ORONO, Maine — HazingInfo , a database created with help from the University of Maine, is giving students and their parents the information they need when choosing a college.

With the new school year right around the corner, leaders hope it can be a tool to prevent hazing incidents and create a safer college experience.

Jolayne Houtz, the founder of HazingInfo, said her son Sam Martinez died in a fraternity hazing ritual at Washington State University in 2019.

"Our lives have never been the same since," Houtz said.

"It just changed everything for us," she added. "We miss him and his bright smile and his wonderful personality every day."

That heartbreaking loss led Houtz and her husband Hector Martinez to create the website HazingInfo.org . It's a free national database of college

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