UPDATE: UCF e-mailed us the full student conduct report just as we were posting this story. Click here to read it.
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Shocking new details have emerged since KnightNews.com broke the story about Mu Sigma Upsilon’s interim suspension, including reports that the pledges were forced to undergo a “steam room” hazing ritual.
KnightNews.com has confirmed with UCF officials that a call from a pledge’s parent in late March prompted the sorority’s interim suspension.
“After speaking with the parent and reviewing the allegation, UCF issued an interim suspension to the sorority,” UCF spokesman Chad Binette said in an e-mailed statement.
KnightNews.com is still waiting for UCF to release more details of the apparent hazing allegations, however Local6.com obtained the report submitted to UCF’s Office of Student Conduct. The web site reports how pledges were forced to do hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups, and were driven to houses off campus only to be kicked out with no way to get home.
According to Local 6, “The documents reveal the incidents were first reported to UCF on March 23, when a mother of the pledge called Scott Clark, UCF’s assistant director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, to report the calisthenics, verbal abuse and sleep deprivation.”
Local 6 is reporting that Clark detailed the mother’s conversation in a report, where he also wrote, “I expressed … that these actions are not tolerated at UCF and that hazing is a serious issue. I read her Florida’s Hazing Law to get my point across that what [her daughter] was experiencing is not right and against the law.”
A state lawmaker told the TV station he thinks a criminal investigation should take place.
KnightNews.com has requested more information from UCF, along with a copy of the reports. Once we get more details, we will post them here.
Despite this being the second allegation of severe hazing to come out this week — the first being Kappa Alpha Psi getting suspended for an alleged brutal beating of a pledge with canes — UCF stands by its Greek system.
“We value the scholarship, service and enthusiasm our Greek community brings to UCF,” Binette said. “We will conduct a thorough, timely and fair review of the allegation.”
KnightNews.com received texts to our tipline yesterday defending the multicultural sorority.
The tipster told us that Mu Sigma Upsilon recently won Organization of the Year for DGC, and had the highest GPA for fraternities and sororities in fall 2009 and that the sorority had the highest Standards of Excellence score for DGC organizations, a multicultural Greek council.
The tipster also attacked KnightNews.com for asking for information about the allegations on our Facebook status. The tipster claimed doing so “can be termed as harassment considering this organization has been bombarded with text, calls, and in person questions” as a result. KnightNews.com’s legal experts disagree with that claim.
KnightNews.com reminded the tipster that before breaking news of how the sorority was suspended, an e-mail was sent to the president of the organization and we held the story for days waiting for a response. If the sorority decides to send KnightNews.com a statement, we will promptly post it.
We are working to track down the victim so we can interview her and get more details. If you have any information to help us track her down, please text us at 407-5-tip-ucf. You can also e-mail us at news@knightnews.com or send us an anonymous tip by clicking the “Send Story Tips” link at the top right of this page.
We will post updates on this story as we get them.
(Click next page below to read the full report)
