A fraternity involved in a two-pickup-truck collision in October now faces a one-year suspension for hazing.
The ruling came at a hearing Dec. 8, where members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity faced administrators who confirmed a suspicion investigated for nearly two months: students from the fraternity were involved in a hazing ritual Oct. 16 that sent one man to an area hospital.
Witnesses that night reported that after the two trucks collided in a Lake Claire Apartments parking lot, groups of men in both trucks fled the scene, some apparently bound with tape by their wrists and ankles. UCF Police reported that the men were members and pledges of the SAE fraternity.
Administrators found the fraternity in violation of Rules 3 and 7 of the Rules of Conduct in the 2003-2004 Golden Rule. These rules apply to disruption of traffic flow on campus and fraternity hazing, respectively.
Patricia MacKown, director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, had authority to accept or reject the decision of the administrative hearing. She said the evidence stood on its own. An earlier misdeed by the fraternity resulted in the stiff sentence.
"If you as an organization have prior offenses that warrant a sanction, the decision could incorporate that," she said. "In the case of SAE, they were on probation in the fall for an alcohol violation."
MacKown said a business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, went through the same process for a hazing incident last year.
Under the suspension, the fraternity won't be allowed to participate in any university-related or fraternity-sponsored activities, including a role in the Interfraternity Council. The fraternity cannot have any on- or off-campus social events either. With permission from UCF, SAE can still hold educational, philanthropic and fund-raising events, though.
SAE President Ryan O'Rourke, who also presides over the Interfraternity Council, stepped down from that post to defend his fraternity within a week of the collision.
O'Rourke did not respond to requests for comment about the suspension.
While the suspension bars SAE from most aspects of Greek life on campus, it also requires that the fraternity meet several goals to allow reinstatement.
The group must meet with UCF Police to discuss a plan of action to educate its members about the school rules and laws regarding fraternity activity. SAE must show proof to the Office of Student Conduct that they've had their initial meeting with police by Jan. 30.
SAE also must submit monthly reports outlining educational initiatives and group activities, partner with Volunteer UCF to complete a community service project and develop a plan with the Office of Greek Affairs to redesign its pledge education program.
The fraternity's behavior between now and August - when it will receive a formal review - will determine its future status with the university.
SAE had been on summary suspension before the Dec. 8 decision. Another Greek organization on campus, the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, is on suspension for an unrelated hazing incident. That sorority was sanctioned by its national organization rather than the school.
Appealing the decision was an option for the fraternity, though it did not apply to do so.
A separate investigation conducted by the fraternity's national organization also decided hazing was involved in the crash. The organization came to the same conclusion two days before UCF's decision, said Ryan Weiers, executive director of SAE's Southeast region.
"The events were in fact hazing," Weiers said. "There were some members involved in the hazing. Some members were suspended."
When word of the crash reached the fraternity's national office in Illinois, Weiers said it issued a "cease and desist" order, stopping all chapter operations.
With enough evidence to go forward with an investigation, he said the group enlisted eight or nine area alumni, most of them former members of the chapter, to interview the 100 members of the UCF chapter Dec. 6. About 70 men showed up.
Weiers said the process that day started with the national organization suspending every member of the UCF chapter. The interviews were conducted as re-applications. About 30 members of the chapter were suspended at the end of that day. Those members will not be allowed back into the fraternity until after graduation.
The organization agrees with UCF's decision, Weiers said, though they'll likely appeal for reinstatement after about six months. "We feel good - the national organization and the chapter - and we look forward to coming back to full standing," he said.
O'Rourke will remain president of the local chapter. Weiers said he's confident in the chapter president and said he wasn't to blame for the incident that got the fraternity suspended.
Though Weiers said this type of problem is something all fraternities deal with from time to time, he added, "I've not seen anything in four years to compare this incident to. I haven't seen anything like this."
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