The two-day event is organized by Professor of Higher Education Elizabeth Allan, a leading expert on hazing and hazing prevention, along with members of the research group that she leads.

Since 2013, StopHazing has facilitated the HPC, a multi-year research-to-practice initiative that helps campuses develop and implement data-informed hazing prevention strategies. More than 40 higher education institutions have participated in the program. The annual summit is an opportunity for representatives from current consortium members to learn together and network to strengthen their shared work and build more sustainable approaches to hazing prevention.

Allan, who also leads the Hazing Prevention Research Lab at 91����, is working on an update to the landmark National Study of College Student Hazing, which she originally published in 2008 with former 91���� colleague Mary Madden. In addition to working with colleges and universities, Allan has consulted with other organizations where hazing occurs, such as high schools and the U.S. Department of Defense.

This year’s summit will be attended by student affairs professionals from Arizona State University, Harvard College, Indiana University, Kenyon College, New Mexico State University, Princeton University, Rhodes College, Southern Methodist University, University of Mississippi, University of San Diego, Virginia Commonwealth University, Washington and Lee University, William & Mary and the University of Wisconsin.

On a recent Friday morning, the staff of the University of Maine Counseling Center gathered in the office common room. Over coffee and pastries, they listened as Sarah Howorth, an associate professor of special education at 91����, talked about the challenges people with autism and other developmental disabilities face finding and making friends. 

Approximately in the United States are on the autism spectrum, and increasing numbers of students with an autism diagnosis are . In 2019, Howorth worked with 91����’s Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and the Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to launch a pilot program called Step Up to College, aimed at providing effective supports for students with autism as they transition from high school to college. People on the spectrum often have challenges related to communication and forming relationships, so the Step Up program incorporated elements of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills, or PEERS, a social skills curriculum for children and young adults with autism developed by the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.��

With the counseling center seeing an increase in neurodivergent clients in recent years, its staff invited Howorth to share her expertise in two half-day training sessions.

“They were searching for ‘autism’ and ‘college students,’ and my name kept coming up, so they reached out to me to ask if I’d come talk to them about PEERS and how it can help college students and others who are on the spectrum,” said Howorth, who is certified by the Semel Institute to be a PEERS provider and is director of the PEERS Lab at 91����.

The PEERS curriculum includes practice sessions on communication and interpersonal skills, such as how to start, maintain and exit conversations. In addition to people with autism, research has shown it to be an effective intervention for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression and other social-emotional health conditions. 

“Some interventions for people with autism encourage them to hide or mask their authentic selves,” Howorth said. “But PEERS is about helping people identify what they are authentically interested in, and having them practice social skills around those interests in a safe environment before interacting with others in the so-called ‘real world.’”

The training sessions Howorth led for the counseling center included about a dozen staff members at 91���� and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. They covered a variety of topics from the PEERS curriculum, including finding a source of friends, electronic communication and dating and intimacy.

At one point, Howorth asked the staff to name all of the peer groups they could think of on campus. Examples included student athletes, fraternity and sororities, gaming groups and live action role playing, or LARPing. 

“When we do PEERS groups, we ask participants to identify at least two social groups that they consider themselves to be part of, and then ask: Why are peer groups or crowds important? Where can you find different peer groups? And how can you tell which peer groups people are part of?” Howorth said. “We emphasize that friendships are based on common interests, and then we provide scenarios so they can practice things like starting and exiting conversations based on their interests.”

91���� Counseling Center Director Angela Fileccia says first-year students on the spectrum in particular face numerous challenges, not just with making friends, but figuring out how to live with other people and how to act in class.  

“In high school, these students often had support from family or teachers that they’re not getting in college. By the time they see us, whether they come here on their own or they’re referred to us by faculty or staff, in addition to all the other problems that they are dealing with, they’re often depressed. So what we want to do is address the underlying issues behind their depression,” Fileccia said.

Some members of the counseling center staff had heard about PEERS before they met with Howorth. Fileccia says one of the main things they were interested in learning more about was the program’s focus on forming and maintaining friendships.

“We know that if a person has one close friend, their risk of suicide, of overdose, of any number of poor mental health outcomes decreases dramatically. So if we can help some of our clients make just one friend, that will ultimately help improve their social and academic outcomes,” she said. 

Although the staff would need to go through the Semel Institute’s official training in order to offer PEERS groups, she says some of them are already applying what they learned from Howorth in individual therapy sessions with students.

“One of our therapists shared that they used part of a PEERS practice module with one of their clients the other day,” Fileccia said. “That’s a technique that we use anyway — having clients practice behaviors during therapy, then asking them to go try it in the real world and report on how it went. So it’s another tool that we can use to help our clients.” 

The counseling center, located in the Cutler Health Center on campus, includes a team of licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, and doctoral and master’s degree level interns in psychology, social work or professional counseling. All currently enrolled students are eligible for free, confidential, solution-focused therapy related to topics such as stress and anxiety, depression, gender and sexual identity, eating concerns, substance use concerns, sexual assault, stalking, relationship violence and more. The center also offers services to help faculty and staff who have students with mental health needs. More information, including how to contact the center is available at umaine.edu/counseling.��

If you need immediate help, call or text 988 or go to .

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

Editor’s note: President Joe Biden signed the Stop Campus Hazing Act into law on Dec. 24.

The U.S. Senate last week passed the Stop Campus Hazing Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing hazing on college campuses nationwide. The legislation previously passed the House of Representatives, and has been sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.��

The act requires colleges and universities to implement comprehensive hazing prevention programs and to publicly report incidents in their annual campus security reports, known as Clery Reports. It increases transparency for students and parents by requiring institutions to disclose their hazing prevention policies and any organizations found in violation of these policies.

University of Maine Professor of Higher Education Elizabeth Allan, founder of the research group StopHazing, served as a consultant to the members of Congress and their staff who crafted the Stop Campus Hazing Act.

“This research-backed hazing prevention legislation will shift societal norms and structures that contribute to hazing, provide the public with more reliable information about hazing incidents, and support colleges and universities in preventing hazing,” said Allan. “It will also empower students to make informed decisions about their involvement in campus organizations. Clery statistics and transparency reports will help students and families make more informed decisions.”

The passing of the Stop Campus Hazing Act by Congress follows the publication of a recent study from Allan and StopHazing postdoctoral fellow for research and evaluation David Kerschner, a 2021 graduate of 91����’s Ph.D. program in higher education, which confirms the effectiveness of unique tool for mitigating hazing. 

According to that study, college students who viewed a short documentary as part of a hazing prevention training gained a better understanding of hazing behaviors and displayed an increased willingness and ability to intervene in situations where hazing occurs.

is a 17-minute video produced by the nonprofit Clery Center, featuring an interview with Allan, as well as information from the landmark 2008 that Allan led with former 91���� colleague Mary Madden. Several former 91���� students were interviewed for the video about their experiences with hazing and how to create positive group behaviors.

For the study, Allan and Kerschner held training sessions with more than 300 students at three U.S. universities. All of the participants were either members of a leadership development program, resident advisors or club sport athletes. At each campus, one group of students watched “We Don’t Haze,” another group watched the video and participated in a facilitated follow-up discussion, and a third group viewed a general leadership development video. 

The students who only watched “We Don’t Haze” and those who viewed the video and engaged in the follow-up discussion significantly shifted their perceptions of hazing and indicated they were more likely to intervene and help others who are experiencing or have experienced hazing, compared to those in the third group.

“It’s pretty promising that we found the video by itself, as well as the video and discussion together, were effective at increasing awareness of hazing and the likelihood of bystanders intervening,” Kerschner said. “The video and the StopHazing discussion guide that we used in the trainings are available for free from the Clery Center and on StopHazing’s website. So these resources have the potential to reach a range of institutions where they’re at, while having a real impact with different groups of students.”

The study adds to a growing body of research that shows the effectiveness of bystander intervention and public health approaches to hazing prevention. Allan says while trainings like the one used in the study are a great, cost-effective strategy, they work best within a comprehensive approach. 

“It’s just one piece. Schools also need data and transparency, so they can design evidence-based strategies, and so students know where, when and how often hazing occurs on their campuses,” Allan said. “Ultimately, all stakeholders need to be involved in a comprehensive approach because our research shows that hazing isn’t just limited to certain groups. It impacts a variety of clubs and organizations, so prevention is really about shifting the broader culture of the institution.”

The study was published in the . 

Allan recently announced plans to do another national survey of college students’ experiences with and perceptions of hazing, updating the 2008 National Study of College Student Hazing. 

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

Schools across Maine are finding success meeting their students’ social, emotional and academic needs with an internationally recognized, evidence-based framework known as (PBIS).��

As — a partnership between the University of Maine System (UMS) and the Maine Department of Education — holds its annual conference in Augusta this week, educators involved with the initiative are celebrating an increase in the number of certified PBIS coaches and trainers in the state. The growth is the result of a UMS micro-credential program launched two years ago, aimed at making it easier for schools to adopt the PBIS framework. To date, seven Maine educators have earned the credential with 13 more expected to do so within the next year.

School-based coaches and trainers are essential to PBIS implementation, because they help colleagues in their own schools as well as other communities realize the full benefits of the framework. So even a small increase in the number of certified educators is significant, says Courtney Angelosante, Maine PBIS initiative coordinator and lecturer of special education at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development.

“These on-the-ground professionals have a comprehensive understanding of the PBIS framework and how to effectively implement it in schools. They’re skilled facilitators, who are able to work with other educators to develop the most effective solutions for each school community,” Angelosante said.

PBIS is not a curriculum or a system for addressing individual student behaviors, Angelosante says. Rather it provides for a multi-tiered continuum of supports focused on creating a shared vision for a positive school culture that meets the needs of all students. Based on a community health promotion model, schools that have implemented PBIS see improvements in students’ social-emotional competence, mental health and learning, as well as the well-being of teachers and staff. In addition, proponents say it promotes belonging and family engagement, improves attendance, and can help schools manage crisis situations. 

Maine PBIS utilizes a collaborative professional development cohort model in which teams of educators from individual schools work with teams from other schools to develop PBIS plans tailored to each schools’ unique needs. More than 100 schools from communities across the state have either implemented PBIS, or are currently in the process of doing so.

The Maine PBIS Tier 1 Trainer and Coach micro-credential was developed by Angelosante and Karen Robbie, a 2021 graduate of 91����’s doctoral program in Education, to increase the number of trainers and coaches in the state, allowing more schools to implement PBIS. To earn the credential, students complete a series of three graduate-level courses that are part of a graduate certificate offered through the 91���� College of Education and Human Development.��

Stephanie Oliphant, principal of the K-8 Palermo Consolidated School, earned the micro-credential about a year ago. 

“In my everyday work, PBIS allows me to understand behavior and systems, so our school can put things in place based on research, not just my experience or what I believe, addressing issues in a way that’s actually going to make change,” Oliphant said.

She says her school district RSU 12 (Sheepscot Valley), which also includes Chelsea Elementary School, Somerville Elementary School, Whitefield Elementary School and Windsor Elementary School, has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of student suspensions since implementing PBIS. In addition to serving as a PBIS trainer and coach with her district, Oliphant is an external coach for Medomak Middle School in Waldoboro, part of RSU 40.

“PBIS is like a lot of initiatives, in that you’ll start off strong, but it will wane if you don’t have support through difficult and challenging times. So the micro-credential has really helped us build that support throughout the state,” Oliphant said. 

Bryan Lescord, a third grade teacher at George B. Weatherbee School in Hampden, is about two-thirds of the way through the micro-credential. Although he has been using PBIS for most of his career, which began as an educational technician in a special education class 15 years ago, Lescord says the courses he’s taken as part of the credential program have deepened his knowledge and skills in innumerable ways. 

“I’ve learned so much about coaching, presenting effectively, the research and theory around implementation and adult learning principles, because ultimately when we talk about implementing a PBIS framework, we’re talking about changing the behavior of adults first and foremost to effectuate better outcomes for our students,” Lescord said.

Like Oliphant, Lescord says the opportunity to work with other educators from across the state has been particularly exciting. 

“Whether it’s with someone in Fort Kent or North Berwick, you really develop true professional friendships. We’re on Zoom all the time, identifying common challenges and opportunities, and we’re able — through a community of practice model — to draw on each others’ experience and help each other out,” he said.

The Maine PBIS is this Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Augusta Civic Center.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

Sixteen years after two University of Maine professors published the landmark 2008 , the lead researcher of that report will spearhead an updated nationwide survey of college students’ experiences with and perceptions about hazing. 

Professor of higher education Elizabeth Allan will lead the project, the first under the new Hazing Prevention Research Lab established within the 91���� College of Education and Human Development. The lab builds on Allan’s two decades of work to create safer, healthier and more inclusive environments in higher education and other organizations. The launch of the new study and lab coincides with , which begins Monday, Sept. 23, and runs through Friday, Sept. 27. 

“There have been a handful of smaller studies since 2008 that looked at select groups of students or campuses, but nothing on the scale of the national study,” said Allan. “Updating that research will be critical to informing our prevention strategies to ensure they’re driven by the best possible data.”

Allan’s research focuses on building a knowledge base to better understand the scope of hazing — defined as any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them, regardless of their willingness to participate — as well as how to prevent it. She is founder and principal of , home to the Hazing Prevention Consortium. This multi-year research-to-practice initiative has worked with more than three dozen colleges and universities nationwide to assess their campus climate and build capacity for planning, implementing and evaluating data-informed prevention strategies. Allan has also testified before Congress, consulted with the U.S. Department of Defense and been featured in numerous media outlets.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in understanding the nature of hazing, its root causes and the types of activities and behaviors it entails. We also know that comprehensive approaches are needed to end hazing among groups and institutions,” Allan said. “Expanding the Hazing Prevention Research Lab projects will allow us to grow this work and ultimately save lives and create a better world.” 

Allan notes that since 1959, there has been each year in the United States.

The 2008 survey found that 55% of college students who participate in groups experience hazing, and that more than 95% of those students do not report it.

91���� has established a Hazing Prevention Research Fund that aims to grow the capacity of Allan’s hazing prevention lab. The fund is dedicated to the prevention of hazing incidents through research and research-based practices, and was created in memory of hazing victims, their families and friends. It will be administered by the . 

Last year, the foundation facilitated a gift to support Allan’s research from Jolayne Houtz and Hector Martinez, whose son Sam Martinez died in a hazing incident at Washington State University in 2019. That gift has supported the development and launch of , the nation’s first free, comprehensive database of hazing incidents. 

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

Having grown up in a multilingual family, Melissa Cuba knows firsthand what school is like for students who have multifaceted identities and come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 

As an assistant professor of special education at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, Cuba’s research focuses on a particular subset of — those with disabilities who also require special education services. It’s a growing population across the country and she says more families, teachers, administrators, policymakers and other education stakeholders will need information about how they can best meet these students’ academic, linguistic and social-emotional needs.��

“As students in special education, they have a right to a free, appropriate public education and a plan to individualize instruction for them that meets their disability needs,” Cuba says. “They’re also legally entitled to language development services under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to meet their language needs.” 

Cuba, who is Peruvian-American, recalls some of the challenges she faced not only as a student who relocated to the U.S. at a young age, but later as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and special education teacher, prior to becoming a professor and researcher. 

In 2022, she helped the Maine Department of Education develop a for educators to support these students. She has also been named to the department’s .��

Although federal policies require schools to come up with two plans for multilingual learners with disabilities — one for their special education needs and another to meet their language needs — Cuba says often that does not happen.

“There’s a perception that special education supersedes language acquisition services or that the language plan is optional, and that’s not the case,” Cuba says. “So we need to make sure we are informing education stakeholders and schools that they need to be having conversations about the importance of both sets of services and bring educators and other school professionals to the table to understand why.”

As immigration and refugee resettlement patterns shift, Cuba says more communities will see their numbers of multilingual learners with disabilities grow in overlooked spaces.

“In Maine, for example, places like Portland and Lewiston already have robust refugee resettlement programs for families with wraparound services for things like employment and housing,” she says. “But there are also what are called new-immigrant destinations in suburban and rural areas. They might not have seen many multilingual learners with disabilities in the past, let alone those who solely need language acquisition services.”

Although there are growing numbers of multilingual learners with disabilities, Cuba says the research also points to problems with disproportionality, where these students are either over- or underrepresented in special education for various reasons. 

“For example, research shows students of color are over-identified and more likely to be segregated in self-contained or life-skills classrooms for special education services compared to their white peers with the same disability, particularly when it comes to subjective categories such as emotional disturbance, intellectual disability and specific learning disability,” Cuba says. “That has implications for learning opportunities, including modified and reduced curricula, which impacts access to content and skill development.”

Cuba and her colleague Adai Tefera from the University of Arizona published a study in that applied an intersectional framework to data about multilingual students in Virginia, where she did her doctoral research at Virginia Commonwealth University. Examining statewide education statistics, they attempted to obtain a more nuanced understanding of how relationships between race or ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and other social categories influence educational practices and policies, as well as the extent of disproportionate representation of multilingual learners in special education. To paint an even fuller picture, Cuba also interviewed teachers and staff from one Virginia school district, as well as officials from a state education agency who work with multilingual learners with disabilities.

The study showed that multilingual learners from kindergarten through grade five in Virginia were neither over- nor underrepresented in special education, but they were overrepresented in grades six through 12, which Cuba says contradicts and at times confirms previous research.

“Using an intersectional framework for the statistical analysis revealed disparities that a more one-dimensional approach might obscure, while the interviews helped us better understand why these disparities occur and contextualize how multilingual learner policies and practices are communicated and implemented within schools,” Cuba says.

The interviews also provided some interesting insights, such as educators grappling with how their perceptions of immigrant families impact the services offered to and educational outcomes achieved by multilingual learners. For instance, one teacher said he had seen his immigrant students experience racism, yet he still used stereotypes when discussing those students. He described them as “children of very hardworking parents, and they’re very hardworking,” while adding that they “don’t always know how to translate hard work into learning.” On the other hand, a state education official talked about the need to address deficit thinking among educators, in which they blame their students’ failures on their linguistic diversity rather than deficiencies of the systems and structures that surround them. 

Overall, Cuba says the study shows the importance of context and nuance when it comes to supporting multilingual learners. 

“All of these issues are contextual,” she says. “How our educational systems function, who informs them and who is at the table, as well as the historical context of communities.” 

Moving forward, Cuba is focusing her work on schools and communities in Maine, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and developing tools and interventions to better serve multilingual learners in special education. 

“Now we have to talk about solutions: reducing disparities by training education stakeholders, mitigating burdens on families, working with them so they are co-constructing and informing the solutions,” she says.

The 91���� College of Education and Human Development recently launched a graduate certificate designed for practicing teachers who want a deeper understanding of evidence-based practices and educational policies to support culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu