Clarification: On May 5, 2025, I received a letter from a Mrs. Rich. I am posting most of the letter below. Thank you for writing, Mrs. Rich. –Hank Nuwer
Good afternoon Hank,
Thank you for your efforts to bring awareness to the dangers of hazing. I do, however, respectfully have a clarification for your April 5, 2024, post about Phi Zeta Delta at Washington & Lee. A casual reader who comes across your post could easily believe that 1) there is an actual victim of hazing and 2) the fraternity is accusing the victim of lying.
My son was a member of Phi Zeta Delta (Phi Delt) at the time of the alleged incident and my husband and I were involved in the resulting litigation (the case recently settled). I completely understand, and have seen first hand, the presumption of guilt when fraternities are charged with hazing. However, in this case, there was no hazing, there was no accusation of hazing by any victim or firsthand witness, and it was the W&L administration who repeatedly harassed the alleged victim and accused him of lying.
A very brief summary: Phi Delt was suspended and had their lease revoked after the IFC held a secret hearing based on the testimony of an anonymous, hearsay witness who said they heard that Phi Delt stabbed a pledge in the mens room of the Leyburn Library on the evening of Saturday, January 29, 2023. The claim was ludicrous on its face and easily disprovable. Phi Delt was not aware of the accusation until after the hearing had taken place—they had no opportunity to present evidence, cross-examine the hearsay witness, or give testimony in their own defense.
As soon as Phi Delt received notice of their suspension and were told the underlying charge, the alleged victim presented himself to the university infirmary to allow them to search his person in an attempt to prove he had not been stabbed nor physically assaulted in any way. He met with multiple deans and administrators, sharing with them private medical records from the night in question (he did see a doctor that night, but it had nothing to do with hazing, Phi Delt, or an assault of any kind, as the deans well know after seeing the records), as well as the records of the physical inspection. The fraternity implored the university to review the library swipe logs and surveillance video, either of which would prove that no Phi Delt brother was at Leyburn at any time during the night in question. All fraternity officers, pledges, and the alleged victims parents signed sworn affidavits attesting under penalty of perjury and subject to the school honor code that no hazing took place.
…
My husband and I have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars fighting this injustice because we believe that truth matters. Our son’s rights and his reputation matter, as do those of his fraternity brothers.
This incident outrages me as parent of one of the actual victims of W&L’s aggressive overreach, but it also outrages me as a person who believes in due process, and as a person who believes that all students, in greek life or not, should be safe from physical harm on their campus. As an anti-hazing advocate, W&L’s behavior should outrage you, too. While insisting to this day that a violent assault took place on campus, the university has been strangely incurious as to who the alleged assailants actually were—the brothers were never questioned by any deans, the police were not called, the crime was not investigated beyond a cursory report by a security officer (who also did not question any Phi Delt brother), no individual was accused, nor were any individuals punished.
So, either a violent crime took place and the university largely turned a blind eye, only acting to seize the valuable property of the fraternity, or there was no violent crime and the fraternity’s property was unjustly stolen, their right to assemble was revoked, and their reputations were damaged for nothing. In either scenario, Washington & Lee has behaved very badly.
The whispers, innuendo, and false rumors that flew around such a small school at the time the suspension, as well as the loss of their house and their associations, were very painful for the Phi Delts at the time. Now, concerns about continued reputational damage as they enter graduate school, the military (two, including my son, are now Army Infantry officers, one is at Marine OCS), and other careers where they may need security clearances or otherwise have extensive background checks. The risk of longterm harm is real.
Hazing is never okay, but neither is lying about hazing, as W&L has continued to do for over two years. Please consider a clarification to your post to help prevent further harm to my son and his brothers.
Thank you and
Warm regards,
Anna Rich
