Pennsylvania Law to Make Hazing Punishable as Felony

The house where Chun Hsien Deng died after a hazing ritual during a fraternity retreat in 2013 is pictured in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 17, 2015. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

HARRISBURG, Pa.—Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is expected to sign legislation on Oct. 19, raising the maximum penalty for fraternity hazing to a felony, carrying up to seven years in prison.

Named the “Timothy Piazza Anti-Hazing Law” after a Penn State freshman who died during hazing activities at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house in February 2017, the bill unanimously passed the Legislature.