Category: Hazing News

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Hazing News

Texas State Phi Kappa Psi Pledge Matthew Ellis dies in San Marcos:

Pledge Matt Ellis dies following fraternity initiation

 

Here is the story link

 

Hazing Memorandum

TO:       All Students, Faculty and Staff

FROM: Dr. Margarita M. Arellano

Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

RE:      Hazing Memorandum

DATE:    September 27, 2017

 

The Texas Legislature enacted an anti-hazing law in 1987. The state law provides penal sanctions in the event of a conviction of hazing. According to this law, individuals or organizations engaging in hazing could be subject to fines and charged with a criminal offense.

Hazing on the part of students, faculty or staff is strictly forbidden, whether on or off campus. Texas State University students are expected to be partners in fulfilling the mission of the University by creating and maintaining standards within student groups, teams and organizations that are conducive to personal growth and development. If student groups, teams and organizations are to play an integral part in the University’s plan, they must set standards that encourage each individual to achieve his or her greatest potential. Hazing is the antithesis of this goal because it results in diminishing an individual’s pride and self-esteem. The University will take disciplinary action against individuals and/or groups who are involved in hazing activities. Such disciplinary action may be taken independently of state or local prosecutorial actions.

 

Definition

State law defines hazing as “any intentional, knowing or reckless act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization whose members are or include students at an educational institution. The term includes but is not limited to:

1) Any type of physical brutality such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or similar activity;

  1. Any type of physical activity such as sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, calisthenics, or other activity that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student;
  2. Any activity involving consumption of a food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, liquor, drug, or other substance which subjects the student to an unreasonable risk or harm or which adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student;
  3. Any activity that intimidates or threatens the student with ostracism that subjects the student to extreme mental stress, shame, humiliation, or that adversely affects the mental health or dignity of the student or discourages the student from entering or remaining registered in an educational institution, or that may reasonably be expected to cause a student to leave the organization or the institution rather than submit to acts described in this subsection; and
  4. Any activity that induces, causes or requires the student to perform a duty or task which involves a violation of the Penal Code or Code of Student Conduct.

 

  1. Personal Hazing Offense

A person commits a hazing offense if the person:

  • Engages in hazing
  • Solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another in engaging in hazing
  • Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly permits hazing to occur
  • Has firsthand knowledge of the planning of a specific hazing incident involving a student in an educational institution, or has firsthand knowledge that a specific hazing incident has occurred, and knowingly fails to report said knowledge in writing to the Dean of Students office, Student Involvement @ LBJSC or other appropriate entity or official of the institution

 

  1. University Disciplinary Rules

The law does not restrict the right of Texas State University to enforce its own rules against hazing, and the University will take disciplinary action for conduct that constitutes hazing regardless of whether public authorities prosecute students under the state hazing law.

 

· Hazing with or without the consent of the student is prohibited by Texas State. Both the individual(s) inflicting the hazing and the person submitting to the hazing are subject to disciplinary action. The fact that an individual consented to or acquiesced in a hazing activity is not a defense to prosecution of an offense under the hazing law, and neither will it be under the University’s disciplinary process

· Initiations or activities by organizations may not include any feature which is dangerous, harmful or degrading to the student. A violation of this prohibition renders both the organization and participating individuals subject to discipline

 

  1. Disciplinary Actions

The disciplinary actions assigned/determined in a particular case will vary dependent on the nature of the conduct involved, the circumstances and conditions that existed at the time and the results that followed such conduct.

Possible Actions include but are not limited to:

 

· Disciplinary warning

· Disciplinary probation

· Withholding grades, official transcript or degree

· Bar against readmission or drop from current enrollment and bar against readmission

· Required participation in specific educational programs

· Restitution

· Suspension of rights and privileges

· Suspension

· Expulsion

· Revocation of degree, denial of degree and/or withdrawal of diploma

 

  1. Immunity from Prosecution Available

In an effort to encourage reporting of hazing incidents, the court may grant immunity from civil or criminal prosecution to any person reporting a specific hazing incident involving a student in an educational institution to the Dean of Students or other appropriate official at Texas State. A person reporting in bad faith or with malice is not protected by this section.

 

  1. Texas State Alcohol and Drug Amnesty Statement

Texas State is committed to the holistic well-being of its students. In an effort to encourage Texas State students to call Emergency 911 in case of a drug or alcohol related medical emergency, a student will be granted amnesty from formal university disciplinary procedures if:

· The student requested medical assistance in response to the possible alcohol or drug overdose of another person;

· The student was the “first” person to make a request for medical      assistance;

· The student remained on the scene until medical assistance arrived; and

· The student cooperated with medical assistance and law enforcement personnel.

The reporting student will be expected to provide an account of the episode/event to a university official regardless of the amnesty standard being applied.

 

  1. Disciplined Organizations

In accordance with requirements of the Texas Education Code, Section 51.936(c), the following organization(s) have been disciplined for hazing and/or convicted for hazing as of the last three years when the sanction was complete.

 

http://greekaffairs.dos.txstate.edu/Hazing.html

Categories
Hazing News

Stay tuned for a wrapup of known info in Philippines death

Here is the direct link. It comes up, just a little slowly.

Categories
Hazing News

“AKA The Hazin’ Cajuns”–Louisiana Lafayette’s Alpha Kappa Alpha now under scrutiny for pledge malpractice: KATC reports

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has lifted suspensions on four fraternities whose activities were halted earlier this year, but university records now show one sorority is under investigation for its own alleged hazing.

Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Nu and Theta Xi are all reinstated “based on recommendations from the national organizations,” university spokesperson Charlie Bier said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

Those fraternities were placed on interim suspension in September while the university investigated “reports of conduct that did not comply with policies and procedures of the University and of the four national organizations,” Bier said, adding that the university “supports” the decisions and “will continue to monitor the fraternities.”

Kappa Alpha, Sigma Nu and Theta Xi are on probation and have submitted corrective plans to the university, according to records KATC TV3 obtained through a public records request. Those plans include heightened monitoring and required education programs on conduct.

The documents do not provide in-depth detail about what activities led to those sanctions, but their corrective plans do address behavior common to hazing allegations.

All of Theta Xi’s members are now required to complete courses on topics like alcohol, sexual assault and consent and mental and physical health. Sigma Nu will also complete training on hazing, and alcohol is banned from their facilities until May. Kappa Alpha is requiring at least half of its members to complete online education courses on alcohol and sexual assault. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is now operating under “alumni control.”

Sorority now under investigation

Meanwhile, the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority is under investigation for alleged hazing and other misconduct, according to the records.

Members of the sorority allegedly engaged in an altercation with members of another sorority in October; hazed new members; lied to some students about new membership activities, affecting their ability to participate in the process; and failed to comply with the Office of Greek Life when it requested information about that information, according to correspondence from the sorority’s regional headquarters to the Epsilon Beta chapter at UL-Lafayette.

All of the sorority’s activities are suspended while its higher-ups investigate the allegations, according to the letter,. The sorority’s members are prohibited from meeting, participating in events or wearing any of the sorority’s paraphernalia.

These latest activities in university Greek life come months after fraternity Kappa Sigma was expelled from the university because of hazing allegations that led to the death of another university student, who had no affiliation with Greek life. And in September, the conversation got louder when LSU freshman Maxwell Gruver died after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, allegedly because of hazing.

On Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards met with university system leaders in private to discuss the review on their hazing and drug and alcohol abuse policies. Edwards had asked the university systems tor review those policies after Gruver’s death.

“This is not an issue that I or the system presidents are gonna let slip away. This is going to be an ongoing discussion. There’s never gonna be a point in time where we say, ‘Mission accomplished. We’ve reached the finish line.’ Because every year you get new students on these college campuses,” Edwards told media after the meeting.

Documents shed new light on Kappa Sigma investigation

At UL-Lafayette, Kappa Sigma is now subject to legal action on allegations active members forced sleep deprivation on its pledges during the 2016 Homecoming weekend, then forcing some of the pledges to be their designated drivers, according to lawsuits and internal university documents.

One of those pledges ended up falling asleep at the wheel and killing another student, Rustam Nizamutdinov, who was walking along the roadway, according to lawsuits and documents related to the incident. The suits allege both institutions failed to protect pledges from hazing.

In the records KATC TV3 obtained, at least one university official raised concerns about the fraternity’s conduct just one week after Nizamutdinov’s death. The university suspended the fraternity in mid-February and forwarded the hazing allegations to Kappa Sigma headquarters.

By the first week of March, the fraternity told the university it found no evidence of wrongdoing and said it lifted the chapter’s suspension — but the university told the fraternity the suspension would remain in place while it conducted its own investigation, which lasted the next several months.

Kappa Sigma ultimately revoked the chapter’s charter in July. The fraternity said in a statement to KATC TV3 on Wednesday that chapter members initially lied during the fraternity’s internal investigation.

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Hazing News

Good journalism about a bad coverup: Another hazing death–covered up one year

Emails Show How UL Kept Its Kappa Sigma Hazing Investigation Under Wraps For Nearly A Year

NOVEMBER 9TH, 2017  PHILLIP BOUDREAUX LAFAYETTE

One day after the University of Louisiana at Lafayette publicly acknowledged that hazing from Kappa Sigma may have led to the tragic crash that killed an international UL student back in 2016, News 15 is uncovering how the university kept its hazing investigation under wraps.

Although the general public didn’t know of Kappa Sigma’s suspension until News 15 reported on it in late September, a draft of the letter notifying the UL Greek Community of the suspension had been circulating in Martin Hall since early August.

The letter urged Greeks to not comment outside of the community instead referring all media request to the Office of Communications and Marketing.

One Dean of Student personnel, Heidi Lindsey emailed the Dean of Students, Margarita Perez, on August 14th saying, “We’re ready to send this, just in case someone leaks it, do you want Aaron to know that we’re sending this?”

Aaron Martin is the Chief Communications Officer of the university.

Other media outlets also contacted the university about the investigation in late August.

Perez then told Martin that the Dean of Students personnel who received the emails quote knows not to respond until we tell them.

Out of dozens of pages we’ve received from UL about its investigation, not one of them had a response from Martin.

In defense of the university, the Assistant Dean of Students, Erica Schwartz sent an email to a kappa sigma representative expressing concern immediately after the crash that took Rustam Nizamutdinov’s life.

In February, after the Kappa Sigma national organization had cleared the UL chapter of any wrongdoing and was ready to reinstate its charter, the administration shut down that effort and kept the chapter on suspension while it performed its own investigation, which it presented to the national organization at the end of April.

In July, the UL chapter was expelled from the Kappa Sigma organization.

According to documents from the university, four of its other fraternities, Theta Xi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Nu and Kappa Alpha, are either operating on a probational basis or under suspension.

Theta XI, Sigma Nu and Kappa Alpha are allowed to operate within supervisory restrictions, while Sigma Alpha Epsilon is suspended, with no further documentation of its status given.

One sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, is currently under suspension after its regional office received reports of fighting, hazing and falsification of reports.

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Hazing News

Michigan dumps pledging & social activities after more than 2 dozen hospitalized

Here is the article from the UM student newspaper and a link

 

Interfraternity Council suspends all fraternity social activity in midst of hazing, assault allegations

Matt Harmon
Daily Staff Reporter
Thursday, November 9, 2017 – 8:32pm

Presidents of several University of Michigan fraternities convened at a meeting Thursday night to discuss the future of the Interfraternity Council — the governing body of National Interfraternity Conference fraternity chapters at the University. Those in attendance at the meeting voted to suspend all social activities and new member pledge terms pending investigation of several incidents in Greek life.

In the meeting, attended by The Daily, the IFC executive council outlined several events that have taken place in fraternities across campus that led to the decision to suspend all social events. The allegations include: claims of sexual misconduct cases involving fraternity brothers, six incidents of reported hazing, more than 30 hospital transports for students during the weekend of the football game against Michigan State as well as seven called during Halloween weekend, an unauthorized “Champagne and Shackles” event — in which dates at a party are handcuffed to one another until the two people finish a full bottle of champagne — which transpired this past weekend, multiple allegations of drugging members in undisclosed fraternity chapters and three specific hazing allegations reported this week where fraternity members were put in alleged near-death situations.

The suspension includes a ban on social events like mixers and date parties, hazing activities with new pledges — including lineups — and general brotherhood meetings involving alcohol.

After the IFC meeting ended, The Daily obtained two emails that were sent to Delta Phi Epsilon and Alpha Epsilon Phi members confirming the decision of the council.

In the meeting, IFC members urged the committee to vote in favor of the suspension because if the suspension was mandated by the University or the North-American Interfraternity Council, IFC would have no say in when the suspension is removed. With this decision, the council itself can determine when the suspension will be lifted. However, IFC executives made it clear this suspension is not being taken lightly.

Date parties and social activities that have already been paid for will still be allowed to take place — but, according to the executive board, these events will have to submit bank statements and official plans for sober monitors at the events.

Chris DeEulis, assistant director of Greek life and IFC adviser, clarified the definition of a social event as to imagine an impartial source was looking at an event and it looked like a fraternity-sponsored social event, and therefore would be in violation of the suspension.

In a statement sent to the Daily after the time of publication, IFC Executive Vice President, Alec Mayhan, stressed that the decision made by the council tonight was a measure taken to address these serious allegations before resuming social events.

“As an Interfraternity Council community, we believe in holding our members to a high standard at the University of Michigan,” Mayhan wrote. “It has come to our attention that some members of the Interfraternity Council community have not been living up to these standards… We believe that social events are a privilege, and we, as a community, have not earned this privilege at this time. We will immediately begin the process of assessing our policies and practices and developing a formal plan going forward.”

The suspension also mandates a halt on initiation activities for current pledges. According to the executives, NIC will be coming to fraternities and initiating the pledges in the coming weeks.