COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Court documents obtained by WUSA9 give new insight into what triggered an investigation involving Greek Letter organizations by the University of Maryland’s Office of Student Conduct. According to legal filings, the school received several anonymous allegations of hazing among Greek lettered organizations between Feb. 20th and Feb. 29th.
As a result of those allegations, the university, citing an investigation, temporarily suspended all Greek life social activities involving alcohol and new member initiation.
In one alleged complaint, on Feb 27th, court documents say the alleged victims were "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."
This is just one of several alleged incidents of hazing described in a legal filing submitted to Maryland’s Federal District Court.
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."
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