A University of Iowa fraternity is facing scrutiny after an alleged hazing.
The UI chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon was placed on interim suspension by the Office of Student Accountability in November for alleged “hazing” and “misconduct on organizational property,” according to the university’s Student Organization Accountability Action Summary. The Cedar Rapids Gazette first reported the incident.
The fraternity president and representatives for the national chapter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The suspension comes less than a year after the fraternity was reinstated following a 2018 UI crackdown over hazing and other alcohol-related violations. Three fraternities and one sorority were suspended at the conclusion of the investigation.
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter was also removed from campus in 2012 after the national fraternity canceled the organization’s charter.
The university was not specific about why the national fraternity canceled its charter in its 2012 release, but wrote that the University of Iowa “does not tolerate hazing or unsafe and illegal consumption of alcohol in any of its student organizations.”
Sigma Alpha Epsilon has 18 members in the fraternity, according to last spring’s statistics.
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New federal law requires mandatory reports of hazing
The Stop Campus Hazing Act was signed into law in December after passing through Congress with overwhelming support. Colleges and universities across the country must begin collecting hazing statistics and report them in their annual security report, which is released by the UI each October. The law went into effect Jan. 1.
“The bill expands on the Clery Act’s foundation to address hazing,” the University of Iowa wrote in a release.
A few definitions of hazing have been expanded, including certain types of hazing like sleep deprivation, alcohol consumption and confinement in small spaces.
The Clery Act was signed into law in 1990 following the rape and murder of Jeanne Clery on the Lehigh University campus. Clery’s parents argued that, in the wake of the incident, if high campus-related crime statistics had been available and known, Clery would not have attended the school. Any school that participates in federal student aid programs must produce an annual security report according to the law that went into effect in 1991.
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UI Police finish investigation of Alpha Delta Phi, no charges filed
The criminal investigation into another fraternity accused of hazing, Alpha Delta Phi, has reached a conclusion and no further charges will be filed, UI Chief of Staff and Public Information Officer for Campus Safety Hayley Bruce confirmed on Wednesday.
The fraternity was also placed on interim suspension in November for allegedly blindfolding 56 pledges and throwing food on them at the frat house.
More: University of Iowa suspends Alpha Delta Phi for alleged hazing with blindfolds, thrown food
Iowa City and University of Iowa police responded to a fire alarm at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house, 703 N. Dubuque St., just before 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 15. First responders discovered the blindfolded pledges in the fraternity’s basement, “with food thrown on them,” according to a criminal complaint previously obtained by the Press-Citizen.
One person, 21-year-old Joseph Gaya, was charged with interference with official acts as a result. Gaya allegedly “stood in front of the officers in the doorway of the room full of pledges” and “refused to move for officers,” according to court documents.
Gaya is not a University of Iowa student, and he does not live at the fraternity house, according to police.
The University of Iowa’s own investigation is ongoing, according to the action report.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Why has Iowa’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity been suspended?