Brutal hazing allegations were the subject of UCF’s latest secret conduct hearing — and KnightNews.com only found out about it because it was referenced in records we requested.
It’s yet another controversy UCF has kept hidden from the public in its string of secret conduct panel hearings during a time when the school tries to defend itself against a Knight News lawsuit that would require it to open these hearings to public scrutiny and be transparent about how they treat organizations accused of breaking the rules.
According to an incident report form filed by Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Clay Coleman, an anonymous caller reported that his roommate and cousin was returning home in the early hours of the morning in “physical pain and discomfort,” which resulted in “his inability to sit or lay down for an extended period of time.”
“The caller also described hearing his cousin wince in pain in his private bedroom over the past four days,” the report says.
The caller told Coleman that he believed his cousin may have been paddled by the organization he was wishing to join. UCF later determined that Phi Beta Sigma was the only organization to fit the description given by the caller.
On September 18, several days after the report was filed, the fraternity was notified that they were placed on interim suspension.
Phi Beta Sigma was found not in-violation by UCF’s conduct panel — which stated that, based on the information at the hearing, there was no indication that any potential member was endangered mentally or physically nor suffered any type of physical harm, such as paddling. The panel is said to have interviewed three members who expressed interest in the organization and all three stated that at no time were they subject to hazing.
At the end of the hearing, the panel came to an “inescapable conclusion” that the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity did not haze any prospective member during that week in September.
Because these hearings are closed to the public, it is also unclear why one organization gets out of anonymous hazing complaints while others, like Alpha Tau Omega, don’t. And UCF charges hundreds of dollars to obtain the tape which would shed more light on whether UCF did all it could to protect the students allegedly being victimized.
But another issue arose during our investigation into this brutal hazing claim involving the same fraternity.
According to an email from a chapter leader, which was submitted as part of the evidence in the hazing investigation, the fraternity held what appears to be an unregistered alcoholic recruitment event on May 18th, 2013 at 7 p.m. The event was advertised as “a game knight with the bros currently in the chapter” that was to feature drinking games such as “beer pong” and “flip cup.”
“This will be a great opportunity to get to know the brothers you are not yet familiar with,” the email states.
We asked UCF why there was no accountability for this unregistered event, especially in light of how UCF has come down hard lately on fraternities from other councils, such as ATO, for alcohol at events.
According to UCF, the information in that email came to the attention of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities after the initial hazing hearing date and charges for the hazing allegations had already been provided to the organization.
“The office is currently looking into the matter,” UCF spokesperson Courtney Gilmartin said. “Once the appeal window expires for the organization as it relates to the hazing case, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities may pursue charges regarding the email correspondence in question.”
But documents released to KnightNews.com say the fraternity was found not in-violation and therefore, it was unclear what appeal UCF was referring to.
