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ATHENS, OH – Ohio University suspends the men’s rugby team and two more fraternities while hazing allegations are under investigation.
Earlier this month, Ohio University suspended a total of 15 Interfraternity Council fraternities (IFC). These included three sororities and two business fraternities. Besides that, the Marching 110 band is also under investigation.
Now, two other fraternities and the men’s rugby team join the list of student organizations under hazing investigation.
The Rugby Club got a cease-and-desist notice, which will prevent the team from meeting in any capacity. The club, which is currently in the middle of the season, received the suspension after the University’s administration received hazing allegations.
While the marching band can continue with the scheduled performances, all other non-academic group activities are forbidden.
Meanwhile, the other two fraternity chapters that have been suspended are the Alpha Kappa Psi and the Pi Kappa Phi. They have followed the suspension of several other fraternities in a 48-hour timeframe.
These drastic measures have created controversy among the students. However, the heavy scrutiny comes after the tragic death of a freshman student last year during initiation.
The victim was Collin Wiant, from Dublin. Paramedics found him unresponsive at the Sigma Pi Epsilon annex house, surrounded by “whippits”. The autopsy confirmed his death was caused by the ingestion of nitrous oxide, which caused him to asphyxiate.
After the deathly November 2018 incident, OU expelled the Sigma Pi Epsilon fraternity chapter this spring. Besides, Wiant’s family filed a lawsuit.
All the student organizations are still under investigation and no criminal charges have been filed yet.
The department of Community Standards and Student Responsibility oversees the investigation. Those found guilty of violating the Student Code of Conduct could face a variety of consequences.
These could go from probation or suspension to even expulsion, of either the scholar groups or any individual student.
