Two UCF fraternities close amid probe into 'dangerous and degrading' hazing
Two fraternities at the University of Central Florida shut their doors following investigations into 'dangerous and degrading' hazing allegations, the university announced this week.
UCF's investigations of Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon confirmed hazing took place but did not lead to criminal charges because of a lack of cooperating witnesses, the university said in a press release.
The two fraternities' national organizations decided to shutter their UCF chapters after the March investigations by the UCF police department and administrators. The hazing allegations against Sigma Chi included witness claims that fraternity brothers ran into pledges with their cars.
The chapter's closures are indefinite, university spokesperson Courtney Gilmartin said Thursday.
Sigma Chi had about 80 members and Delta Upsilon had about 60 last year, according to a UCF report. It's unclear what will happen with the chapters' on-campus houses and the students who live in them.
Despite UCF police filing no criminal charges, the students involved in the hazing incidents are still subject to the student conduct process, Adrienne Frame, UCF's vice president for student success and well-being, said in a statement.
'UCF remains committed to fostering a culture of safety, integrity, and respect for all our students, including those in Greek life,' Frame said.
The university, however, did not provide any details on what punishment any of the fraternity members might face.
Sigma Chi has been a repeat offender at UCF, having been suspended eight times between 2015 and 2020, including four suspensions in 2019 alone. One of those 2019 incidents involved allegations the fraternity had blindfolded a pledge and forced him to use cocaine.
In March, the university announced the investigations into both fraternities and then released documents that detailed accusations that Sigma Chi brothers hit new members with a car.
Additional documents about the Delta Upsilon investigation were not available as of Thursday.
In February, a sorority member whose house sits next door to Sigma Chi's told police that she heard yelling, saw a car strike a young man and then heard someone shout 'help!' and 'my bones, my bones, they're broken,' the report said.
She reported seeing several men all wearing white shirts or polos with khaki pants, which she told police was common fraternity pledge attire. Other residents of the sorority later told police 'one of the boys got hit by a car.'
A detective assigned to the case wrote in the report, 'Sigma Chi brothers had allegedly forced new members to stand in front of cars while members of the organization hit them with cars.'
Police interviewed three Sigma Chi brothers that evening who said they had no knowledge of anyone being hit by a car or getting hurt and that they were playing basketball just before police had arrived. One officer described a fraternity brother as being 'evasive' when questioned.
A Kia matching the eyewitness description tried to leave the area driving with its headlights off, but police stopped the car. It's unclear what police found when they stopped the vehicle.
Police officers also checked inside the fraternity house and with local hospitals, but they did not find a victim they thought was related to the incident at Sigma Chi, the report said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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