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In the latest in a slew of fraternity hazing investigations nationwide, law enforcement agencies are poring over evidence taken from the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house at West Virginia University.
On Oct. 26, blaring music pounded as hundreds of shouting bystanders lined the street and nearby properties of the multi-level, brick, frat house on the Morgantown campus.
Meanwhile, officers with the campus and local police department, armed with a search warrant tied to hazing allegations, stoically toted out bags and cases of evidence and loaded it into police cars.
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A little more than two weeks earlier on Oct. 9, the university placed the chapter on interim suspension after “anonymous allegations of hazing,” a university spokeswoman told Fox News Digital.
Search warrants also were served on Oct. 26 at the house for the school’s chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha, according to social media posts from WVU Safety and Wellness.
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That fraternity, commonly known as PIKE, also is under investigation for allegations of hazing. As of that date, the university’s PIKE organization had not been put on suspension by the university.
New interest in longstanding ritual
The two West Virginia University chapters are the latest fraternities under investigation in an influx of Greek life hazing probes across the country.
Hazing involves requiring new or potential recruits to the military or college fraternities to perform strenuous, humiliating, or dangerous tasks.
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The uptick in law enforcement involvement nationwide doesn’t necessarily signal an increase in hazing, said Michael Ayalon, hazing prevention expert and CEO of Greek University.
More likely is that there’s increased awareness about hazing, triggered by changes to federal law, Ayalon told Fox News Digital.
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The Stop Campus Hazing Act passed in December 2024 with bipartisan support in Congress. It requires more transparency in hazing allegations across the country, Ayalon said.
“We certainly are seeing increased visibility and scrutiny of hazing on college campuses, particularly as universities face greater expectations for transparency and accountability.
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“With that transparency and accountability comes greater visibility.”
But more visibility doesn’t necessarily suggest more hazing is occurring now, he said.
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Hazing always has been underreported, he said, due to fear of retaliation.
‘A wake-up call’
Fraternity members should recognize that public perception of fraternity life now is being affected by these investigations, he said.
“The positive contributions of thousands of fraternity members can get overshadowed by allegations involving a handful of chapters,” Ayalon said.
“So every hazing incident makes it harder for the good chapters to go out and recruit more new members, makes it harder for alumni to defend the fraternity experience, and it makes it harder for universities that are working with these organizations.”
“For students, I think this is a wake-up call.”
Despite decades of education about the dangers of hazing traditions, national policy changes and tragic deaths, “some chapters continue to believe that hazing is a necessary part of earning membership,” he said.
It’s based on flawed thinking, he said.
Members justify the abuse, he said, by telling themselves, “I had to go through it, so you have to go through it, too.”
Fraternity chapters promote the idea that hazing builds brotherhood and creates loyalty, he said.
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“But there is a profound difference between working through a meaningful challenge as equals and being humiliated or controlled by people who hold power over you.”
Historically, hazing methods have followed patterns based on the kind of fraternity of sorority involved, Ayalon said.
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Fraternities that are traditionally white, known as IFC fraternities, are known for forced alcohol consumption, he said. Eighty-two percent of hazing deaths involve forced alcohol consumption.
In historically white sororities, hazing typically takes a different form, he said. In Panhellenic organizations, hazing looks like mental abuse—mean-girl behavior that ostracizes new female members.
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In historically black fraternities and sororities of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) —often called the Divine Nine—abuse may be physical or mental, Ayalon said.
And some recent high-profile cases of hazing have involved drugs, he said.
“West Virginia University takes seriously the safety and well-being of our students,” a spokeswoman for West Virginia University said.
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“Due to the nature of the investigations, no other details will be released at this time. We will provide updates as they become available.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Lambda Chi Alpha and Pi Kappa Alpha for comment.
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