Hazing Details Including Drinking Urine Emerge In UMD Investigation Into Greek Groups

COLLEGE PARK, MD — Details have surfaced in the investigation into Greek Letter organizers by the University of Maryland's Office of Student Conduct.

According to legal filings, the school received several anonymous reports of hazing among Greek organizations between Feb. 20-29. Those reports prompted school officials to temporarily suspend all Greek life social activities involving alcohol and any new member initiations.

In one complaint, court documents obtained by WUSA9 stated the victims reported "being burned with cigarettes and torches, having to lay on nails and being forced to consume things like live fish, chewing tobacco and urine, in addition to being spat on." Another report stated that a student was forced to stand in the cold and later was treated at the University Health Center for suspected hypothermia.

"The anonymous reporter also alleged to have personally experienced: Being forced to attend a 'Line Up' at which they abuse you for hours on end (5 in my experience) where they force you to wall sit, do push-ups, plank, intentionally harm oneself, be naked/in underwear for the purpose of public humiliation and be physically assaulted. At one of these events one individual passed out as they refused to provide us with water and forced us to drink straight vodka and they did nothing to help him, in fact they hit him in the face with a plastic bat and poured beer on him until he woke up," court documents stated.

Four fraternities asked a federal court to block the University of Maryland, College Park’s suspension of new member program activities, claiming that their First Amendment rights are being violated, reported The Baltimore Banner. The petition, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, was filed by the UMD chapters of Theta Chi, Kappa Alpha Order, Alpha Sigma Phi and Alpha Tau Omega, along with three students listed as John Doe.

“The directives that members of these chapters may not speak to one another about what the University is doing is clearly an infringement upon First Amendment freedoms of speech,” wrote attorneys Alfred Dumetz Carry and Micah Kamrass in the motion for a temporary restraining order.

According to a release from the Fraternity Forward Coalition, the restraining order would bar UMD from implementing restrictions on ordinary and philanthropic activity that administrators outlined at the beginning of March, WMAR reported.

“We have never seen such an egregious abuse of power in higher education administration. Administrators began with their preferred outcome – that fraternities and sororities must be cut down to size. So, they launched a dragnet operation that infringes students’ civil liberties and subverts the school’s own administrative procedures,” Fraternity Forward Coalition spokesman Wynn Smiley said. “This new ‘guilt by association’ standard affects not only the one in seven University of Maryland students who are in fraternities and sororities, but it also creates a chilling effect throughout the student body that administrators can, on a whim, violate their rights to freedom of association and due process and then coerce them into participating in a meritless interrogation rife with innuendo and speculation.”

The university lifted a blanket suspension on most fraternities and sororities Friday, and a ban on social activities involving alcohol and new recruitment.

"As a result of evidence suggesting involvement in hazing or other incidents that threatened the health and safety of our campus community, the university is continuing its investigation of five chapters through the Office of Student Conduct," UMD Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Perillo said in a statement. "These chapters will continue to be subject to limited restrictions on their activities while the investigation continues. In addition, individual students will also be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for potential violations of the Code of Student Conduct."

Court documents also showed that the fraternity Kappa Alpha Order remains under investigation for alleged hazing and alcohol abuse. The other four fraternities were not listed in court documents. But Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Nu and Zeta Beta Tau were the remaining Greek life organizations not cleared to resume activities according to a list released by the university Friday afternoon.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Fraternity Forward Coalition says:

“Finally, on the eve of spring break, the University of Maryland does the right thing. Sadly, it took them two weeks and the threat of a judge's ruling to do it. We are astonished by the school’s willingness to repeatedly violate their students’ civil liberties – their rights to freedom of association, due process and privacy – and their own administrative procedures in chasing a meritless investigation. We will continue to pursue litigation against representatives of the University of Maryland for their unlawful behavior in targeting members of fraternities and sororities. Administrators who participated in or were complicit in this egregious erosion of student liberties must be held accountable."

Here is a full list of the actions the University of Maryland has said it will take in light of the situation:

• Fraternity and Sorority Life Working Group – We will assemble a working group of students, staff, faculty and alumni to assess ways we can improve safety and well-being, and foster a culture of integrity and accountability.
• Training Review – We will conduct a comprehensive review of all existing IFC and PHA training programs on recruitment and alcohol-related activities to address gaps and reinforce healthy behaviors.
• Reporting – We will establish expanded reporting mechanisms for students, faculty, staff, families and alumni to share possible instances of hazing or other concerns in real time.
• Student Conduct – We will review the Code of Student Conduct, as it relates to hazing and alcohol-related incidents to align with best practices.
• Partnership and Communication – The Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life leadership will continue to identify ways to work and facilitate communication with chapter advisors and national organization leadership on matters related to our fraternity and sorority community.
• Alcohol and Other Drug Education – We will develop more comprehensive and evidence-based educational opportunities for all chapter members regarding alcohol and other drug use.