UI: Fraternity members forced into “gauntlet”, hot sauce squirted into eyes
Lang
12/15/18
More details have been released about the hazing activities perpetrated by one of four University of Iowa fraternities kicked off campus earlier this week.
UI officials issued a copy of its letter to Kappa Sigma Thursday detailing the activities of the fraternity. The school says the fraternity forced pledges to drink then carry books around all day. If the books were ever dropped or put down, the pledges were forced to fight through a wall of fellow fraternity members in a ritual known as “the gauntlet”.
Another hazing activity included forcing underage pledges to sit in a room full of beer, wine and liquor and drink all of it before they were allowed to leave.
On November 2nd, pledges were gathered at 1:30am at the North Dubuque Street fraternity and forced to have hot sauce squirted into their eyes.
Kappa Sigma also hosted off-campus parties at The Union and The Summit despite strict rules regarding alcohol-related events.
Kappa Sigma was one of four fraternities to have its student organization status revoked by the UI on Thursday.
Vice president for student life Melissa Shivers announced Thursday that Kappa Sigma, Delta Chi, and Sigma Nu fraternity chapters and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon colony had their registered student organization status removed.
Shivers said the sanctions come after a two-month investigation by university officials into several fraternities which had been suspended earlier this year. She says the “pause button” that was hit at that time allowed them to look into and contemplate the allegations against the fraternities.
Seven more fraternities were placed on probation for allegations involving tailgates. Those include Acacia, Beta Theta Pi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Pi, and Phi Delta Theta. Two other fraternities – Phi Kappa Psi and Sigma Chi – were not found in violation.
The fraternities have until January 11th to appeal the removal of their status on campus to the Office of the Dean of Students. Because many of the fraternities are in privately-owned buildings, it is unknown what the status is of those living inside them.
