NMSU meets some requirements to prevent hazing

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez praised New Mexico State University on Tuesday, May 20, for its “valiant efforts” in addressing some of the underlying issues that led to an alleged hazing of six people associated with the NMSU basketball team during the 2022-2023 season and rocked the school. 

NMSU President Valerio Ferme sent a letter to Torrez earlier in May, citing what the school has done to improve campus culture to prevent future alleged misconduct. In response, Torrez announced through a press release that NMSU has completed nearly two-thirds of the recommendations laid out by the New Mexico Department of Justice in late 2024.

The alleged hazing and sexual assaults took place from July of 2022 through February of 2023. During this time, three basketball players allegedly hazed and sexually assaulted four teammates and two student managers. The three alleged perpetrators were charged with felonies, including criminal sexual penetration, false imprisonment, and criminal sexual contact.

Two of the alleged perpetrators, Kim Aiken Jr., and Doctor Bradley, agreed to plea deals and agreed to testify against Deshawndre Washington, the third alleged perpetrator. Washington was supposed to go to jury trial in April but it was postponed. 

Washington faces 15 felony charges and, potentially, 45 years in prison if convicted.

In the 2024 report, the NMDOJ states that these alleged acts, “did not occur in a vacuum but were reflective of a more persuasive toxic culture throughout the program.” The report continues by laying out 35 recommendations including earmarking funding for anti-hazing campaigns and more transparency measures.

In Ferme’s letter to the Attorney General, NMSU said that it has completed 21 of the recommendations including policies like prioritizing communication, providing more resources to the Office of Institutional Equity, and getting greater participation in exit surveys from athletes. Torrez said that NMSU has made “substantial progress on the rest.”

Some recommendations still in progress includes higher scrutiny for coaching hires, the creation of a sexual assault resource center, and coordinating anti-hazing initiatives to a single person in athletics.

The decision to report each recommendation as completed or in progress was made by NMSU officials.

In a statement, Ferme said, “We will continue to dedicate time and resources to addressing hazing and harassment to the best of our abilities.”

This has been one part of the larger effort by the NMDOJ and lawmakers to address hazing in the state. In the last legislative session, there were two separate bills called the Anti-Hazing Act, one sponsored by state Sen. Harold Pope and the other sponsored by state Sen. Antonio “Moe" Maestes, both Democrats from Albuquerque. Both bills failed but both would have criminalized hazing and failing to report it. 

In the 2024 legislature, state Rep. Elizabeth “Liz" Thomson, D-Albuquerque, sponsored a bill called Post-Secondary Affirmative Consent Policies, which mandates that New Mexico colleges that receive state funds incorporate trauma-informed policies when investigating sexual assault allegations. Thomson crafted the bill in response to the allegations against the NMSU basketball players. That law passed and was signed by the governor.

In the 2024 report, NMDOJ said that, “the lessons learned at NMSU demonstrate that statewide action is necessary.”

The report also said that New Mexico is one of six states without a law establishing anti-hazing safeguards.