HE HAS BEEN PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE. HAZING HAS BEEN IN THE HEADLINES LATELY, AND NOW ONE STATE LAWMAKER IS AIMING TO BRING AWARENESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE ISSUE. BEFORE GOING TO BREAKING NEWS, REPORTER JOHN CARDINELLI SAYS THIS IS GOING TO BE A PIECE OF LEGISLATION AT THE ROUNDHOUSE. DEMOCRATIC NEW MEXICO STATE
SENATOR HAROLD POPE HAS ALWAYS HAD AN IDEA. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I’VE BEEN INTERESTED EVEN BEFORE I WAS ELECTED IN 2020. I’M A MEMBER OF A BLACK FRATERNITY. ME AND A LOT OF BLACK FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES. IT’S BEENEN AN ISSUE NATIONALLY. THAT ISSUE IS HAZING. NEW MEXICO IS ONE OF SIX STATES
I BELIEVE THAT DOESN’T HAVE ANY TYPE OF ANTI-HAZING LEGISLATION. ACCORDING TO THE ADVOCACY GROUP STOP HAZING, THE OTHER STATES ARE ALASKA, HAWAII, MONTANA, SOUTH DAKOTA, AND WYOMING. SENATOR POPE WANTS TO REMOVE NEW MEXICO’S NAME FROM THE LIST BY MAKING THIS BILL A LAW. WHAT WE’RE ASKING FOR IN THIS
BILL IS BASICALLY FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TO BASICALLY DEVELOP ANTI-HAZING EDUCATION. IF PASSED, THE ACT WOULD REQUIRE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CREATE A HAZING PREVENTION COMMITTEE, REQUIRE AN ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ISSUE FOR EACH ACADEMIC YEAR, AND REQUIRE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION. BUT SENATOR POPE SAYS THE GOAL
OF THE BILL IS TO HOLD PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS ACCOUNTABLE. SO WHAT THIS BILL WOULD DO IS IF YOU WERE HAZING, UM, IT WOULD BE A MISDEMEANOR. BUT IF YOU CAUSED, YOU KNOW, SOME BODILY HARM TO SOMEONE, A SERIOUS BODILY HARM, UM, IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A FOURTH CLASS FELONY. I’M JOHN CARDINELLI REPORTING
FOR KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. POPE H HOPES LAW IS PASSED WHENO ONE IS VICTIMIZED, ABUSED OR DIED AS A RESULT OF HAZING, ACCORDING TO A NATIONAL DATABASE, 285 PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM HAZING SINCE THEY STARTED
source
