SMU's Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Suspended After Hazing Investigation

A Southern Methodist University fraternity was suspended Monday after an investigation into allegations that new members were hazed. The suspension of the Beta Zeta chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity will last four and a half years and was made in agreement with the national organization, university spokesman Kent Best said in a written statement. "The suspension comes in response to operational and new member incidents that violated the SMU Student Code of Conduct and the fraternity's oaths and rules," Best said. According to an email obtained by SMU's Daily Campus, new members were forced to consume onions, hot sauce, eggs and milk and were required or encouraged to drink alcohol. The fraternity also participated in an alcohol hazing ritual called "The Gauntlet" that was prohibited in its accountability agreement, the Daily Campus reported. "Underground" membership tactics were also alleged in the email. The fraternity had previously been told to cease all organizational activity while the university investigated, the Daily Campus reported.The university has made alternative living arrangements and other resources available for students who lived in the fraternity house, Best said.   Continue reading...