On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed into law the first federal legislation aimed at combatting hazing, fulfilling a long-standing request from families of victims for enhanced transparency and accountability in colleges.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act, which received approval from the U.S. House of Representatives in September and from the U.S. Senate this month, mandates that colleges begin gathering statistics on hazing incidents for inclusion in regular public reports.

These new obligations could take effect as early as next week and will have a broad impact on various campus organizations.

Currently, federal law requires colleges and universities to reveal annual crime statistics on their campuses. However, despite the sometimes deadly and serious consequences of hazing, there has never been a federal requirement for schools to report such incidents, particularly those involving fraternities and sororities targeting new members.

Although nearly every state in the U.S. has enacted anti-hazing laws, the scope and effectiveness of these laws can differ significantly, as noted by the advocacy organization StopHazing. Previous efforts to establish a federal anti-hazing law have not succeeded in Congress.

Following the enactment of the law, various colleges will need to align their current policies with the new federal mandates. The legislation also encourages educational institutions to launch detailed hazing prevention initiatives and to identify which student groups violate anti-hazing rules.

Julie and Gary DeVercelly Sr., whose son tragically lost his life due to hazing at Rider University in New Jersey in 2007, recognized President Biden’s signing of the bill on Tuesday.

“We have fought tirelessly for this change,” they stated in a shared message. “No parent should ever have to bury their child due to a preventable incident like hazing.”