The Theta Chi fraternity had its Fraternal Organization Agreement terminated after Student Affairs deemed that hazing misconduct in violation of University policy took place in March, the office revealed July 2. The Hazing Misconduct Report also affirmed the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity’s FOA termination — which was announced in April after reports of hazing that led the national organization disaffiliating with the fraternity — and referred Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity’s cases to the University Judiciary Committee.
The latest findings by Student Affairs brings the total number of terminated fraternities at the University to four — two of which occurred in the past semester.
The University suspends a chapter’s FOA while it investigates any reports of violations against University policies or Standards of Conduct, including hazing. If it finds evidence of wrongdoing, it can terminate the chapter’s FOA or refer the case to the UJC for further investigation and sanctioning. Individual perpetrators may also be referred to the UJC.
The report, published July 2, stated that Theta Chi coerced or required new members to attend “lineups” at the chapter house, where the new members would recite information about the fraternity and would be punished if they answered incorrectly. The fraternity would also ask new members to consume “heinous foods” like habanero peppers, from which some contracted illness and experienced loss of feeling in limbs, according to the report.
New members were also verbally harassed, asked to perform tasks for brothers of the fraternity, forced to clean the chapter house and perform other “pointless tasks and embarrassing activities,” according to the report.
Student Affairs stated that members of Theta Chi frequently misled University officials in their investigation. Theta Chi will not be able to pursue reestablishment until the 2028-29 academic year at the earliest, according to Student Affairs.
The Hazing Misconduct report stated that Sigma Alpha Mu engaged in many of the same hazing activities as Theta Chi, including lineups where new members were asked to recite information, forced to consume various food items — which led to some new members vomiting on themselves— and asked to perform “pointless tasks and embarrassing activities.” Fraternities also required new members to sleep over at the chapter house or affiliate houses on certain nights, according to the report.
According to the report, Pi Lambda Phi also required new members to participate in lineups, where they were asked to recite information about the fraternity, and the fraternity punished new members using calisthenic exercises if answered incorrectly. The fraternity also coerced or required new members to clean the chapter house, go on morning runs and perform additional tasks for members of the fraternity, like swiping them into dining halls.
The report stated that Sigma Alpha Mu and Pi Lambda Phi both fully cooperated with the investigation and admitted to the hazing activities. The University did not assign a specific sanction to either fraternity and instead referred the organization to the UJC where sanctions could be assigned.
Harper Jones, UJC chair and fourth-year College student, said in a statement to The Cavalier Daily that although she cannot comment on the details of ongoing UJC cases, hazing “directly contradicts” the values that the UJC seeks to promote in the University community. Jones also said the UJC expects to hear these cases early in the fall semester.
The final fraternity mentioned in the report is Pi Kappa Alpha. The University previously terminated Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity’s FOA in April after confirming undisclosed hazing activities took place. The fraternity’s national organization also disaffiliated from them and said it would take legal action against certain students involved. The report has now revealed details about the investigation and its findings.
The report stated that the fraternity coerced or required new members to attend lineups, where they were asked to do a number of activities, including stripping down to their underwear and putting on blindfolds. The fraternity would then quiz new members about fraternity information and punish them with exercise if they answered incorrectly, according to the report. They were also physically and verbally abused and forced to consume various food items, including cottage cheese and hot sauce. The report stated that some of the physical abuse incidents included putting hot sauce on new members’ genitals.
In the report, Student Affairs said members of Pi Kappa Alpha misled the University officials during their investigation by providing false information about hazing incidents later determined to have occurred. The fraternity will be suspended until the 2028-29 academic year at the earliest, and any additional organization found to be a successor to Pi Kappa Alpha with the same members is prohibited. Any attempt to rebrand while maintaining the same membership and structure would delay the return of Pi Kappa Alpha to Grounds, according to the report.
Pi Kappa Alpha was denounced by the national fraternity, which said it would pursue civil litigation against some individual members of the University’s chapter. Individual students in Pi Kappa Alpha have also been referred to the UJC where sanctions could be assigned.
Notably not in the Hazing Misconduct Report is a finding in the investigation of Kappa Sigma fraternity, which was suspended pending investigation in February after a student was hospitalized in an alleged hazing incident.
University spokesperson Bethanie Glover said in a statement to The Cavalier Daily that Kappa Sigma’s FOA remains suspended until law enforcement can provide the details of their criminal investigation. Glover said case details are expected to be added to the Hazing Misconduct Report in the coming weeks.
The full Hazing Misconduct Report can be found on the Student Affairs website.
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