Two more University of Georgia fraternities accused of hazing have been permitted to resume activity after authorities were unable to substantiate the allegations.
The pauses on Sigma Chi and Pi Kappa Phi were lifted in late September.
It is the third time this semester that a hazing investigation has been closed at a UGA frat because interviews with fraternity members did not produce evidence supporting the claims.
In mid-September, UGA received a report about Pi Kappa Phi. An anonymous caller alleged the frat was depriving pledges of sleep, forcing them to drink excessively and burning their forearms with cigarettes, according to the incident report. “Lives might be in danger in the next 24 hours,” the tipster told UGA.
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department conducted a welfare check of Pi Kappa Phi but no one answered the door and there was no sign of anyone inside, according to UGA. The UGA Office of Greek Life “interviewed members and was not able to substantiate any of the claims in the anonymous report,” the school said.
On Sept. 22, ACCPD concluded an investigation of Sigma Chi. The frat had been accused of punching pledges, forcing them “to drink copious amounts of alcohol beyond their capacity,” and having pledges send videos of themselves chugging alcohol to fraternity leaders. Police interviewed more than 100 fraternity members and pledges. “None of the above (members) admitted to having involvement in or experiencing hazing,” wrote one officer.
A similar scenario took place in August. Authorities investigated claims that Sigma Nu pledges were forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Police interviewed pledges and members, but none provided evidence to substantiate the anonymous report.
The same tipster who reported Sigma Chi also included a single line about Sigma Alpha Epsilon, alleging pledges were forced to do drugs. Athens-Clarke County police said it turned the investigation over to UGA’s Office of Greek Life “due to the lack of actionable information.” UGA said it conducted a “thorough review” of the SAE allegation. An SAE chapter representative said that to its knowledge, the chapter had not been contacted about the matter.
Experts say hazing can be challenging for universities to stop, in part because organization members rarely admit to wrongdoing.
Elizabeth Allan, director of the Hazing Prevention Research Lab at the University of Maine, said many students don’t want to get their friends in trouble. Others fear retribution. “Something we hear a lot from campus professionals is how incredibly difficult it is to get the documentation they need, because no one wants to be the one reporting the organization they’re seeking to belong to,” said Allan, a professor of higher education.
ACCPD records from the Sigma Chi investigation include a voicemail sent to its tip line. The tipster said students feared retaliation and that fraternity members encouraged fellow members to delete videos on their phones.
One individual at Sigma Chi told police that he heard on Yik Yak, a social media platform, that “someone had been pretty physical.” Asked if it was hazing or “horseplaying,” the student continuously stated that it was “both,” according to ACCPD records. An attorney for the student later told police the student would not do another interview. A detective filed a search warrant to get access to the conversation through Yik Yak but it was denied.
Gregory Parks, a Wake Forest University professor who has researched hazing, said many students don’t know the actual definition. “If you don’t think what you experienced or what you participated in is hazing, you’re not going to call it hazing,” he said. “They may say the person was just going along with it, they were enjoying it, or they weren’t resisting it. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not hazing.”
Sigma Chi International Fraternity said in September it was launching its own investigation of the UGA chapter. It did not respond to requests for comment following the lifted pause.
The national Pi Kappa Phi organization said it takes all hazing allegations seriously and cooperated fully with police and UGA. The national Sigma Nu organization also said it cooperated with the investigation, adding that, “Sigma Nu Fraternity was founded in direct opposition to hazing.”
Hazing has been a misdemeanor in Georgia since 2021, when the state Legislature passed the Max Gruver Act. Named after a Roswell teen who died from alcohol poisoning during a hazing incident at a Louisiana State University fraternity in 2017, it can result in a $5,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
Last week, two women were arrested on hazing charges after an alleged incident with members of Fort Valley State University’s marching band.
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