UPDATE 2:57 p.m.: The story has been updated to include the details in the student conduct incident report as well as screenshots obtained by Knight News.
The Alpha Xi Delta sorority had been quietly placed on interim suspension by the University of Central Florida since Nov. 16, a suspension notice showed.
According to the notice, which was obtained through a record request, the sorority has been charged with “possession and/or providing false information”, two counts of alcohol-related misconduct, and hazing. The charges stem from an incident that took place at Señor Frogs somewhere off campus.
The suspension was upheld following a hearing Tuesday morning.
Knight News also received an incident report which details the testimony of an member of the sorority whose name was redacted. According to the report, the unidentified Alpha Xi Delta member went to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life on Nov. 6 with concerns about her chapter members.
On the day of the chapter’s “Big/Little Ceremony,” the date of which was not mentioned in the report, sorority members went to Señor Frogs instead of going to a restaurant, something the unidentified member said was not normal.
“While at dinner, one of the current members and big sisters, bought a pitcher of mimosas and proceeded to hold the pitcher to her little sister’s, a then non-initiated member, mouth and told her to ‘chug, chug, chug’ it,” the report says. “[The unidentified member] said other big sisters ordered drinks and shots for their little sisters and told them to drink it as well. She said the little sisters said things like they couldn’t wait to be hazed by their big sisters.”
The report also notes that the unidentified member noticed most of the little sisters were underage.
Alpha Xi Delta’s executive board was made aware of the behavior by the unidentified member and, according to the report, “they were upset she brought it up to them and now they were going to have to deal with it.” Instead, they “did not actually deal with it” and instead, allegedly, “a couple members of the executive board have targeted her.”
The member has since been put on probation but is “likely to drop her membership” with the sorority.
The fact that there was an incident at a Señor Frogs is corroborated by screenshots from what looks to be a Alpha Xi Delta-affiliated chat on the messaging app GroupMe. The names of the users have also been redacted, but they show one member, presumably the one left unidentified in the incident report, brought the incident to attention.
“So would I be the next [redacted] if I addressed the whole ‘not pouring alcohol down new members throats’ and hazing them, in the Facebook? Cause clearly that concept has gone out the window,” she wrote.
She continued: “I don’t want to just tattle on a couple girls & be a dick, so why doesn’t everyone just text [redacted] who they saw drinking with the new members too? Everyone that broke the rules to be help (sic) responsible.”
Another member insisted that she be texted the names of the people involved in the incident or she would otherwise “just waste time finding out myself.”
“Please don’t make me waste more of my time on stupid unnecessary bullshit,” she wrote.
Other members took issue with the incident being mentioned, with one noting that drinking as new members and in general is common and that “I don’t see why anyone needs to taddle (sic) or get anyone in trouble for something 90% of theta sigmas have done (sic).”
“If I didn’t see it, or hear about it, as far as I was concerned, it didn’t happen if that makes sense,” one member said. “As soon as I see it or it’s brought to my attention, we have a problem. I wanted to be able to pull the wool over my eyes on this one, but now I’m stuck.”
As part of the interim suspension, Alpha Xi Delta cannot participate in on- or off-campus events and previously scheduled events have been canceled. Scott Eberle issued a letter to the sorority that they will remain on interim suspension “until the University has completed the investigation process.”
Knight News was made aware of the suspension through rumors circulating social media.
This is a developing story. Check back periodically for more updates.
