action.

Section 18. Failure to report hazing. Whoever knows that another person is the victim of hazing as defined in section seventeen (above) and is at the scene of such crime shall, to the extent that such person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report such crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable. Whoever fails to report such crime shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars.

Section 19. Copy of Secs. 17 to 19; issuance to students and student groups, teams and organizations; report Each institution of secondary education and each public and private institution of post-secondary education shall issue to every student group, student team, or student organization which is part of such institution or is recognized by the institution or permitted by the institution to use its name or facilities or is known by the institution to exist as an unaffiliated student group, student team or student organization, a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen (above); provided, however, that an institution’s compliance with this section’s requirements that an institution issue copies of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations shall not constitute evidence of the institution’s recognition or endorsement of said unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations.

Each such group, team or organization shall distribute a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to each of its members, plebes, pledges or applicants for membership. It shall be the duty of each such group, team or organization, acting through its designated officer, to deliver annually to the institution an attested acknowledgment stating that such group, team, or organization has received a copy of this section and said sections seventeen and eighteen, that each of its members, plebes, pledges, or applicants has received a copy of sections seventeen and eighteen, and that such group, team, or organization understands and agrees to comply with the provision of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.

Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post-secondary education shall, at least annually, before or at the start of enrollment, deliver to each person who enrolls as a full-time student in such institution a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.

Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post-secondary education shall file, at least annually, a report with the board of higher education and in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, certifying that such institution has complied with its responsibility to inform student groups, teams or organizations and to notify each full-time student enrolled by it of the provisions of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen, and also certifying that said institution has adopted a disciplinary policy with regard to the organizers and participants of hazing, and that such policy has been set forth with appropriate emphasis in the student handbook or similar means of communicating the institution’s policies to its students. The board of higher education and, in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, shall promulgate regulations governing the content and frequency of such reports, and shall forthwith report to the attorney general any such institution which fails to make such report.

Reporting

If you are being hazed, have witnessed a hazing incident, or believe a student group is engaged in hazing, please report it using the form linked here. For more on reporting please review the Reporting page of the Prevention and Resources website linked here.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended is a federal law that gives students certain rights with respect to their education records.

For more information, see the FERPA Overview.

Harvard University is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and work environment in which no member of the University community is, on the basis of sex, including sexual orientation or gender identity, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in any University program or activity. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination in that it denies an individual equal access to the University's programs or activities. Review the policies linked here.

The College Title IX Office (C-TIX) can be a starting point for students who have been impacted in any way by sexual misconduct or gender-based harassment. Whether you have a concern or are just unsure, C-TIX Resource Coordinators are available to answer questions or share information with individuals of all identities and lived experiences. Information shared with a C-TIX Resource Coordinators is treated with the utmost privacy and does not automatically initiate a formal complaint or process. C-TIX can be contacted at collegetitleix@fas.harvard.edu.

Introduction

As a member of the Harvard University community, members of recognized Club Sports are mandated to conduct themselves and their organizations in a manner compatible with the university’s philosophy and function as an educational institution. Due to the independent nature of clubs and the limits of the university’s relationship with clubs, club officers are vested with the responsibility to ensure that the recognized club sport abides by all university, Department of Harvard Athletics & Recreation, and club sports policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Recognition as a club sport grants certain rights and attendant responsibilities. Permission to make authorized use of the university name and marks, permission to compete off-campus representing the university, access to university grants, and space and resource allocation characterize clubs and their members as representatives of Harvard University. As clubs participate in recreational and competitive pursuits on and off campus, they must be aware that they are always representing the university to the greater community.

The Club Sports Office (CSO) has established this Code of Conduct which defines the parameters of violation, discipline and dispute resolution. The Club Sports Disciplinary Policy and Procedures addresses clubs that are found in violation of the Club Sports Office policies and codes of conduct. The disciplinary process does not hear or sanction individual club members. Club officers are responsible for the actions of the club as a whole and/or any individual member of the club.

Jurisdiction

The club sports disciplinary and appeals procedure addresses clubs that are found in violation of Harvard club sports policies and procedures. The club sports disciplinary and appeals procedure does not hear or sanction individual club members. Individual club members who are matriculated Harvard University students and have violated University Policies and/or Student Standards of Conduct will be referred for disciplinary action to the appropriate university office.

Individual Conduct Discipline

Club Sport organizations should create and outline their own code of conduct and disciplinary policies in addition to the CSO and University Code of Conduct.

Team Conduct Discipline

Club sport organizations found in group violation of CSO policies may be subject to disciplinary action. Club organizations may be reprimanded after failure to meet the guidelines and regulations set forth by the CSO.

Violations

The following activities/conduct will not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary sanctions against a club including, but not limited to, financial penalties, probation, suspension, or expulsion from Harvard’s club sports program. Disciplinary infractions are categorized as either Minor Infractions or Major Infractions. The CSO will review and determine what violations are considered minor or major infractions. The CSO will also determine violation penalties as seen fit.

Minor Infractions

The disciplinary process for minor infractions is designed to prevent procedural violations and ensure club organizations stay in good standing with the Club Sports Office.

Examples of minor infractions include but are not limited to:

• Failure to submit or update forms and documentation such as:
  • Contact information for new club officers
  • Organization Re-registration
  • Club Constitution
  • End of Semester Reports

• Unexcused absences
  • Club Sports Officer Trainings
  • Meetings with the CSO
  • Disciplinary Meetings
• Failure to abide by club sport policy and procudure:
  • Scheduling Guidelines
  • Trademark and Apparel

Minor infraction penalties

The CSO will review the infraction and determine a penalty accordingly.

• Minimum penalty: written warning
• Maximum penalty: 2-week suspension of club activities

Major Infractions

The disciplinary process for major infractions is designed to protect the integrity and operation of club sports at Harvard and in the greater community.

Examples of major infractions include but are not limited to:

• Unauthorized use of Department of Harvard Athletics & Recreation facilities
• Violation of Club Sports Alcohol and Drug Policy
• Unauthorized use of university marks and logos for club activities and swag
• Repeated disregard for club sport policy and procedures
• Repeated minor infractions
• Misconduct, including, but not limited to:
  • Membership Identification – allowing ineligible individuals to participate in club activities
  • Falsification of information
  • Misuse of Department of Harvard Athletics & Recreation facilities and equipment
  • Club initiation / hazing
  • Theft and/or property damage

Major Infraction Penalties

The CSO will review the infraction and determine a penalty accordingly.

• Immediate activity suspension by CSO
  • The CSO will then further evaluate the infraction to determine the severity of the penalty. The official penalty will be given within one week of initial suspension.

• Suspension
  • Minimum: 1 week
  • Maximum: 5 weeks
• Probation: 1 additional semester
• Expulsion: loss of recognition as a club sport and Harvard student organization
• Financial restrictions
  • Limited access to department funding opportunities

Notice of Action

Once an infraction has been identified, the club’s officers, as listed on SOCO, will receive a letter in the form of an email from the CSO, informing the club of the infraction.

Disciplinary Meeting

The Disciplinary Board will be comprised of and facilitated by Club Sport Office (CSO) representatives. The meeting must be attended by the currently elected officers of the club.

The meeting will address the charged infraction. The Disciplinary Board will discuss the club’s violation of Club Sports policies and/or procedures. The club officers will be given an opportunity to respond. The Disciplinary Board may request additional information and re-convene the meeting at a later time to give the club’s officers time to comply with the request.

Once the meeting is concluded, the Disciplinary Board will give a recommendation for disciplinary action to the Reade and Elizabeth Griffith Director of Club Sports, Intramurals and Recreational Activity. The club’s officers will be notified in writing via email of an approved disciplinary action within two business days of the conclusion of the disciplinary meeting.

Appeals Process

Once the club officers have been notified of the decision of the Disciplinary Board, they are entitled to request an appeal. After 7 calendar days of written notification, the decision of the Disciplinary Board is final. Written request for an appeal must be submitted within 7 calendar days. A club remains in suspension during the appeals process.

The club officers must submit a written request via email to the Reade and Elizabeth Griffith Director of Club Sports, Intramurals and Recreational Activity stating:

• Charged Infraction
• Action Taken by Disciplinary Board
• Grounds for the Appeal, which may include:
  • New information not available at the disciplinary meeting
  • Procedural disputes that may change or affect the outcome of the decision
  • Severity of Sanction

Appeals Meeting

The Appeals Board will be comprised will be comprised of and facilitated by Club Sport Office (CSO) representatives. The meeting must be attended by the currently elected officers of the club.

The meeting will address the grounds for the appeal. The Appeals Board will discuss the club’s violation of Club Sports policies and/or procedures. The club officers will be given an opportunity to respond and introduce new information, discuss a procedural dispute, or explain how a severe sanction would cause a club undue hardship.

Once the meeting is concluded, the Appeals Board will render a decision to uphold, reject or modify the decision of the Disciplinary Board. Clubs should bear in mind that appealing a disciplinary decision is not without peril. The Appeals Board decision may be more severe than the original decision. The club’s officers will be notified in writing via email of the Appeals Board’s action within two business days of the conclusion of the appeals meeting.

Final Appeal

A condition of recognition as a Club Sport is agreement by the recognized club to be bound by decisions rendered during the Club Sports disciplinary process, all recognized clubs accept that the Decisions of the Appeals Board are final.

A recognized club which attempts to pursue further appeal, either within the Club Sports administrative structure or elsewhere, will be considered in violation of their recognition agreement and will be suspended. Once the club has served the term of its discipline as defined by the disciplinary process, the club would have to reapply for recognition as a Club Sport. As with all new applications for recognition, the club would have to serve two full semesters of temporary status without access to a Club Sports budget allocation.