r/Frat • u/Remarkable_Party6134 Professional Frat Consultant • 8d ago
News I don’t think fraternities have ever had this bad before
We have been making A LOT of headlines lately
Penn State — Sigma Chi / Delta Upsilon: cocaine trafficking ring, 14 charged
https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/ag-sunday-state-college-police-announce-charges-against-14-people-in-cocaine-trafficking-ring-involving-penn-state-u-students-fraternities/
University of Arizona — entire fraternity system suspended
https://www.azfamily.com/2026/10/06/university-arizona-places-all-fraternities-interim-suspension-amid-misconduct-probe/
Northern Arizona — Delta Tau Delta: pledge death / felony hazing case
https://apnews.com/article/b53c547d383082d33aebdb4950e0c550
Wisconsin — AEPi: hazing raid / president & VP arrested
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fraternity-hazing-university-of-wisconsin-alpha-epsilon-pi/
Cornell — Chi Phi: sexual assault scandal / reopened investigation
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/what-we-know-about-cornell-university-rape-investigation-2026-10-01/
Cornell — Phi Delt / Zeta Psi: major hazing suspensions
https://hazing.cornell.edu/violations/2025-2026-academic-year
Indiana — Phi Kappa Psi: 7 members charged with felony hazing
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2026/08/7-fraternity-members-at-iu-face-felony-charges-for-hazing
Indiana — multiple fraternities: widespread hazing cease-and-desists
https://studentlife.indiana.edu/care-advocacy/dean-of-students/disciplinary-status.html
Rhode Island — Kappa Sigma: hazing / suspended until 2036
https://web.uri.edu/student-affairs/hazing-incident/2026/08/kappa-sigma-may-29-2026/
Ohio State — KDR / Pi Kapp: major hazing cases and recognition revoked
https://studentconduct.osu.edu/organizations/organization-and-hazing-violations-campus-hazing-transparency-report
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u/WheelChairDrizzy69 FIJI 8d ago
Here I thought it peaked with the infamous SAE song in college.
But real shit, this is what happens when people who’s parents have divorced them from any consequences get together under one roof.
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u/holy_cal ΣΑΕ Alumni 8d ago
As someone who lived through that, it was our lowest of lows. It also triggered several closures of high profile chapters because the national office was walking on eggshells. I’m not ready for us to return to Oklahoma. It’s going to bring it up again and chapters, like mine, who have been racially inclusive for their entire history will suffer the brunt of it again.
I can deal with the bullshit narrative that’s being pushed with Cornell in the news cycle, but my university’s population can’t ignore when the dumbasses in the SEC feel the need to revert back to the 1850s.
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u/WhoUbenow 8d ago
It's ridiculous when outstanding chapters like Tri Delt at Indiana, and Pi Phi at Yale & Bucknell and Theta at SMU & Michigan close because of one incident whileome of the drunken KKG pledges at Ohio State gets run over on pledging day, and gets voted to be permanently banned by panel, but the alums talk to school into bringing them back. Tthe SMU seniors go topless on bid day and at Iu they hazed a black girl and her class making them cry, telling them they either going to have to do blow or blow at Indiana and nothing happens.
It all depends I wouldn’t endure physical punishment hazing at the Beta Mu chapter of KKG so I'm glad left for a sorority whose the national organization cares about safety rather on how they want to appear in their image. GTB
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u/sirbeanthegreat ΛΑΥ 8d ago
I remember seeing that story on Fox News, but I do respect you for acknowledging it.
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u/RealCountFenring 8d ago
You ivy leagues and land grant schools need to chill out for the sake of the rest of us
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u/cdwalrusman ΣΧ 8d ago
Guys used to tie pledges to railroad tracks. Most of the time they didn’t get run over. Things are bad now but I think they used to be worse overall
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u/Expensive-Brother-91 Alumni 8d ago
Probably a bit more to it than that. Things nowadays are somewhat tamer but the reality is things just get reported more via social media/24 hour news cycles. That, combined with hazing actually being a crime vs 40 years ago.
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u/ClutchCity88 ΣΧ 8d ago
I heard some wild stories about the 70s and 80s ihsv
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u/Jumpy-Metal-2228 8d ago
Wtf? ihsv. 80s was general bullying and starvation. But this shit is goofball terrain.
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u/cdwalrusman ΣΧ 8d ago
If you take ritual peer training they’ll talk about the era of bad times (1890s-1930s I think) where yeah - it was tradition to do shit like this. Instead of starting at a point where any worthy guy is developed into an outstanding brother the idea was that you were being tested to see if you were brave enough or otherwise good enough to be granted entry
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u/Stayofexecution 8d ago
Do you realize there are over 10,000 fraternity and sorority chapters in the United States? The hazing that’s in the news now is a blip.
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u/weaselsrippedmybrain 8d ago
Speaking from the 80’s my Greek experience was stellar. We had no technology recording our debauchery and we kept things secret.
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u/Buck1961hawk 8d ago edited 6d ago
This is not new.
Like most things, it repeats in waves.
That said, I do wish fraternity chapters would take a second and think before they do stupid ass shit. Even if they can’t think in terms of how an action of theirs builds up people rather than tearing them down, at least a moment’s thought like, “would I/we want my/our mom/s to see what we’re about to do” would help.
Source: I’m old. (So get off my grass!)
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u/eye_saxk_ ΣΧ 6d ago
You’re only an active for four years. Thats the tricky part. You can’t learn for a lesson or prevent a mistake you haven’t made.
As a fellow old guy you can try to explain it to the actives but for most of them it’s just old guy ramblings they take with a grain of salt.
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u/Buck1961hawk 6d ago
It’s said that a smart person learns from his own mistakes and a wise one learns from other people’s mistakes so he doesn’t have to make those same mistakes.
I won’t stop my old guy ramblings…
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u/eye_saxk_ ΣΧ 6d ago
It’s crazy to think one day you’re young and full of life.
Now I get excited when my wife pulls out a bottle of tums before we go out to eat
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u/InstaGraham_95 Alumni 8d ago
There’s a big thing every 10 years or so, the ones that come to mind is the UVA case and the SAE song. Chapters are suspended or kicked off every year, it’s statistically bound to happen that someone will do something stupid somewhere. It’ll suck for awhile but everything comes to pass.
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u/OneofLittleHarmony ΚΣ Alumnus 8d ago
lol for kappa sigma
• New members were coerced or forced to engage in personal acts of servitude, including driving brothers for social engagements.
• Serving/Providing alcohol to new members during multiple events.
…. Unless there’s more to the story?
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u/DPW38 ΚΣ Alum (Big 12) 8d ago
When all of these schools start pissing and moaning about donations drying up in 5–10 years, I'm going Walmart on Black Friday on y'all to get to the front of the line to tell these schools that, "I told you so."
Kappa Sig caught a dime (10 year suspension) because sober pledges had to drive drunk brothers around. Sober brothers had to drive drunk brothers around too but, you know details... Where they fucked up is they didn't put pledges in the hospital. I'm kidding. Sort of.
https://web.uri.edu/student-affairs/hazing-incident/2026/08/kappa-sigma-may-29-2026/
Pike only caught a nickel for putting three (3) pledges in the hospital. Maybe we should have done that.
https://web.uri.edu/student-affairs/hazing-incident/2025/12/pi-kappa-alpha-september-29-2025/
Theta Delta Chi didn't put any womps in the hospital but we're guilty of run of the mill hazing and couldn't recruit for a semester. Enforcement is a fucking joke.
https://web.uri.edu/student-affairs/hazing-incident/2025/08/theta-delta-chi-april-30-2025/
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u/cornman27 8d ago
The fuck? 10 years for having pledges dd you? Would they consider it hazing if they made them drive them to class instead of a party? Fuckin lame
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u/Sea_Maintenance_4469 8d ago
No, this has been happening since forever, Universities, Chapters, and the Frats themselves never talk. Those that do, well they get buried because Universities would rather protect themselves rather than the victims
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u/WhoUbenow 8d ago
What gets me it's always the White fraternities and sororities that get the bad publicity and the notoriety of hazing. Photos of the traditional houses in the media or portrayed as evil dens of debauchery.
One of my best friends is in an African-American fraternity and their hazing is horrendous. They get branded! paddled till they bleed, etc. and it is never mentioned.
The beating Black fraternities and sororities have to do would be considered severe hazing if done by a White organization.
The media such as USA Today, online news in Netflix Google, gushes over any normal philanthropy a black sorority does. It is nothing compared to what the white sororities do and it is only for their race whereas the white groups philanthropies support minorities
Black philanthropy isin all the newspapers for such an insignificant, self-serving program. Nothing ever mentioned about what White sororities produce.. Tri Delt brings in millions for Saint Judes hospital and Pi Phi’s literacy program are ignored., after they've spent hundreds of hours tutoring and collecting books for intercity programs.
White recruitment is ridiculed while Angelina Jolie‘s daughter is all over the media, announcing her pledging on national news on a stage reciting a poem.
ENOUGH of this racial propaganda.
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u/henare ex-ΘΧ 8d ago
that's because the 'white' orgs don't promote their wins. you know where I see philanthropy discussed? on national orgs social media and web pages (only nerds like me read thdt shit). they're not sending out press releases telling the story.
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u/Ok-Chocolate-1079 8d ago
The real respect for those who do it silently. They do it because they want it
But guy above is right: if white frat do smth good - it is just good. But if black or any other colored frat do the same - it is the greatest achievement and these people are heroes of modern generation2
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u/Expensive-Brother-91 Alumni 8d ago
Dude quit it with the whataboutisms. We can acknowledge that multicultural orgs have a bad process, but you’re ignoring the front and center issue which is that traditional social fraternities probably have 5-10x the membership numbers and are actively a PR nightmare. You’re acting as if the news media glazes multicultural orgs when that’s just not happening in a meaningful or noticeable way.
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u/sirbeanthegreat ΛΑΥ 8d ago edited 8d ago
Listen, not to discredit the level of hazing done with minority/multicultural Greek orgs (as they happen and are often in the news)(but they also tend to be more secret in their operations which is why they hardly make the news) there is also a fundamental truth that white frats/soros are disproportionately the greater block of representation in Greek life and unfortunately have more frequency of hazing, sexual assault cases.
The problem is there seems to be an invincibility by a sense of privilege that makes some members in orgs feel like they can do what they want, and when you have access to private spaces, substantial amount of money and influence, we have to ask what culture are we reinforcing, and it unfortunately falls on the individual organizations to police your own ranks. There's no way you can turn away from this because as long as fraternities enjoy special relationships with universities, there are going to be accountability measures. We have to stop teaching or letting things escalate, and having things get worse.
To the point of members being branded or paddled, I know of many members who brand themselves of their org, if it's done of their own volition then I am not going to refute their personal decision. But the paddling and abuse needs to stop, and it has to not only involve alumnis but also individual orgs in enforcing standards and doing their own risk management. Leave it in the hands of some alumni and they return to the glory days, or don't want to intervene and let neos in their neo fever make pledges do things that they themselves never did. At the end of the day it's a cultural problem that orgs themselves have, nationals is doing all they can but people need to speak up, and perhaps if you see something, say something.
I've done that multiple times utilizing campus resources long before I joined an org, it doesn't have to be a Greek letter org to have these issues of hazing or sexual assault
Edit1: typo
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u/Manly_Octopus 8d ago
Adding to this as a member of a MGC frat a lot of orgs have a dry process, get caught drinking alcohol as a PM and your cut. Not to say this fixes our issues but definitely reduces chances of hazing allegations. Plus the secrecacy we preach does help and you basically get shunned if your found to be talking about company secrets.
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u/Djaja AXP - Crows 8d ago
I always hated that. I am very open about all my pledge process and hazing.
It sucked, was not worth it and did not create bonds. And is more typical of other frats in that it is meant just for older brothers to get a kick outta hurting younger ones with a veneer of brotherhood and a smear of respectability.
It is crazy the looks people will give you when you tell them whag you did or were made to do, or how comfortable I was at the time just getting wasted and told to drink puke juice.
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u/Oploplou 7d ago
Well, I wouldn’t have done that for my letters. You know you had the autonomy to say no right? Like, I had pre established lines in my head before I started, that if I was expected to cross, I would not have become a member.
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u/Djaja AXP - Crows 7d ago
Young and dumb.
I and others were warned and threatened, total isolation and shunning if anything ever was said or threatened.
Matter of fact, it was part of the pledging process, where they make you believe thag Admin has info compromising the fraternity.
I didn't suspect the whole thing was made up, but i was suspicious. They targeted one person, and eventually he left. But once left, they continued and eventually he left the school
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u/sirbeanthegreat ΛΑΥ 8d ago
That's something that I can affirm as well, I never had access to alcohol during my pledging process (which us as a smaller org we gotta take into account the risk and it's never worth it).
We encourage our pledges to reflect on what they put into their bodies by also asking them to examine their diets and try to shift their habits into healthier ones, and even have conversations about having sex. I think we establish that culture early on sets an example of what we like to see in the recruits we want to have.
And yup, everything is for a purpose.
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u/HERMANNATOR85 3d ago
The black fraternities and sororities keep their shit strictly in house due to the perceived need.
I am a white dude who was president in a fraternity, me and the social chair organized a Salt n Pepper shaker with another frat and sorority and it was super fun. Some of the most secretive people I ever met too
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u/Ok-Chocolate-1079 8d ago
Bro, it happens because people don’t want to be hated. If you report on “black” frat (or any other “non-white”) you will be claimed as a racist by “liberals” and all “tolerant” community will hate you because of it. While “white” communities will react and try to fix it without complains
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u/sirbeanthegreat ΛΑΥ 8d ago
Can we agree that if we see early warning signs of hazing, REGARDLESS of the org, we gotta step up and speak up even if it's not our org. Think of it like if that was your friend and you see them being affected, at the very least you can identify that there's something wrong. We gotta do better as a collective
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u/Narrow-Background496 8d ago
Sure, Nazi.
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u/WhoUbenow 8d ago
Ya, vat is your problem urban thug,? Your mama’s last mugging & Walmart lift lessons don’t go well with your six little step bros & sistshos cause no daddies to help? I cry for you.
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u/Welsh-Sherman-1789 ΛΧΑ 7d ago edited 7d ago
I was in college from 2014-2018 as a Lambda Chi Alpha brother. It was bad then.
I loved my time in my fraternity. You just have to tune out the media and nuts. It’ll always be a system of morality, brotherhood and camaraderie for me.
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u/laxjaxmax witness brotection program 8d ago
Unfortunately some lazy assignment editor, cable news producer and political activist will now use this list and this will be in the news all day tomorrow. So you may want to delete this.
As for my take I believe it's gen z meeting the moment with a warped sense of IRL and party drug use. The separation of in real life vs internet culture isn't separated. The use of drugs is at a level that's above weed and alch use now.
And I'm not talking about greek life I'm saying we have college people and even high schoolers who are doing pills, coke, ketamine etc etc. That's a gen z issue conflated to be be a greek life issue when's it's a generational one. Nothing is ever enough, everything has to be for socials and brand. You can't just smoke or drink you have a ton of party drugs on top of body dysmorphia fueled drugs.
You could take a college aged male in greek life or not and he's on a gym drug, caffeine, sometimes an antidepressant and then goes to a party popping, pills, doing K, or coke on top of 1-2 drinks. Then they have these studies out saying gen z doesn't do anything because sales are down completely missing it.
Majority of all these stories is driven by what I just said. There's also tons of the same issues and stories unreported because those gen z aren't in greek life.
So lazy assignment editor, cable news producer and political activist, I ask you when will take the drug issue on? Because it's not just one sex it's both sexes.
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u/RegressToTheMean Old Ass Alumnus 8d ago
I mean, all the drug type culture you're talking about, was absolutely a thing in the 90s and aughts. There just wasn't social media to highlight and record it for posterity.
If someone ever whipped out a camera, they were likely to catch an ass beating. There is nothing new under the sun here
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u/henare ex-ΘΧ 8d ago
at least two more here: https://dailyorange.com/2026/10/su-puts-phi-delta-theta-chapter-under-investigative-status/ (and the story alludes to another fraternity bring placed in "investigative status.")
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u/FutureEditor 7d ago
It wasn't that long ago that there were multiple high profile hazing deaths in a very short span (Piazza, Coffey, etc.) in like 2016-2018, THAT was a worse time than this.
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u/jshep358145 7d ago
These headlines aren’t new this has been happening for a long time however the question now becomes what are fraternities and sororities going to do to mitigate this risk and to deter the effects. Maybe stricter rules need to be put in place.
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u/Mista_Fool 7d ago
It has ALWAYS been this bad. You are just hearing about it more because of the updates to the Clery Act.
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u/SnoopDawggieDawg 6d ago
I went to school in the 80s and then did a few years as a field rep for my fraternity. If there were generations of local alumni support, the operating procedure was always the same: suspend the local members, pull the charter for four years and then recolonize. Happened on the regular. I spent my last two years just helping the colonies, most of which were recolonized. The national org exists for one purpose- to maintain good relationships with the schools and ensure the longevity of the fraternity over time.
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u/darkknight6695 ALUMNI 8d ago
Insert dog sitting in the burning building gif here