Penn State Responds to Whistleblower: We 'Strongly Dispute' Allegations

Penn State University “strongly disputes” allegations lodged by a whistleblowing student, including that school officials were aware of sexual assault and hazing at the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity.

Virginia resident James Vivenzio has sued the university because he endured what he said was life-threatening hazing as a member of the fraternity, which has since been banished from the campus.

In the lawsuit, Vivenzio, 21, alleges he told school officials of various forms of hazing and abuse, as well as about secret fraternity Facebook pages depicting naked women. Vivenzio alleges that he approached school officials regarding hazing at the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity months before it was shut down.

Penn State denies the allegations.

“The University strongly disputes the allegations in this complaint,” Penn State Director of News and Media Relations Lisa Powers said.

In his lawsuit, Vivenzio said he eventually went to police for fear that someone would die from the hazing, which included being force-fed buckets of liquor mixed with urine and vomit, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The hazing got so intense that Vivenzio took a year off from school and sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, the Inquirer reported. He reportedly told school officials of the alleged hazing during his time off from school, in April 2014.

Powers said when Vivenzio aired his concerns to school officials, Penn State staff “offered him extraordinary assistance on numerous occasions.”

Despite that, she said, Vivenzio chose not to file a complaint or participate in pursuing the formal disciplinary process “despite repeated encouragement from University staff.”

Powers said Penn State staff only became aware of the private Facebook pages operated by Kappa Delta Rho after being informed by State College Police.

Vivenzio’s lawyer said Penn State is not telling the truth.

“Penn State’s dismissive and demeaning statement is false and misleading in an attempt to conceal and blur the truth, and compounds the suffering of James Vivenzio,” his lawyer, Aaron Freiwald said in a statement.

Freiwald said in April 2014, during a meeting at his family’s home, Vivenzio showed Danny Shaha, the University’s chief investigator, ”dozens and dozens” of pages of documentation showing the sexual abuse and hazing, including photos from the secret Facebook pages.

In May, Penn State announced it had shut down Kappa Delta Rho for a “persistent series of deeply troubling behavior,” including the creation of the two secret Facebook pages.

A university investigation launched after the illicit Facebook pages came to light revealed members of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity in fact engaged in hazing activities and sexual harassment, the university said.