The Inter-Fraternity Council announced in a statement Tuesday that all social events and new member activities for IFC fraternities are suspended until 11:59 p.m. March 20, and that all new members must be initiated by March 24. This suspension, according to the statement, comes as a direct result of the alleged hazing incident at Kappa Sigma fraternity Feb. 21. Ben Ueltschey, president of the IFC and third-year College student, said the incident led to the hospitalization of a student.
The University immediately suspended the Fraternal Organization Agreement for Kappa Sigma following the hazing incident, according to a statement from the IFC’s Governing Board posted to Instagram and emailed to all IFC members. The IFC said it agrees with the University’s decision and is also actively working with the University and state authorities who are investigating the incident.
“The Governing Board and all chapter presidents have made [this] decision as ‘a commitment to anti-hazing efforts and out of respect for the ongoing situation,’” the statement said. “Our primary concern is the health and well-being of the individual involved, and we extend our thoughts and prayers to the affected individual, their family and loved ones during this time.”
Kenyon Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, confirmed in a University-wide email Thursday that the incident at Kappa Sigma led to a student being “seriously injured.” Bonner said he is “grateful” that the IFC chose to suspend social and new member events for three weeks.
“I am intent on taking every step I can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our entire student body,” Bonner said in the email.
Ueltschey said he could not comment on the pending investigation, though he acknowledged it has been reported as a hazing incident.
Kappa Sigma was previously sanctioned by the University Judiciary Committee in Fall 2023 for multiple Standard 2 and Standard 6 violations, which involve intentionally or recklessly threatening the health and safety of students and violating University policies, respectively. Their FOA was suspended by the UJC after violating Standard 6 a second time in March 2023.
The first violation was for breaking University COVID-19 policy, while the second was for a party they hosted in which packing peanuts caught on fire. The two-term suspension of their FOA was observed for the summer and fall and was lifted at the start of the spring semester, just a month prior to this incident which led to another suspension of the fraternity’s FOA.
Lisa Kopelnik, chair of the UJC and third-year College student, previously told The Cavalier Daily that the Committee generally looks for patterns of behavior in organizational cases, which was the case in Kappa Sigma’s prior suspension.
The fraternity, founded in 1869 at the University, has a 155 year history on Grounds. Kappa Sigma’s website reports its place of establishment as Lawn room 46, a room still endowed to one fourth-year Kappa Sigma member each year.
A representative from Kappa Sigma did not respond to a request for comment.
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