UMD Fraternities Innocent of Hazing

UMD fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha has been cleared of all hazing charges.

The Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Office of Student Conduct at the University of Maryland have found a string of fraternities not guilty of hazing after allegations surfaced earlier this year.

DFSL suspended Kappa Alpha Psi, a historically black fraternity and member of the Pan-Hellenic Council, mid-February after the fraternity was charged with hazing, according to the Diamondback.  According to the fraternity’s website, Kappa Alpha Psi prohibits any form of hazing in its chapters.

Delta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha and Tau Kappa Epsilon, members of the Interfraternity Council at UMD, were also cleared of hazing allegations filed at the beginning of the semester.

DFSL is working with these four fraternities to ensure hazing charges never arise again, working with the fraternities in membership reviews and meetings with DFSL staff.

Delta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Tau Kappa Epsilon will remain on social moratorium until the end of the school year, according to DFSL, meaning the three fraternities cannot host socials or parties, and cannot participate in Greek Week.

Diamondback columnist defends Greek life

In today’s Diamondback, Maryland student Andrew Steinberg defends the reputations of the campus’s sororities and fraternities, writing, “The American Collegiate Fraternity System — commonly known as “Greek life” — is more than 234 years old. And, as recent news at our university has revealed, fraternities and sororities — just as other institutions — have their faults, weaknesses and rotten apples. But these recent blemishes have been the result of poor direction and senseless judgment rather than fraternity and sorority life’s underlying principles.”

And he’s right– actions of one Greek house do not necessarily reflect other houses on campus.

U-Va. Pledge Hospitalized After Eating “Strange Meal”

And in more hazing-related news, a University of Virginia Zeta Psi pledge was hospitalized March 1 after consuming an entire bottle of soy sauce, according to the Washington Post. The student was hospitalized for four days.

Pledges in the fraternity reportedly ate a meal of dog food, gefilte fish, matzo balls and soy sauce earlier that day.  The police (with the support of the university) are now investigating the incident– If students are found guilty of hazing, they face expulsion from the university.

Zeta Phi Beta: A Lesson on Hazing

So much for not hazing.  Last week, several members of the historically African-American sorority Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. at the University of Maryland were charged with assault and allegedly hazing for beating pledges, according to the Washington Post.

According to police, the sorority sisters beat a female pledge, slamming her into a wall and attacking her body– including hitting the woman with an oak paddle.  The events occurred in October, say authorities, and the sorority was suspended from campus in November.

The women charged are Amber Bijou, Bridget Blount, Montressa Hammond, Kandyce Jackson, Tymesha Pendleton, Zakiya Shivers and Monika Young.  All seven women are in their 20s.

Four national Greek councils exist at the University of Maryland: Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association, Pan-Hellenic Council and the United Greek Council.  Zeta Phi Beta was a member of the Pan-Hellenic Council, composed of nine historically black sororities and fraternities.  The Council is not affiliated with IFC, PHA or UGC.

According to the sorority’s website, Zeta Phi Beta advocates scholarship, sisterly love, service and finer womanhood—in today’s culture, is it really necessary to paddle a pledge to prove her sisterly love?

“I’m annoyed,” said journalism major Alex Scarfone, a sister of Sigma Kappa. “One chapter’s choice to haze makes the rest of Maryland’s Greek life look terrible.”

Zeta Phi Beta’s website also advocates against all types of hazing. “Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., has a membership intake policy, which forbids all forms of hazing,” reads the website.