University of Miami fraternity being investigated over hazing allegation, reports says
.jpg "In this stock photo, a sign post is seen outside the international headquarters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon in Evanston, Illinois on March 10, 2015.")
The University of Miami is investigating allegations that one of its fraternities engaged in vile hazing activities, reports say.
UM said Thursday it received several widely shared videos depicting conduct violations, one of which they confirmed was authentic.
“A full investigation is underway,” the university wrote in a statement.
Officials did not specify which fraternity is under scrutiny nor did they detail the violations. However, the investigation comes after The Miami Hurricane, the university’s campus newspaper, first reported Thursday that the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon was involved in hazing allegations.
A video revealed members of the fraternity participating in a possible hazing incident in their house’s backyard, the newspaper reported. One member stepped into a trash can while three others crowded around chugging milk until they eventually vomited the fluids onto the student.
The university told The Hurricane, “The Dean of Students Office is aware of the incident. We take these situations seriously and are looking into the matter.”
If the members were found to be hazing, their actions would violate the Chad Meredith Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2005. The law is a Florida anti-hazing statute in which the students could face felony or misdemeanor charges.
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity Service Center, the fraternity’s national chapter, told the Miami Herald it received a report stemming from an alleged incident involving the University of Miami chapter.
“We have placed our Chapter on a Cease & Desist and are working jointly with the University to investigate,” the national chapter said.
The latest allegations come two years after UM closed its Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter in 2022 after a video surfaced of an off-campus pool party that showed fraternity members chanting about having sex with a woman.
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 10:13 PM.
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