ORLANDO, Fla. – A fraternity at the University of Central Florida has been suspended after a tipster reported hazing and drug use within the organization, according to campus officials.
A UCF spokesman said the tip was received on Nov. 18 through the school’s anti-hazing hotline.
Records show the tipster said he’s a member of Kappa Sigma and has watched the fraternity change for the worse during the past two years. He wrote that pledges are expected to stay awake until 2 a.m. so they can act as designated drivers for the brothers and they’re also forced to do other tasks and errands.
“Pledges are forced to clean the houses, the fraternity on-campus house as well as the houses of brothers who live off campus and also have to do them ‘favors,' which can include anything from getting them food to walking their dogs,” the tipster wrote.
He claimed that pledges are sometimes forced to “drink entire bottles of alcohol” and smoke marijuana, according to university documents.
He also outlined behavior designed to embarrass or humiliate the pledges, records show.
“Some pledges are forced to walk around with ‘pet’ fish no matter where they go or forced to carry demeaning book bags to class,” the tipster wrote in an email.
The student said pledges were told to wear suits and ties and stand in a hallway while brothers yelled “demeaning names” at them and made them sing songs or recite information about the fraternity, reports from the university said.
The tipster claimed drug use is rampant.
“Within the house there are various types of illegal drugs with the two most used being marijuana and cocaine,” the email read. “There are brothers who live in the house with large amounts of illegal drugs who openly sell drugs to pledges and other brothers within the fraternity. Pledges are sometimes forced to sell to brothers their prescribed drugs like Adderall among other things.”
Records show that the student feared backlash because “lying and cover ups are common within the fraternity.”
On Thursday, school leaders sent members of the fraternity a letter notifying them that the organization had been placed on interim suspension, meaning the group can’t participate in socials, mixers or other events. The fraternity is also prohibited from hosting regularly scheduled business meetings.
“This alleged behavior violates the university’s code of conduct and is contrary to our values. While these allegations are investigated, the chapter has been placed on interim organizational suspension and is prohibited from participating in all activities,” a UCF spokesman said.
A hearing to review the allegations is scheduled for Dec. 5.