The University of Maine's College of Education and Human Development helped expand a project collecting college hazing data for all 50 states.
Hazinginfo.org previously featured data from nine states but now features hazing data from nearly 1,500 colleges nationwide.
Elizabeth Allen, directs UMaine's Hazing Prevention Research Lab and said the tool could help shift the culture around hazing.
"This project is really about shining that light on hazing, because we can't solve a problem if we don't even see it," Allen said.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act, passed in 2024, required every higher education institution to publish an annual hazing report. Allen said that made the database possible.
The data was originally collected using Artificial Intelligence tools and was then hand checked to ensure accuracy.
Jolayne Houtz, founder of Hazinginfo.org, lost her son to a hazing incident at Washington State University in 2019. She said knowing the hazing history of the fraternity her son pledged could have saved his life.
"Hazing information is so hard to find for parents and students, and that's not an accident. This is not information that a lot of schools want to be talking about," Houtz said.
Houtz said she believe this database will provide accessibility and transparency that could save lives.
The University of Washington Information School was also a partner in the project.
