A University of Miami fraternity has been suspended for the remainder of the spring semester weeks after disturbing video captured a hazing incident sparked outrage.
The video from the Miami chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon showed members downing milk before spitting it onto the naked back of a student sitting in a trash can.
The incident did not cause these sanctions but led to a deeper probe into the fraternity’s behavior, which found violations of the Florida school’s conduct and alcohol rules.
The investigation, however, determined that the milk incident did not run afoul of university hazing policy, which describes it as ‘an action or situation created on or off campus which recklessly or intentionally harms, damages, or endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student.’
‘While the investigation did not uncover a violation of the University’s hazing policy, it did uncover other conduct violations,’ the university said in a statement.
A University of Miami fraternity has been suspended for the remainder of the spring semester weeks after disturbing video captured a hazing incident sparked outrage
‘As a result of the investigation, the chapter has accepted responsibility for violating the University’s disorderly conduct and alcohol policies.’
An attorney behind a 2005 lawsuit that led to the state enacting tougher hazing laws said it was unlikely this constituted hazing because it was unlikely to kill the pledge.
‘Based on what I saw in the video, what they were doing to this guy was not likely to cause serious injury or death,’ David Bianchi, whose lawsuit led to the the Chad Meredith Act over the death of a baseball player nearly two decades ago, told CBS Miami.
‘There’s not going to be any criminal prosecution against anybody, but the university and the national fraternity will take action because it is hazing and it is a violation of policies.’
The organization cannot host or attend any official events until school is back in session in the fall.
Members will be allowed to keep living at their fraternity house but if any other violations during their probationary period occurred, it could see them further punished, the Miami Herald reports.
Bianchi believes incidents like this won’t stop happening until sanctions get even tougher.
‘There needs to be consequences if you want to stop inappropriate fraternity conduct in the future,’ Bianchi said.
The video from the Miami chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon showed members downing milk before spitting it onto the naked back of a student sitting in a trash can
Members will be allowed to keep living at their fraternity house but if any other violations during their probationary period occurred, it could see them further punished
‘While the investigation did not uncover a violation of the University’s hazing policy, it did uncover other conduct violations,’ the university said in a statement
In the footage, obtained by NBC South Florida in early March, one student is seen seated in a trash can while the three others surrounding him start chugging what appears to be jugs of milk, before spitting out the mystery substance on the man’s back.
The person taking the video is heard saying, ‘That’s nasty.’
In a statement at the time the video was publicized, the university acknowledged the existence of the videos and can ‘confirm the authenticity of one video.’
‘The University of Miami has received multiple reports related to alleged conduct violations by one of our fraternity chapters,’ the statement read. ‘We are aware of videos being circulated but can only confirm the authenticity of one video. A full investigation is underway.’
‘Personally it’s just not for me,’ UM Junior Nick Giannakopoulos said to NBC Miami. ‘I think that’s a very extreme path to take to join a student organization.’
‘Pretty much to each their own in terms of if they feel they want to do that to make the most of their college experience; I know that’s a big part of the culture here,’ he added.
In November 2017, a Florida State University junior was killed by acute alcohol poisoning after alleged hazing while participating in Big Brother Night, a fraternity event hosted by Pi Kappa Pha.
Andrew Coffey, 20, was a civil engineering major from Pompano Beach.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon cannot host or attend any official events until school is back in session in the fall
‘Personally it’s just not for me,’ UM Junior Nick Giannakopoulos said to NBC Miami. ‘I think that’s a very extreme path to take to join a student organization.’
The Tallahassee Democrat reports that officers were collecting alcoholic beverage bottles that were scattered on the home’s porch as evidence.
Coffey was found unresponsive at about 10:25am the morning after the party, authorities say. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
The fraternity has been suspended by its national organization pending the conclusion of the investigation.
A year earlier in 2016, Florida State University has suspended the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, after a member complained that pledges were forced to act like slaves in a Plantation-themed drinking game.
The unnamed TKE member waited until he graduated to report the 2013 incident on the school’s anti-hazing website.
According to the report, TKE members forced pledges to participate in a drinking game called ‘Old South,’ in which the new members were made to act as slaves and serve drinks to the more senior fraternity brothers.
TKE brothers also reportedly drove pledges to far-away locations like Ocala (185 miles away) or Thomasville, Georgia (34 miles away), and abandoned them there to find their way back to Tallahassee without their cell phones or wallets.