Campus Safety & Security

Campus Community Notifications

It’s easy to stay informed about safety or security issues that can threaten our campus or the surrounding area. Campus community notifications can alert students, faculty, and staff of safety disturbances in two ways:

1) For low-level or informative notifications, an email will be sent to all people with a Sentara.edu email address. The email will describe the issue and appropriate actions to take.

2) In case of an emergency, all staff, faculty, and students who have signed up for the Blackboard Connect Notification System will be sent an alert message via phone, email, text, TTY, or fax to their designated contact number. The message will state the emergency and any actions to be taken.

Hazing Policy and Transparency Report

*No student organizations have been found in violation of the College’s Hazing Policy since July 1, 2025.
Last review date 12/12/2025

NOTE: The Transparency Report will be updated not less than 2 times each year for the period beginning on the date on which the Transparency Report was last published and ending on the date on which such update is submitted. 

Notice of Availability of statistics on Hazing: The Annual Security Report contains information regarding campus security and personal safety including topics such as crime prevention, the institution’s police/public safety law enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures, protocols for the immediate notification of students and staff upon confirmation of a significant emergency on campus, Hazing policies and programming, and other matters of importance related to security and safety. The report includes statistics for the most recent three-year period of reported crimes that have occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Sentara College or its affiliates; and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The Annual Security Report can be accessed at the following link: https://www.sentara.edu/sites/default/files/2025%20Sentara%20ASR%20Published%20Version.pdf. You can obtain a paper copy of this report by contacting Sentara College at 1441 Crossways Boulevard, Chesapeake, VA 23320 or request that a paper copy be mailed to you by calling (757) 388-2900.

Reporting Statistics: Annually, Sentara College will compile statistics for incidents of Hazing reportedly occurring on or within the College’s Clery Geography that were reported to a Campus Security Authority or local law enforcement agency. 

• Annual Security Report. Hazing statistics for the three most recent calendar years for which data are available will be disclosed in Sentara College’s Annual Security Report. 
• Reporting to the U.S. Department of Education. The College will disclose Hazing statistics in the data reported to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) via the annual Campus Safety and Security Survey, no later than the date specified annually by ED. 
• Student Organization for Statistical Disclosure Purposes 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.” 

Such Hazing statistics will be compiled using the Federal definition of Hazing below:

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—

• is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and

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—

• whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;
• 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;
• causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts;
• any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;
• any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal or Federal law; and 
• 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.” 

Institution’s Hazing Policy: Sentara College publishes a Hazing policy that defines hazing and establishes it as prohibited conduct. The policy further describes how to report hazing and the College’s response procedures, including the investigation process. The policy also includes information on applicable local, State, and Tribal laws regarding Hazing and outlines the College’s prevention and education programs. You can view the full Hazing policy at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15--CenhUH1KTXXcUH5JeLAh2XjWdnqii/view. 

Local Laws on Hazing: There are no applicable Local laws relating to Hazing in the College’s jurisdiction. 

State Laws on Hazing: Virginia Code §18.2-56 – Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials; penalty:

It shall be unlawful to haze so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school or institution of higher education.

Any person found guilty thereof shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Any person receiving bodily injury by hazing shall have a right to sue, civilly, the person or persons guilty thereof, whether adults or infants.

The president or other presiding official of any school or institution of higher education receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall, upon satisfactory proof of the guilt of any student hazing another student, sanction and discipline such student in accordance with the institution's policies and procedures. The institution's policies and procedures shall provide for dismissal or other appropriate discipline based on the facts and circumstances of each case and shall be consistent with the model policies established by the Department of Education or the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, as applicable. The president or other presiding official of any school or institution of higher education receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall report hazing which causes bodily injury to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which such school or institution of higher education is, who shall take such action as he deems appropriate.

For the purposes of this section, "hazing" means to recklessly or intentionally endanger the health or safety of a student or students or to inflict bodily injury on a student or students in connection with or for the purpose of initiation, admission into or affiliation with or as a condition for continued membership in a club, organization, association, fraternity, sorority, or student body regardless of whether the student or students so endangered or injured participated voluntarily in the relevant activity. Hazing shall be reported to the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Chesapeake for possible criminal prosecution.

Findings of violation of this policy or of federal or state laws pertaining to hazing shall be published on Sentara College of Health Sciences website as required by Virginia Code § 23.1-822.

Hazing prevention training will be made available to student organization advisors and current, new, and potential members as required by Virginia Code §23.1-820 (known as Adam’s law).

Tribal Laws on Hazing: There are no applicable Tribal laws relating to Hazing in the College’s jurisdiction.