After the conclusion of each Spring Semester, the University of Virginia releases a hazing misconduct report that details violations and the proper consequences for each violation. Following the Spring 2022 semester, the report brought on some serious suspensions and details of hazing that occurred at the University.
The consequence that follows almost all hazing violations is a revocation of a fraternity’s FOA, or Fraternal Organization Agreement, for a specified time period. The FOA is a contract signed by each fraternity and sorority each year to secure benefits and obligations from and to the university as an organization, and without it a fraternity/sorority cannot operate as an official organization with the school. Benefits of an FOA include: advising and support from University staff, access to space on University property, participation in rush/recruitment processes on University property as well as university resources for rush/recruitment, participation in intramural sports, and access to University resources and services.
FOAs were revoked from four organizations following the Spring 2022 semester: Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), Kappa Alpha Order (KA), St. Anthony Hall, and Kappa Sigma. According to the University’s Hazing Misconduct Report, here are a few things each organization was indicted for:
– FIJI: pressured new members into an eating race of food crates filled with milk, bananas, soda, mayonnaise, and broccoli until at least one new member vomited; forced new members to put on blindfolds and sit against the basement wall while several brothers threw eggs at them and loud music played; etc.
– KA: required new members to carry cigarettes, lighters, condoms, beef jerky, chewing tobacco and smokeless nicotine patches on their person at all times; new members were banned from using the house bathroom; new members were confined in a bathroom and told to smoke all the cigarettes in their “pledge packs”; engage in a team race to drink 30 cans of beer altogether; etc.
– St. Anthony Hall: provided food and beverages at an event in violation of the University’s COVID requirements
– Kappa Sigma: caused substantial damage to University-owned/leased property
Due to these violations, FIJI and KA cannot apply for a new FOA until Spring 2026; St. Anthony Hall’s is revoked from August 23, 2022 until December 16, 2022 (the entire Fall 2022 semester); and Kappa Sigma’s is revoked until November 6, 2022.
Movements towards a strong anti-hazing environment have been pushed across the state and the University following the hazing-related passing of VCU student Adam Oakes. “Adam’s Law,” as the law is called, requires hazing prevention training for all current, new, and potential members of fraternities and sororities. Training includes “extensive, current, and in-person education about hazing, the dangers of hazing, including alcohol intoxication, and hazing laws and institution policies,” as the bill says.
The University of Virginia is undertaking work to follow Adam’s Law and ensure knowledge about hazing is ingrained into each person involved in Greek life, seen with their nineteen “Hoos Against Hazing” sessions FSL is providing throughout the Fall 2022 semester.
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