The College of Charleston Takes a Student-Centered Approach to Anti-Hazing
As one of the oldest institutions in the US, the College of Charleston has a long history of prioritizing student safety and well-being.
When the Stop Campus Hazing Act went into effect in 2025, it prompted many colleges and universities to revisit their misconduct reporting and prevention efforts. The College of Charleston, however, had already been tracking these issues for years to comply with South Carolina law.
Rather than simply ensuring their data is up to code, the College has been able to expand their hazing education initiatives and find new ways of making students partners in problem solving.
“The Stop Campus Hazing Act has made people more aware of our policy, and allowed us to think about continued efforts for hazing prevention, education, and response," explains Alicia Caudill, Executive Vice President of Student Affairs at the College of Charleston. “We're still trying to figure out the right way to get to students and engage them in those conversations”
With the right tools to meet students where they are, Caudill’s team has been able to do just that.
Doubling down on reporting infrastructure
Traditionally, the College of Charleston relied on a non-anonymous reporting system to capture information about students who may be in need of academic, personal, or financial support. More recently, they brought on RealResponse to offer their community a truly anonymous, two-way reporting experience.
“RealResponse has been huge in terms of improving the way we handle reporting and communication,” says Caudill.
Caudill’s team has seen an increase in hazing allegations come through RealResponse, but users turn to the platform to share diverse issues ranging from faculty and student behavior to Title IX concerns. It’s even become a trusted place for people to ask questions about the investigation process.
“We’re able to educate students and they can keep their anonymity,” explains Caudill. “We can go back and share when we're about to take this action against a student organization. So it feels like we can prepare the reporter for what's happening.”
Overcoming the typical barriers to reporting
Simply implementing a reporting tool doesn’t guarantee that students will use it. In Caudill’s experience, there are four factors that dissuade them from bringing concerns forward:
A widespread assumption that unless something affects you directly, you can move on and hope someone else will intervene.
Concerns that if you report something, it will negatively impact your social relationships and potentially hurt an organization you care about.
Fear of retaliation, or that the problematic behavior (hazing or otherwise) could get worse after someone reports it.
Limited understanding of or trust in the reporting process, because you assume your feedback won’t lead to action.
RealResponse helps the College get ahead of these challenges by guaranteeing reporters’ anonymity, and making it easier to communicate quickly and transparently. “This reporting mechanism has been a game changer,” says Caudill. “One, because it's a texting platform, students are much more present in that space. Two, a small group of us get immediate alerts [when a report comes through], so we're able to be more responsive. We’re getting better information and building more trust that when you tell us something, we'll use everything in our toolbox to address it.”