The campus chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. has been suspended for three years, according to the Office of Greek Life.
A March 9 incident report, obtained from campus police records, states that a 20-year-old black male campus resident suffered internal injuries during an initiation. The police report lists the victim’s relationship to the offender as “frat.”
“Hazing is something that the university takes very seriously,” Robin Campbell said. Campbell is the director of the Office of Greek Life. She said her office, along with the vice chancellor for student affairs and the dean of students, decides the punishment for fraternities and sororities who engage in hazing.
Phone calls and messages left for Judy Rashid, the dean of students, were not returned. Attempts to reach Roselle Wilson, the vice chancellor for student affairs, were not successful.
North Carolina law defines hazing as: “to subject another student to physical injury as part of an initiation, or as a prerequisite to membership, into any organized school group, including any society, athletic team, fraternity or sorority, or other similar group.”
A violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
The university’s punishment for hazing is listed in the student handbook. The handbook states that hazing penalties and restrictions governing the intake process are “due to past destructive activities of several fraternities and sororities during the intake membership process.”
Punishment, according to the student handbook, includes criminal prosecution, university disciplinary action, and sanctions.
Lieutenant M. Tillery, the officer who is listed on the incident report, declined to give any specific information regarding the investigation or the incident report.
Nationwide, 44 states have laws prohibiting hazing.
On April 10, five students who are members of Florida A&M’s Kappa Alpha Psi chapter were arrested and charged with third-degree felonies relating to hazing. Under Florida statute, they could be sentenced to five years in prison and $3,500 fines.
- Chad Roberts