Earlier this year, Cornell University’s Omega Phi Beta sorority became one of the seven Greek organizations at the university disciplined for hazing during the 2016-17 academic year.

Representatives of Omega Phi Beta’s national sorority, according to a university investigation, subjected Cornell’s new members to forced calisthenics, verbal abuse and eating and drinking restrictions, among other things.

Another Greek organization held a contest they called a “pig roast,” where new members could earn “points” by having sex with women. The new member who had sex with the heaviest woman would win if there was a tie with another member, according to the website.

Cornell releases detailed descriptions of hazing violations committed by student organizations, such as fraternities, sororities, athletic teams and music groups, in an effort “to overcome secrecy and to help prospective members know about a group’s history of hazing,” according to its website.

The decision to publicly disclose that information is rare among Syracuse University’s peer institutions — the 16 universities SU chooses to compare itself to. Universities and Greek organizations nationwide have come under increasing scrutiny in their handling of hazing violations in the wake of four fraternity pledge deaths in 2017.

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SU only began publicly listing limited information on Greek conduct violations this semester.

Two fraternities at SU, Delta Tau Delta and Delta Kappa Epsilon, have been disciplined for hazing violations during the 2017-18 academic year. DTD was suspended in fall 2017 and DKE was placed on probation in January.

SU goes further than most if its peer institutions in releasing even brief information related to Greek conduct violations. Of the 16 peer institutions, only four in addition to SU — Cornell, Lehigh University, American University and Southern Methodist University — disclose any details of conduct violations on their websites.

Cornell releases detailed descriptions on hazing violations. Lehigh and AU release summaries of conduct violations committed by Greek organizations. SMU releases chapter statuses that include a brief, one-word explanation about why an organization was disciplined.

SU, on the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs website, releases information on whether a Greek organization is in good standing with the university, being disciplined, being investigated or suspended for Student Code of Conduct violations. It also currently lists the eight fraternities currently banned from operating at the university.

At SU, three fraternities are on probation, two on “disciplinary reprimand” and one is under investigation. The length of the disciplinary periods are publicly posted on the FASA website, but the nature of the conduct violations for most organizations is unknown.

“Because some of these violations can be sensitive in nature, one-to-one communication as it relates to the specificity of the violation is the most appropriate way to ensure the privacy of the students impacted,” an SU spokeswoman said in an email Sunday.

The Daily Orange only confirmed that DTD and DKE were disciplined for hazing after asking university or fraternity officials.

Alpha Epsilon Pi, the second SU fraternity suspended during the 2017-18 academic year, is publicly listed on the FASA website as an organization that’s not recognized by SU. The details surrounding the AEPi’s suspension are unknown, other than that the fraternity’s conduct threatened a student’s safety during the new member process. The violation, though, was not hazing.

According to FASA’s website, the following fraternities have been disciplined for code of conduct violations:

• DKE is on disciplinary probation through December 2019, and social probation through December 2018, for conduct violations related to hazing.
• The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is on disciplinary probation through March 2019, and on social probation through May 2018. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Sigma Chi fraternity is on disciplinary reprimand through September 2018. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity is on disciplinary reprimand through December 2018. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Psi Upsilon fraternity is on disciplinary reprimand through October 2018, and social probation through May 2018. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.

An investigation into hazing at the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity was opened in December 2017, according to Department of Public Safety crime logs.

Published on March 18, 2018 at 10:47 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18